It became increasingly difficult to make a living trapping and hunting furs. Beaver had been fairly well trapped out by the 1840s. In addition, there was shift in fashion away from fur and to silk hats, so there was not much of a demand for beaver hats. Baker operated at least one trading post and ferry stop on the Oregon - California - Mormon Trails along the Green River south to Salt Lake City. As Mormons moved into the area, they established towns. Shoshone, Utes, Mormons, mountain men, and new immigrants vied for land and resources. Baker hunted with Baker and Carson into the fall of 1852. They traveled through what are now the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and back to New Mexico. It was their last trip together and he ended his career as a trapper and hunter in 1855. Scout Baker was a guide and interpreter between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean for 34 years. In 1845, he helped herd 4,000 wild horses from Mexican land in what is now Southern California. In 1847, Baker was in the Salt Lake City, Utah region, where he worked for a railroad party as a scout and guide. In 1855, Baker was the chief scout at Fort Laramie, serving under General William Harney. Two years later, he guided Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston and his troops in a column against the Mormons and to Fort Bridger during the Mormon Utah War (1857–1858). The Mormon militia had run off or stole the fort's livestock. Baker led Captain R.B. Marcy's detachment through Colorado to New Mexico to purchase mules at Fort Union or Fort Massachusetts. They were challenged by frigid weather and deep snow. Marcy later said that the party would have died of hunger and the treacherous weather without the expert scout's leadership. On their return, the troops passed through present-day Denver area and discovered gold at Cherry Creek in early 1858. While practicing with his Spencer carbine weapon, the magazine exploded, which injured his face and blew his right thumb off its hand. His lips, tongue, chin, and teeth were lacerated. He was also injured in the chest and his right lung. The injury occurred along Cherry Creek, about 20 miles from present-day Denver, where he was taken and was treated by a surgeon. Colorado and Wyoming On July 3, 1859, Baker took up a homestead west of