Joe Duckett died in a horse wreck in Montezuma Canyon in October, 1931.  He was a well-known figure in southeastern Utah, a kindly fellow who chose to live a solitary life of prospecting punctuated by occasional town visits to relatives and infrequent bouts of farming.  

The story of how Joe got from his birthplace in North Carolina to the sandstone canyons and wooded mountains of San Juan County, Utah is told by James Knipmeyer in his newest book, Joe Duckett, The Hermit of Montezuma Canyon (Aventine Press, 2011).  You might recognize Knipmeyer’s name from his popular Butch Cassidy Was Here book about historic inscriptions on the Colorado Plateau.

By delving into genealogical and historic records Knipmeyer built the basics of Joe’s life story.  But his own exploration of the places important in Joe’s life and interviews with Duckett family members really added the descriptions and feelings that make the book fun to read.

The book is available at the San Juan Record.