Antoine Leroux facts for kids
Joaquin Antoine Leroux, also known as Watkins Leroux (born 1801, died 1861), was a famous mountain man and trail guide in the 1800s. He lived and worked mainly in New Mexico. Leroux was also part of the group that helped set up the New Mexico Territory.
Biography
In 1846, Leroux worked as a guide for a group of soldiers called the Mormon Battalion. They were led by Philip St. George Cooke. Other guides with him included Pauline Weaver and Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Their job was to guide these soldiers to California to help in the Mexican–American War.
In 1849, Leroux helped Lieutenant J.H. Whitesley in a military mission involving the Ute people. That same year, he played an important part after a difficult event known as the White massacre. In 1851, Leroux guided the Lorenzo Sitgreaves expedition through Arizona. He suggested they explore the Little Colorado River valley. There, the group discovered the Wupatki ruins, which were ancient buildings made by prehistoric Native Americans.
By 1853, Leroux had become a successful sheep rancher and owned a lot of land. However, he still enjoyed guiding expeditions. That year, he joined two trips to help map out possible routes for the planned Transcontinental Railroad. In the summer, he went with Amiel Weeks Whipple on an expedition. They explored the area around the 35th parallel. When Leroux was returning from the Whipple expedition in 1854, he wrote in his journal about an ancient site he found in the Verde Valley.
Later in 1854, Leroux was asked to join John W. Gunnison's expedition in Taos. Gunnison was mapping a central route for the railroad. His group had gotten stuck in the San Juan River valley. However, Gunnison and Leroux often disagreed about the best path to take. This often made things harder for the group. Because of these disagreements, Leroux eventually left the expedition. Two days later, most of Gunnison's group, including Gunnison himself, were killed when they unexpectedly met a group of Paiute Native Americans.
Legacy
Several places are named after Leroux:
- Antoine Leroux, New Mexico
- Leroux Springs in the San Francisco Peaks, which was the main water source for Flagstaff, Arizona for many years
- Leroux Wash, Arizona
- Antoine Leroux Land Grant
