Carter Roy

Well, it's unclear.

There's one story about how he once got a tattoo and the artist accidentally misspelled his name.

I don't know why he would have been tattooing his own name or where, but he apparently thought this mistake was so funny, he sometimes went by Alford after that and signed his name that way too.

But most legal documents and his headstones say Alfred, so that's what I'm rolling with.

In 1872, Alfred is about 30 years old and a war veteran.

He enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War not once, but twice.

He apparently really liked military life, but he was discharged both times due to his epilepsy.

Seizures have been a problem for him from a very young age.

Alfred now works as a wilderness guide in Utah.

but he's about to leave the state on an adventure of a lifetime.

Like so many Americans, he's read and heard incredible stories of the riches the West holds.

Gold that's just there for the taking.

It's why he decides to join a group of 21 prospectors headed to southwestern Colorado.

He wants to change his life forever.

He needs the money.

He's so desperate that he had to lie in order to go on this trip.

He told everyone he could pay for his share of the provisions, but the truth is he can't.

It's fall by the time the prospectors set out.

The group assumes they'll be able to make it to their destination before the cold hits.

But Mother Nature has other plans.