Who Was Lieut. Emory's "Londeau?"

Old Bookaroo

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Dec 4, 2008
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Who Was Lieut. Emory’s “Londeau?”

Every serious student of the Lost Adams Diggings is familiar with this quote from Lieut. William H. Emory’s 1848 Report:

[October 26, 1848 – near the modern border between Arizona and New Mexico]
“Wherever the eye wondered, huge mountains were seen of black, volcanic appearance, of very compact argillaceous limestone, tinged at times with scarlet from the quantities of red feldspar. Through these the Gila (now swift) has cut its narrow way with infinite labors, assisted by the influx of the Prito, the Azul and San Carlos rivers. As the story goes, the Prieto flows down from the mountains, freighted with gold. Its sands are said to be full of this precious metal. A few adventurers, who ascended this river hunting beaver, washed the sands at night when they haled, and were richly rewarded for their trouble. Tempted by their success, they made a second trip, and were attacked and most of the killed by Indians. My authority for this statement is Londeau, who, though an illiterate man, is truthful.” [Emphasis added]

Back in 2011, I asked on TN how authors knew this brief reference was to the Lost Adams Diggings:

(29) Lieut. Col. William Emorys "Notes" and The Lost Adams Diggings | TreasureNet 🧭 The Original Treasure Hunting Website

There is some good information in the responses.

However, the question remained – Who was “Londeau?”

I’m in the middle of reading The Last Camel Charge, by Forrest Bryant Johnson (2013). I picked it up at the Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction a few weeks ago. I’ve been interested in the US government’s camel experiment for many years – the old camel barracks are nearby in Benica. On page 52 of this book, I came across:

“After guiding Captain Lorenzo Sitgreave’s expedition in 1851 and surviving the Mohave attack, Canadian-born Antoine Leroux considered retiring and becoming a sheep rancher near Taos, New Mexico. But the thirst for adventure bothers a man like Leroux, so when the U.S. Army requested him to lead another expedition, he accepted, happy to serve his adopted country and thrilled with the opportunity to enter the wilderness once again.”

I remembered the reference to “Londreau” in Lieut. Emory’s Report. Was his “Londreau” Antoine Leroux?

Lieut. Amiel Whipple led an expedition to explore the potential thirty-fifth parallel route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Whipple’s journal entry for January 21, 1854, states:

“Some of the tributaries north of the Gila are known to contain gold. As late as 1850 or 1851, a party of Americans was organized in New Mexico for the purpose of working placers which were said to exist upon Rio San Francisco, but that name has been applied to so many tributaries of Rio Gila, that I am unable to point out the locality of the one referred to. I think, however, it was that which rises among the Pinal Leño mountains east of the Salinas, and empties into the Rio Gila about twenty miles above the mouth of the San Pedro. One of that company was afterwards employed in my party as a teamster upon the Mexican boundary. He stated that they really found a quantity of gold, but, being surrounded by troublesome Indians jealous of the advance of Americans into their country, and many of the adventurers desiring to proceed to California, the party soon became disorganized, and abandoned their search.” [Emphasis added]

On page 54 of The Last Camel Charge, regarding Whipple’s expedition, is the brief mention:

“In New Mexico, they [the Whipple Expedition] were joined by Leroux.”

I find that evidence convincing. Lieut. Emory, hearing the name of a man he described as “illiterate,” spelt his name phonetically. Emory’s “Londreau” was, in fact, the frontiersman and guide Antoine Leroux. Whipple's Journal confirms it.

As is so often the case, solving one history mystery raises interesting questions. We now know his name – but who was Antoine Leroux?

Did he ever hunt for placer gold along the Gila?

------- o0o -------

Authorities

The quotes from Lieut. Emory’s Report and Lieut. Whipple’s Journal are from Rex Arrowsmith’s dandy little book, Mines of the Old Southwest (1963) – little known, but a very informative, compact reference.

For more on Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves’ expedition, see his Report of an Expedition Down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers, Senate Exec. Doc. , 33rd Congress, 1st Session (1857).

