Who was Mouse?

There was a mysterious Paiute Indian called Mouse by the white settlers in the Mojave desert of present day Nevada.

An Indian outlaw from Arizona Territory, Mouse could hide out in the isolated, desolate reaches of the Mojave Desert with the only close white settlement at St. Thomas along the Colorado River near the mouth of the Muddy River.

In the area now called Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, was a hideout for an Indian outlaw known to the whites as Mouse. Within the State Park there is a permanent water source bearing the outlaw’s name -Mouse’s Hole. The area surrounding Mouse’s Hole is vivid red sandstone slot canyons, very difficult to access and easy to use as a hideout if you know how to survive in the Mojave desert. The Mojave is the most arid, water starved area in North America. And conditions in Mouse’s time where similar to the present day.

Actually this story took place when this part of Nevada was still in the Arizona Territory. Las Vegas is about 45 miles to the west of the State Park but was not much of a village at this time, before the railroad arrived and put Las Vegas on the map. This whole area was part of the historic Old Spanish Trail that carried trade and commerce from Santa Fe to Bernadino, California. We will discuss the Old Spanish Trail in a future blog.

To say the least Mouse was a pretty good thief and rustler of livestock. He is accused of murdering folks and general mischief.