La Barge gained his first practical experience as a pilot the next year when a cholera epidemic incapacitated the crew of the steamer Yellowstone. After obtaining his master’s license in 1840, La Barge served as a charter captain. Among his many voyages, he piloted the John James Audubon expedition to the upper Missouri in 1843. La Barge remained active as a pilot until the age of 70, never losing or even badly damaging a boat. Joseph La Barge possessed an intuitive sense of piloting, and few equaled his skill at navigating boats through the constantly changing channels of the Missouri.