The well-known Lieut. William H. Emory Report is Notes of a Military Reconnaissance, From Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California Including Parts of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila Rivers, 30th Congress, 1st Session, House of Representatives Executive Document No. 41 (1848). You can find here on TN a number of references to it – and to the essential Military Map associated with it – see posts #18 and #27, in particular, in the TN thread cited above.

The full and proper title of Lieut. Amiel W. Whipple’s Journal is Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad From the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, Made Under the Direction of the Secretary of War, in 185-4, Vol. III only, 33rd Congress, 2nd Session, Senate Executive Document No. 78 (1856).

------- o0o -------
Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

Last edited:
Leroux spoken in French and then spelled phonetically in English ,...Isn't Landeau.

Did Lieut. Emory speak French?

What is your alternative theory regarding the identity of "Landreau?" Who else, with a similar name, served on both the Emory and Whipple expeditions?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

Did Lieut. Emory speak French?

What is your alternative theory regarding the identity of "Landreau?" Who else, with a similar name, served on both the Emory and Whipple expeditions?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
The prevalence of French in Canada. Attended by a French name.
How it would be pronounced by a non French person might be pronounced as anyone's name we are told by the owner of.
Yes he was in the U.S. and adopted it as his. IF he changed how his name was pronounced he'd might as well change his name. What would have stopped him?

As to who served ....What was heard should matter more. Inflection. Accent. Emphasis.
(The R alone in Landreau alone for starters.)

Landrow is doable. Ignoring the D to get Leroux is another matter.
And why not Lerow if not French? ( French would sound Leroo in English spelling , (ending with a U sound.)

No offence .
If I'm spelling by someone's name, (by it's sound) who is French ...it matters little if they are literate or not.

The D is kind of a springboard compliment to the obligatory R ("air") sound.
Dropping or losing it would take deliberate effort.
 

The prevalence of French in Canada. Attended by a French name.
How it would be pronounced by a non French person might be pronounced as anyone's name we are told by the owner of.
Yes he was in the U.S. and adopted it as his. IF he changed how his name was pronounced he'd might as well change his name. What would have stopped him?

As to who served ....What was heard should matter more. Inflection. Accent. Emphasis.
(The R alone in Landreau alone for starters.)

Landrow is doable. Ignoring the D to get Leroux is another matter.
And why not Lerow if not French? ( French would sound Leroo in English spelling , (ending with a U sound.)

No offence .
If I'm spelling by someone's name, (by it's sound) who is French ...it matters little if they are literate or not.

The D is kind of a springboard compliment to the obligatory R ("air") sound.
Dropping or losing it would take deliberate effort.
No offense taken - rest assured.

"Illiterate" is important because when this gentleman signed on to the various US Army expeditions he wouldn't have been able to spell his name for the muster rolls, and he certainly wouldn't have signed his name to any documents.

As always, I remain open to more information. I am, obviously, excited about this find.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

No offense taken - rest assured.

"Illiterate" is important because when this gentleman signed on to the various US Army expeditions he wouldn't have been able to spell his name for the muster rolls, and he certainly wouldn't have signed his name to any documents.

As always, I remain open to more information. I am, obviously, excited about this find.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
Thanks for your tolerance.

X's for signatures used to want a witness or two.
Upping the odds for a owner to speak thier name repeatedly. And more opinion if sought for how to spell it.
The scribe would trump all though probably.

Last names got modified by owners sometimes. The whys varied from discrimination , to downright legal implications of getting located/caught.
First names too.

Kept hitting blocks when backtracking a particular grandfather.
Own a split bamboo flyrod of his on which the initials on it's butt cap disagree with other accounts of his name.
But not his brother (or was it fathers) initials. Which ever one it was , he adopted thier first name as his "middle" name after they died. And he died before my knowing he had different names , to be able to ask why.
Family members knew him by that middle name used first at one time though! Which would mean he assumed a brothers identity . Sort of..
 

Thanks for your tolerance.

X's for signatures used to want a witness or two.
Upping the odds for a owner to speak thier name repeatedly. And more opinion if sought for how to spell it.
The scribe would trump all though probably.

