In 1840 or thereabouts the Government bought it and made it a military post.

It had become the most famous meeting-place of the Plains.

Here the greatest Indian councils were held, and here also came the most celebrated of the Indian fighters, men whose names had long been known to me, but whom I never dared hope to see.
Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Baker, Richards and other of the celebrated hunters, trappers and Indian fighters were as familiar about the post as are bankers in Wall Street.

All these men fascinated me, especially Carson, a small, dapper, quiet man whom everybody held in profound respect.
I used to sit for hours and watch him and the others talk to the Indians in the sign language.

Without a sound they would carry on long and interesting conversations, tell stories, inquire about game and trails, and discuss pretty much everything that men find worth discussing.
I was naturally desirous of mastering this mysterious medium of speech, and began my education in it with far more interest than I had given to the "three R's" back at Salt Creek.