Joseph Walker

According to the Utah History to Go website, Joe Walker was born in Texas around 1850. While Joe was still a baby, his father died and his mother handed control of the family ranch to Joe’s uncle (reportedly named Whitmore). The widow then relocated her family to Utah where they became involved in ranching and banking.

Joe eventually turned up at the ranch of brothers J.M. and George Whitmore claiming to be a distant relative and demanding a share of the family’s herd. The Whitmore’s denied his request, setting off a feud that would last until Joe’s death. The Whitmore’s researched Walker’s claim and discovered not evidence connecting him to the family. 

As revenge, Walker began a campaign of rustling the Whitmore’s livestock. During these raids, he often used Robbers Roost as a hideout. It is believed he became friendly with Gunplay Maxwell during one of his stays in the Roost.

When he wasn’t harassing the Whitmore’s, Walker could often be found working on Jim McPherson’s ranch near Florence Creek. While working at the ranch, Walker curbed his outlaw ways, saving that for his off-days.

In 1885, Walker got drunk and went on a shooting spree in Price, Utah. After a fifteen-mile chase, the outlaw managed to escape authorities by hiding out in the Roost.

Sometime in 1897, Walker teamed up with Gunplay Maxwell in yet another raid on the Whitmore’s stock. After concealing the horses in a secluded corral, the two bandits got into an argument. Known as a man of flexible morals, Maxwell left the area and promptly notified the Whitmore’s of Walker’s location. Sheriff C.W. Allred and Deputy Azariah Tuttle set off to apprehend the horse thief.

Confronted by the officers, Walker scrambled up the side of a nearby canyon. During a brief shootout, Walker managed to incapacitate Tuttle with a shot to the leg. The officers took cover behind some nearby rocks and a standoff ensued.

Allred eventually left to get help for his partner, leaving the wounded man to continue the standoff. An excellent shot, Tuttle managed to keep Walker in one place for two hours before the desert sun got him.

Tuttle offered a deal, he would surrender his weapons to Walker in exchange for a bucket of water. Walker agreed, took the guns and made good on his side of the bargain before scaling down the canyon to make his escape.

According to the May 8, 1897 edition of the American Eagle, Walker offered to pay for Tuttle’s doctor bills, sending three horses in lieu of cash. Should there have been any change left over after the sale of the horses and Tuttle’s bills, Walker casually requested the money be sent back to him.

On April 21, 1897, Walker assisted Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay in the Pleasant Valley Coal Company payroll robbery. Walker cut the telegraph wires leading from town and set up relay horses for the outlaws’ escape.

Following the Castle Gate robbery, Walker went back to stealing the Whitmore’s livestock for a living. In May of 1898, Walker raided the Whitmore’s cattle. As he made his escape, Bud Whitmore and ranch foreman, Billy McGuire, followed him. Walker got the jump on the two men and beat McGuire senseless.

Walker let the cattle go and reunited with friends camped out near Florence Creek. On Thursday May 12, 1898, a posse comprised of Carbon County Sheriff C.W. Allred, Pete Anderson, J.W. Warf, Jack Genfry, Jim Ingerfield, Jack Watson, McGuire and the Whitmore brothers confronted the outlaws as they slept.

They woke the outlaws with shouts to raise their hands. Hoping to avoid the need for a gun battle, the posse claimed they were a hundred men strong. Their plan worked halfway. Two of the sleeping men immediately surrendered. The other two grabbed their guns and began firing. Quickly emptying their weapons, the outlaws made a run for it, only to get shot down in the process.

Joe Walker was identified as one of the two dead men. The other was initially believed to be Butch Cassidy, but it was later proven otherwise.

  Back