Utah Historical Quarterly Volume 15, Number 1-4, 1947

H A W K I N S , HALL, A N D G O O D M A N Three other members of the Powell 1869 expedition who have not yet been given attention are William R. Hawkins, Andrew Hall and Frank Goodman.

William Rhodes Hawkins was one of the mountaineers Major Powell met at Jack Sumner's outfitting shack in 1868. Hawkins at that time traveled under the name of Billy Rhodes, or, more formally, William H. Rhodes. His nicknames were numerous and at times he was known simply as "Missouri," a clue which proved of great value in trying to trace his origins and early life.

William Rhodes Hawkins was born in Missouri in 1841 and first came to public record on June 20, 1863, when he enlisted at Booneville, Missouri, for service in the Union Army. He brought with him a good horse valued at $120.00 and all subsequent muster rolls state that remuneration was due him for his horse and equipment which he used during his service as a private, Company I, 9th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry. The company muster roll for November and December, 1863, dated at Macon City, Missouri, gives record that Hawkins was absent under civilian arrest. It is perhaps just as well that no additional facts are included. By January, 1864, he had returned to his company, and was ultimately discharged for disability May 29, 1865. The nature of the disability is not recorded. During the war, the company had been in numerous skirmishes and had been on the march constantly. Hawkins was mustered out at St. Louis, Missouri, May 29, 1865.

Sometime between 1863 and 1865, therefore, Hawkins had at least one brush with the law. He was suspected by the members of Powell's 1868 party to be a fugitive from justice. He was uneasy at the approach of a sheriff and otherwise acted suspiciously.

Whatever the offense, trifling or serious, Hawkins served Major Powell loyally, not only in Colorado, but in the first exploration down the Colorado River.

Subsequently, Hawkins took up farming and ranching near Eden in Graham County, Arizona, became a respected citizen of the community, and served honorably as a Justice of the Peace.

He raised a large family, many of whom still reside in the southwest. Hawkins died June 21, 1919.

Although Billy Hawkins did not keep a diary of his experiences, many years after the exploration he prepared two accounts of his part in the Colorado expedition. In these he was highly critical of the leadership and character of Major Powell. The first of these, prepared for Robert Brewster Stanton in 1907, contains several serious condemnations, butl the one published in