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 Early Mt. Whitney Pack Trains |
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Frank Chrysler and Ted Cook . |
 Fred Moore (MWPT packer) heading out of Whitney Portals in 1941 with Mt. Whitney Pack Train. That old stone wall is still there at the Portals today! |
 Ted Cook at the old Carroll Creek MWPT Pack Station, 1941. |
 Mt. Whitney Pack Train's packer, Slim, circa 1941. |
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| Ray, We didnt meet but I know many of the others on your site. What a lot of work you have put in, NICE JOB! The JF brand you show stood for James Frankin Chrysler one of the first owners with Ted Cook and my cowboy mentor since childhood. His nephews Jack Fitzpatrick (Alaska) and Jerry Whortan (Idaho) are still out fishing for different fish. We all spent many summers with Frank at Little Whitney. When I got older and found out the Sierra Club trips had girls along to clean the pots, I went to Mt. Whitney pack trains for a job and worked there in the mid 1950s. Along with part time work for the Laceys and George Brown outfits. I know I was there in 1956 because I had just gotten my drivers license and came into the Portals from a trip and Bruce asked me if I could "double clutch". I said I could and he put me in the green chevy stock truck to take Grace to town. I needed to "double clutch" because the brakes were out and I think we went almost all the way to Lone Pine in low gear. I have pictures of Frank Chrysler and others if you have any interest. I just sent Richard the original photo of the big dinner we had in Las Vegas after arriving there with the mule team in about 1949 but still have it on file. Along with Bruce & Grace there were Russ Spainhower and more. Also, sent Roberta the program from the 1956 stampede when she was queen. Those were good days. I'd like to hear from you if you would like some some old stuff from the Owens Valley. I was born there in 1940 and my mom was a packrat. Frank Chrysler was truly one of a kind. I particularily remember when as a little kid we were taking cattle to volcano meadow and as entertainment once in a while he would rope a calf and we kids would jump off our horses and ride it. One calf took off in a circle and tied me to a pine tree and he said that I bellowed louder than the calf. I'm going to carbon copy this to his nephew Jack Fitzpatrick in Anchorage and he may also be of assistance to you on Frank although I don't believe he worked for MWPT. I already sent a link to your site to Jack today and he may have seen it already. If he hasn't he doubtlessly will and he and his cousin Jerry Whorton may have additional stories on Frank. One of my favorite campfire stories Frank told was when he was with the 20 mule team as a young man in Death Valley when Haleys comet came over and everything was lit up like day. The year was (according to Google" about 1910. I'll give this some more thought and get back to you with some pictures and stories. Great that someone has put all this history together. I'll try and find one picture that I thought was really special of Chrysler, Harold "Skinny" Gates and my dad, Ben Baker Sr. at a campfire. In those old days I was called "Mike" so if you mention me as a packer it should probably be Ben "Mike" Baker, Jr. I worked as "Packer" in the mid 1950s but like most others was also guide, wrangler, cook, horseshoer and fishing instructor. Also even worked the Portals Store with Roberta and Richard a couple times. Ben "Mike" Baker |
| Ray, My name is "Rena 'Beth' Moore-Smith. I am the last of my immediate, Fred Arthur Moore family. My dad, Fred Moore, was born in the small town of Black Rock, just out of Independence in Inyo County, CA on March 29th in 1896. His father was Walter Browning Moore and mother was Mary Coreen (Whittle) Moore. Both are buried there in the Lone Pine cemetery. I heard that Dad was related to a Wm. L. Moore and a James J. Moore (I believe of Independence/Lone Pine.) and both in the early years were sheriffs of Inyo County. I just returned home on October 23rd from a trip to Independence, Lone Pine, and Keeler. I am in the process, and with some helpful connections, trying to learn more about this past history. I know there are some Moore cousins living in the Inyo area that I have never met. My dad had a brother, Walter Irving Moore, and Floyd Moore that later settled in the Bishop area, a sister, Julia R. (Moore) Lasky, in Lone Pine and several step-sisters, Amy & Grace Whittle. After meeting and marrying my mother, Rena (Roop)Moore, in 1920, my Mom and Dad (Fred) moved to Independence and lived in the Mary Austin house from 1920 through 1921 until they eventually moved to Lone Pine. I am their only daughter along with the five sons they had - Fred, Lynwood, Bob, George, and Willis. All of my brothers have passed away. Lyn and George are buried in the Lone Pine cemetery. Over the years we have lived in Lone Pine, Bartlett, and later on a farm in Torrance, CA. Every summer, from June through September, our home was Whitney Portals! That is because Dad worked for Mt. Whitney Pack Station which was owned by Frank Chrysler and Ted Cook. I'm not real sure just when this all started, but I do know I have pictures and information in the 1930s and 1940s from my mother's old scrapbook. As I grew up I got to know every inch of the Portals' area. My "rock" was the large "Wishing Rock" on the small lake across from the Portals' cabin which we stayed in off and on. Most of the time we stayed in a large tent which was set up for our summer stay. In later years my Dad married a second time. And, believe it or not, Grace A. Moore, at 101.5 years old, is still one of the few residents still living in the town of Keeler!!. She is quite a remarkable person whom most everyone in the area knows. Dad passed away in January 1979. I still know some of the Lone Pine residents from days gone by and it always feels like home to me whenever I get a chance to visit. I love it there. My son, Tony, came across your website and sent it on to me. It is so interesting! I spent time on early visits to Carroll Creek and Cottonwood, the Alabama Hills, where we also had a home for a while. I've been most everywhere. I also knew the older brothers and sisters of Deborah Cook who wrote to your site. Her father, also a Fred, Fred Cook, younger brother of Ted Cook, worked for the Mt. Whitney Pack Station along with my dad. I knew her mother Ruth, brother Mike, and sister Margaret Rena, named after her aunt, Ted's wife Margaret and my mother Rena. My older brother, Lynwood, used to care for Father Crowley's yard in the Portals. Sincerely, Rena 'Beth' Moore-Smith 25 October 2003 |
 Ted Cook at Anton's Camp |
 Death Valley '49ers - Fred A. Moore on the front wagon. |
 Bonnie, Doreen, and Lyn Moore in front of Fr. John J. Crowley's cabin at Whitney Portals |
 Mt. Whitney Pack Train's packer, Johnny, circa 1940. |
 Mt. Whitney Pack Train's packer, Jerry, heading out of Carroll Creek circa 1940. |
 Fred Moore and Slim (MWPT packers) circa 1941 |
 Fred Moore packing up for the outfit in Lone Pine in the early 1940s. |
 Charles Morgan's wife, Mary Morgan, with their son David at Whitney Portals in the early 1956 [per Mary]. |
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 Rena Elizabeth Moore and Frederick Arthur Moore in Los Angeles in 1920. |
 Rena and Frederick's children at Whitney Portals in 1956. (L-R): Bob, Beth, Freddie, and Lynwood |
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by Rena Moore |
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Golden Trout Camp | |
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Mt. Whitney Pack Train's Chrysler & Cook Brochure | |
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Sierra Crossing |
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Panoramas of the High Sierra |
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Ghosts of the Past 1- 20 Mule Team & Manzanar |
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Ghosts of the Past 2- Cottonwood Sawmill & Owens Valley Aqueduct |
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 Sign Guest Book |
 The Pigmy Packer |
 View Guest Book View Old Guest Book Entries Feb 2012 - Oct 1999 |
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This page was last updated on
30 June 2012