Last names got modified by owners sometimes. The whys varied from discrimination , to downright legal implications of getting located/caught.
First names too.

Kept hitting blocks when backtracking a particular grandfather.
Own a split bamboo flyrod of his on which the initials on it's butt cap disagree with other accounts of his name.
But not his brother (or was it fathers) initials. Which ever one it was , he adopted thier first name as his "middle" name after they died. And he died before my knowing he had different names , to be able to ask why.
Family members knew him by that middle name used first at one time though! Which would mean he assumed a brothers identity . Sort of..
RC - If I may - I don't tolerate the opinions and view of others. I welcome them in this forum. I'm here to share what I have learned, to learn from others who know more than I do, and to offer a helping hand when I can make a contribution.

The best test of a thread is the number of replies - the campfire conversations generated by opening a topic for discussion. You took the time to respond - that's the whole idea.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

Who Was Lieut. Emory’s “Londeau?”

Every serious student of the Lost Adams Diggings is familiar with this quote from Lieut. William H. Emory’s 1848 Report:

[October 26, 1848 – near the modern border between Arizona and New Mexico]
“Wherever the eye wondered, huge mountains were seen of black, volcanic appearance, of very compact argillaceous limestone, tinged at times with scarlet from the quantities of red feldspar. Through these the Gila (now swift) has cut its narrow way with infinite labors, assisted by the influx of the Prito, the Azul and San Carlos rivers. As the story goes, the Prieto flows down from the mountains, freighted with gold. Its sands are said to be full of this precious metal. A few adventurers, who ascended this river hunting beaver, washed the sands at night when they haled, and were richly rewarded for their trouble. Tempted by their success, they made a second trip, and were attacked and most of the killed by Indians. My authority for this statement is Londeau, who, though an illiterate man, is truthful.” [Emphasis added]
. . . .
Lieut. Amiel Whipple led an expedition to explore the potential thirty-fifth parallel route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Whipple’s journal entry for January 21, 1854, states:

“Some of the tributaries north of the Gila are known to contain gold. As late as 1850 or 1851, a party of Americans was organized in New Mexico for the purpose of working placers which were said to exist upon Rio San Francisco, but that name has been applied to so many tributaries of Rio Gila, that I am unable to point out the locality of the one referred to.
. . . .
As is so often the case, solving one history mystery raises interesting questions. We now know his name – but who was Antoine Leroux?

Did he ever hunt for placer gold along the Gila?
. . . .
Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
This is all interesting. Without contrary information, I think it's quite safe to assume "Londreau" is Antoine Leroux, one of the Taos trappers who explored many if not most of the New Mexico/Arizona rivers and creeks for quite a few years prior to the Anglo occupation following the Mexican War. Emory, like so many others on the frontier, likely misheard/ mispronounced/misspelled the name.

Same goes for place names. Rivers, creeks, mountains, mountain ranges, trails, settlements, et al, have frequently changed names on the maps, in the memoirs, and locals' day-to-day usage over time, especially in the periods of sparse and sporadic occupation. Below is Emory's map of the "as the story goes" Gila River tributaries from October 1848, followed by the same tributaries' later and/or current identifications. Emory, like all others, worked with the best information available to him at the time. The Prieta (Black) River is now the San Francisco, The Azul (Blue) River is Eagle Creek, and the San Carlos is now Bonito Creek.
Emory.jpg


Watercourse names.jpg


Regarding alleged gold placer in the Prieto (San Francisco River), here's an entry from an 1864 military report - a period when soldiers were encouraged to prospect for minerals in the region in an effort to promote more settlement.

October 1-November 27,1864 - Expedition from Ft. Craig, N. Mex.,
to Fort Goodwin, Ariz. Ter.

Report of Col. Oscar M. Brown, First California Cavaly
HEADQUARTERS FORT CRAIG, N. MEX.​
Dec 1, 1864

Military Report 1.jpg

Military 2.jpg


Note the "Prieto" noted here is not Emory's Prieto (San Francisco), but the other Prieto that heads in the White Mountains, then empties into the Salt River and finally into the Gila River near Phoenix. Place names get awfully tricky, eh?

