Gradually,
the Cajon Pass became the route of choice for various trappers, prospectors,
settlers, merchants…and horse thieves.
Indeed,
the most famous horse thief was a Ute Indian who was known as Chief
Walkara. Born in Utah – in either 1808
or 1815 (accounts vary) Walkara was referred to by some as the “greatest” horse
thief in history.
Walkara’s
heyday was the 1840’s and early 1850’s.
During those years, Walkara would raid the ranches in southern
California and then drive the stolen horses up through the Cajon Pass. Walkara
would also kidnap any Piute Indians (including women and children) encountered
along the way. These captives would then
be sold to Spanish or Mexican merchants as slaves.
Walkara’s
most famous raid was one in which three to five thousand stolen horses were herded through the Cajon Pass to the
high desert. According to some accounts,
the dust kicked up by the horses could be seen for fifty miles!
-Scott Schwartz "Before The Blacktop."
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