Utah Studies

 In the 1400’s merchants in Europe wanted to buy and sell goods with people in faraway places.  Some of the reasons for this desire to trade with the world were: the three G’s.  Greed, God, and Gold.  There was intense competition between European powers for land and the riches that were presumed to be there.

 God-The Catholic church was the dominant religion in the world. The church was determined to convert all native people to Christianity.  Greed-Monarchs of European powers wanted more land and the riches that went with it.  Gold-There were lots of rumors about cities made completely of gold in the new world.

 In 1492, _____________ sailed the ocean blue.  He convinced the king and queen of Spain to give him boats and a crew to find a new route to China.  Along the way, he bumps into the Bahamas off the coast of the American continent.  He claims the land, wealth, and native people for Spain.

Christopher ColumbusThe route of his voyage

 They also bring lots of diseases with them.  For hundreds of years after that, explorers continued to come to America.  They set up large Spanish colonies in Mexico, and missions in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.  Indian people are us ed as slaves in mines and other labor.

 The Spanish introduce horses to the Native people.  The tribes who had horses had a huge advantage over those who did not. Why?  Juan Rivera and his group traveled on horses into Southeastern Utah.  They went into what is Monticello today in 1765, and went all the way up to Moab.

 The Spanish did not stay.  This was however the first great encounter that Native Americans had with people of European descent.  Later groups including Mountain men and Mormon pioneers would come and stay permanently in Utah.  For the most part Native Americans were friendly toward the Spanish.

 Father Francisco Dominguez and Father Silvestre Escalante were two young Catholic priests.  The priests, along with twelve others, and a map maker named Miera were sent to find a better route from Sante Fe to Monterey.  These men were young and eager for adventure.

Dominguez and EscalanteThe Route of the Expedition

 They avoided going south through what is now Arizona because they heard that there were hostile Indian tribes there.  So, they went farther north into what is now Colorado and Utah.  Look at the map on page 70.  Does it look like they took the best route to get from Santa Fe to Monterey?

 They kept a journal of the trip.  This was important because it gave details about the land and the native people.  Miera drew a rough map of the region, making land measurements from the North Star.  They talked two Indian guides into helping them. Why would they want to do that?

 The guides were named Silvestre and Joaquin by the Spanish.  This was a dangerous journey because of the desert region and the hostile Comanche Indians from Arizona.  Without the Indian guides Dominguez and Escalante probably would have not survived the journey.

 The expedition came into Utah near the present day town of Jensen, Utah which is right on the Utah-Colorado border and just a few miles east of Vernal.  They went through the Uintah Basin, and through what is today called the Heber Valley. They came into present-day Utah Valley through Provo Canyon.

Dominguez and Escalante’s Route through Utah

 Their first impression of Utah probably included being overwhelmed by the size of the Mountains. They would have also been very impressed by the multitude of large game because they had come from a desert region where big game was scarce.  This was completely unmapped territory that they were going through. They had to completely trust their Indian guides.

 Some of the impressive things that they would have seen on their way through Utah would have included:  The Uintah mountains  Mt. Timpanogos, and the Wasatch mts.  Utah Lake  Great Basin  The red rock of Southern Utah  Colorado River

Utah Lake Great Basin Red Rock of Southern Utah Colorado RiverGrand CanyonWasatch MountainsUintah Mountains

 They arrived at a large Indian camp near Utah Lake.  They offered to teach the Native Utes how to farm and raise livestock.  Escalante recorded in his journal that the Utes had abundant water, croplands, game, fish, and timber in the mountains.  Escalante thought that a great settlement could take place here.

 Escalante also noted that the Utes could have benefited greatly if they adapted to European ways, but that they Utes were friendly to them.  He noted that the Utes had no horses, guns, or metal pots. They did trade with Dominguez and Escalante.  The Utes told them about the Great Salt Lake, but an early winter stopped them from exploring it and the rest of the route to Monterey.

 Miera drew a map from what they learned from the Utes, and it showed the Great Salt Lake connected to the Pacific Ocean. This was a myth that would continue for almost another fifty years.  The expedition slopped through snow and mud on their return to Sante Fe.  They ran into the Grand Canyon which was a huge obstacle.

 They followed the rim of the Grand Canyon until they found a place where they could cross the Colorado River. That place called “the crossing of the fathers” is now covered by Lake Powell.  This expedition introduced the Native Americans to metal beads, guns, pots, and arrow points. The most important thing that was introduced to them was the horse.

 “Round about it (Utah Lake) are these Indians, who live on the abundant fish of the lake. …Besides this, they gather in the plain grass seeds… which they supplement by hunting hares, rabbits and fowl. There are also buffalo to the north, but fear of the Cumanches prevents them from hunting them. Their habitations are …little huts of willow, of which they also make nice baskets… They have good features and most of them have heavy beards.” -Father Escalante’s Journal, September 25, 1776