As far as Whipple's confusion about the prospecting party active in a tributary of the Gila River in 1850-51, he may well have been referring to the same party that John C. Cremony, chief scout of the 1850 US Boundary Commission Survey reported. This unidentified group was working the deposits in Bear Creek at Pinos Altos NM, a full ten years prior to the deposits' "official discovery" by Jacob snively and others in 1860. See Life Among the Apaches, by John C. Cremony, 1868, p. 160.

Finally, the question of whether Leroux hunted for gold while trapping is likely answered, IMO, "yes". When you read the books about and the available private memoirs from the trappers in the Southwest prior to the Mexican War, there are enough references to assume they were well aware of the possibilities.
 

How in Sam Hades did I have him originating from Canada?
Who Was Lieut. Emory’s “Londeau?”

Every serious student of the Lost Adams Diggings is familiar with this quote from Lieut. William H. Emory’s 1848 Report:

[October 26, 1848 – near the modern border between Arizona and New Mexico]
“Wherever the eye wondered, huge mountains were seen of black, volcanic appearance, of very compact argillaceous limestone, tinged at times with scarlet from the quantities of red feldspar. Through these the Gila (now swift) has cut its narrow way with infinite labors, assisted by the influx of the Prito, the Azul and San Carlos rivers. As the story goes, the Prieto flows down from the mountains, freighted with gold. Its sands are said to be full of this precious metal. A few adventurers, who ascended this river hunting beaver, washed the sands at night when they haled, and were richly rewarded for their trouble. Tempted by their success, they made a second trip, and were attacked and most of the killed by Indians. My authority for this statement is Londeau, who, though an illiterate man, is truthful.” [Emphasis added]

Back in 2011, I asked on TN how authors knew this brief reference was to the Lost Adams Diggings:

(29) Lieut. Col. William Emorys "Notes" and The Lost Adams Diggings | TreasureNet 🧭 The Original Treasure Hunting Website

There is some good information in the responses.

However, the question remained – Who was “Londeau?”

I’m in the middle of reading The Last Camel Charge, by Forrest Bryant Johnson (2013). I picked it up at the Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction a few weeks ago. I’ve been interested in the US government’s camel experiment for many years – the old camel barracks are nearby in Benica. On page 52 of this book, I came across:

“After guiding Captain Lorenzo Sitgreave’s expedition in 1851 and surviving the Mohave attack, Canadian-born Antoine Leroux considered retiring and becoming a sheep rancher near Taos, New Mexico. But the thirst for adventure bothers a man like Leroux, so when the U.S. Army requested him to lead another expedition, he accepted, happy to serve his adopted country and thrilled with the opportunity to enter the wilderness once again.”

I remembered the reference to “Londreau” in Lieut. Emory’s Report. Was his “Londreau” Antoine Leroux?

Lieut. Amiel Whipple led an expedition to explore the potential thirty-fifth parallel route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Whipple’s journal entry for January 21, 1854, states:

“Some of the tributaries north of the Gila are known to contain gold. As late as 1850 or 1851, a party of Americans was organized in New Mexico for the purpose of working placers which were said to exist upon Rio San Francisco, but that name has been applied to so many tributaries of Rio Gila, that I am unable to point out the locality of the one referred to. I think, however, it was that which rises among the Pinal Leño mountains east of the Salinas, and empties into the Rio Gila about twenty miles above the mouth of the San Pedro. One of that company was afterwards employed in my party as a teamster upon the Mexican boundary. He stated that they really found a quantity of gold, but, being surrounded by troublesome Indians jealous of the advance of Americans into their country, and many of the adventurers desiring to proceed to California, the party soon became disorganized, and abandoned their search.” [Emphasis added]

On page 54 of The Last Camel Charge, regarding Whipple’s expedition, is the brief mention:

“In New Mexico, they [the Whipple Expedition] were joined by Leroux.”

