In 1841 he went on a trip to Texas and returning he took the job of surveying the town of Van Buren Arkansas for $900, where his brother John now lived. He began commercial enterprises with his brother John and George C. Picket. On Jan 1, 1843 he began preparing his notes for his book on Santa Fe and the Prairies. In July he went to Philadelphia to look for a publisher.

During his time in Philadelphia he met various people, some he felt trying to take advantage of him,while, introducing him to publishers. He was also taking care of business details of the trading firm he established with his brother and George Picket. After a failed deal with Carey and Hart publishers, he signed with Appleton & Co. who suggested he find a helper. After one "Count Louis Ferdinand Tasistro", who wanted to rewrite his text more romantic and flowery, he withdrew and found John Bigelow to assist him. In March 1844 the contract with Appleton was dissolved and a new one arranged with Henry G. Langley. The finished copy ready for print on the last day of June 1844, he returned west. The book was a success and was reprinted five times during the next ten years.

While living in Santa Fe Josiah tended their needs as a doctor, feeling more at home than he could living back at home in the states. His descriptions show he liked the climate, but did not appreciate the people who offended his moral sense. Paul Horgan in his book about Gregg, describes him as "a cool customer, anyway, except where his irascibilites were touched; and then he had the slightly comic passion of the moral zealot". Josiah's brother John said that Josiah always became restless when he returned home, nothing suited his tastes, or adapted to his genius. John wrote that as a child Josiah said "I can't pass by anything I don't understand."

In 1845 he entered a medical college in Louisville Kentucky for the degree of medicine. He was again ill during his studies but was granted his degree under the honorary convention in March 1846. Josiah did not drink, or like liquor and disliked smoking. He would, however, drink a glass of spirits with friends, so as not to appear odd. John Bigalow left notes which describled Gregg as "morbidly conscientious".

In 1846 the United States was at war with Mexico and Josiah was asked by Senator Sevier of Arkansas to join the Chihuahua army. He served as an interpreter with General Alexander Doniphan, and wrote accounts of the battle of Buena Vista, in letters to his brother John.

Samuel Magoffin, Santa Fe trader proposed a partnership in a trading venture with Josiah. Josiah agreed and headed east to New York in the late spring of 1847. Shortly after arriving Josiah received word from Magoffin that the deal was off as it was too risky. Josiah felt he was done an injustice of having unnecessarily traveled across the country, and having to return for his possessions. On his return trip he stopped in Washington looking for governement employ in Mexico. He met President Polk and later wrote of him, "he considered him weak and short of intellect".

After returning west he practiced as a medical practitioner in 1847-48 in Saltillo with a medical parter Dr. G. M. Prevost. In 1849 rumors of the California gold rush had reached Josiah and on July 16, 1849 he was on a ship headed for San Francisco. By October he was at the Rich Bar on the Trinity River, planning a venture west to the Pacific Ocean. According to his family Josiah was under commission of the U.S. govenment to help find the northwestern bay. Although the weather was bad Josiah and seven followers set out on November 5, 1849. One of the men was L.K. Wood from Macon Co. Kentucky who later wrote an account of the ordeal.

They met snow and bad weather and found themselves many times without food when they could find no deer or bear. Josiah continued his scientific observations much to the contempt of his men who had wanted to turn back. Thier pack animals were starving when they finally heard the distant sound of the ocean. On the Pacific shore Gregg stopped to take observations of a certain plateau and wrote the latitude and longitude on a tree for future travelers. He was derided by the others who had become contemptious and called him the old doctor.(He was 44) As they came across a river Dr. Gregg prepared to take observations and the others rufused to wait for him and pushed off in canoes without him. He ran with his instruments and waded to catch up. On the other side, he insulted the men and some moved to pick up "him and his instruments", and throw him in the river to drown. This steamy confrontation happened on the "Mad river".

One of the men scouting ahead found a bay which they named Trinity Bay, but before they reached civilization, Captain Douglas Ottinger who had came by sea found and named the bay, Humboldt bay. By now the men were living on acorns and herbs and it was winter weather. They wanted only to return to civilization, so still at odds with each other, they split into two groups. Some accounts say his companions deserted him when he showed more interest in the giant redwood trees then in gold. One group went east, while Gregg's group headed for San Francisco but were defeated by the mountains. Gregg grew weaker and weaker and February 1850 fell from his horse and died of starvation. He was buried there near Clearlake California. No notebooks were found of his observations.

Most of this information on Josiah can be found in Paul Horgan's book " Josiah Gregg and his version of the early west".

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