Prehistory-1849 Before Utah Valley was dotted with homes and churches, two religious men from New Mexico discovered a vast valley sloping from the mountains to Utah Lake and a friendly people living on the banks. Trappers and other explorers would follow before the first permanent European settlers came in 1849. Local tribes By the early 1800s three tribes were living in Utah Valley. Ironically, Utes were the most numerous. Paiutes were located to the west of the lake, and hunting parties of Shoshones would also pass through. When early settlers came to the valley, local tribes continued to fight for their land. After years of conflict, the Ute tribe was driven to the reservations in the Uinta Basin. Even with the conflict between settlers and Indians, many Native Americans played an important roll in helping pioneers survive their new Deseret home. Fremont freedom Long before Escalante (next page) gazed out on the valley, a culture thrived along Utah Lake’s shores. The Fremonts lived here from A.D. 500 to around A.D. 1400. This society tamed the land by planting corn, squash and beans. They also fished the lake and hunted local mountains for game.Not much was left behind by this intriguing culture. Local BYU archaeologists continue to learn about Fremonts with excavations along the lake shores and surrounding areas. Archaeologists are trying to put together the story of these mysterious and ancient Utah Valley residents with only a few artifacts and rock art discovered so far. Mormon settlers Not long after settling the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young sent a party of 30 men to establish a fort in Utah Valley in 1849. Initially the pioneers settled on the Provo River, but periodic flooding and other problems forced the group to relocate in 1850 to a new fort they established on the site of North Park in Provo (about 500 N. 500 West). A statue in Spanish Fork’s City Park depicts the arrival of Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante into Utah Valley. (Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society) A statue in Spanish Fork’s City Park depicts the arrival of Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante into Utah Valley. (Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society) European discoverers Just a few weeks after the United States issued its Declaration of Independence, a group of 11 men — headed by Fray Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante — left Santa Fe, N.M., in search of an overland passage to the California coast. The Dominguez-Escalante expedition never reached California, but the group became the first Europeans in Utah Valley when they entered through Spanish Fork Canyon on Sept. 23, 1776. Led by a pair of Native American guides — Silvestre and Jouquin — the group immediately noticed the “curb appeal” that current residents still enjoy, including water from four mountain-fed rivers pouring into Utah Lake in the middle of the valley. Utah Lake was full of fish and offered plenty to eat for the Timpanog Ute tribe living on its shores. The expedition was only in Utah Valley for a few days, but it wasn’t forgotten. “Spanish” became the name of the canyon and accompanying river in honor of the group, and trappers and explorers continued to call it that until white settlers came around 1850. The name stuck as the first homes were built, and Spanish Fork City was incorporated in 1855. A prominent monument in Spanish Fork’s City Park celebrates the group and outlines details from the trek. A large white cross is also visible near the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon as another memorial of the historic visit.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 01:37:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015