I find that evidence convincing. Lieut. Emory, hearing the name of a man he described as “illiterate,” spelt his name phonetically. Emory’s “Londreau” was, in fact, the frontiersman and guide Antoine Leroux. Whipple's Journal confirms it.

As is so often the case, solving one history mystery raises interesting questions. We now know his name – but who was Antoine Leroux?

Did he ever hunt for placer gold along the Gila?

------- o0o -------

Authorities

The quotes from Lieut. Emory’s Report and Lieut. Whipple’s Journal are from Rex Arrowsmith’s dandy little book, Mines of the Old Southwest (1963) – little known, but a very informative, compact reference.

For more on Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves’ expedition, see his Report of an Expedition Down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers, Senate Exec. Doc. , 33rd Congress, 1st Session (1857).

The well-known Lieut. William H. Emory Report is Notes of a Military Reconnaissance, From Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California Including Parts of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila Rivers, 30th Congress, 1st Session, House of Representatives Executive Document No. 41 (1848). You can find here on TN a number of references to it – and to the essential Military Map associated with it – see posts #18 and #27, in particular, in the TN thread cited above.

The full and proper title of Lieut. Amiel W. Whipple’s Journal is Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad From the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, Made Under the Direction of the Secretary of War, in 185-4, Vol. III only, 33rd Congress, 2nd Session, Senate Executive Document No. 78 (1856).

------- o0o -------
Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

[“After guiding Captain Lorenzo Sitgreave’s expedition in 1851 and surviving the Mohave attack, Canadian-born Antoine Leroux considered retiring and becoming a sheep rancher near Taos, New Mexico.]

Contradiction regarding birthplace/origin.


[One day a French trader from St. Louis named Jean Baptiste Lajoie saw the beautiful woman and fell madly in love with her. He ransomed her from the Pawnee and took her to St. Louis where they were married. The couple raised two daughters. One of the girls, Helene, later married a French merchant named William Leroux and they had four children. The youngest, Antoine, was born in 1801.]

 

It's surprising from my reading accounts of mountain men for years that Emory doesn't mention Londeau 's status as more than an illiterate.

Leroux the trapper was not a minor character.( Most surviving trappers that remained afield post fur era and pre cattle trails and settlements ect. were not minor characters.)
After all who knew the terrains and hazards better? Not the military at first. If ever..

Emory may not have know the respect deserving of seasoned trappers ? Or saw them as less as those in his circle?
Neither seem likely if he had much experience.


.
 

How in Sam Hades did I have him originating from Canada?


[“After guiding Captain Lorenzo Sitgreave’s expedition in 1851 and surviving the Mohave attack, Canadian-born Antoine Leroux considered retiring and becoming a sheep rancher near Taos, New Mexico.]

Contradiction regarding birthplace/origin.


[One day a French trader from St. Louis named Jean Baptiste Lajoie saw the beautiful woman and fell madly in love with her. He ransomed her from the Pawnee and took her to St. Louis where they were married. The couple raised two daughters. One of the girls, Helene, later married a French merchant named William Leroux and they had four children. The youngest, Antoine, was born in 1801.]

It appears "Canadian-born" is an error on the part of Johnson. "French-Canadian ancestry" is probably correct.

There is a 1965 biography of Antoine Leroux. It comes as no surprise to me that it was published by Westernlore. Those were small editions, and the one copy I've found for sale is almost $200. Inter-library loan is my next move.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

It's surprising from my reading accounts of mountain men for years that Emory doesn't mention Londeau 's status as more than an illiterate.

Leroux the trapper was not a minor character.( Most surviving trappers that remained afield post fur era and pre cattle trails and settlements ect. were not minor characters.)
After all who knew the terrains and hazards better? Not the military at first. If ever..

Emory may not have know the respect deserving of seasoned trappers ? Or saw them as less as those in his circle?
Neither seem likely if he had much experience.


.
Considerable experience, indeed. Antoine Leroux wouldn't have been hired by the US Army time after time to lead them if he wasn't knowledgeable. When the expedition leaders didn't agree with him and they parted ways, Leroux lived to tell the tale and they went to their doom.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo
 

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