Utah Studies

 In the 1400’s merchants in Europe wanted to buy and sell goods with people in faraway places.  The main reasons for this desire to trade with the world can be defined as: the three G’s.  Glory, 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.  Glory-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 goldin the new world.

 So who went on a great journey???

 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 Columbus

The route of his voyage

 They also bring lots of diseases with them.  These diseases kill (some scientists say…) 90% of the inhabitants… (no wonder the English thought the land was empty…it WAS!)  Number one killer?

 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.  Santa Fe was founded in 1607….  That’s the same year as Jamestown!

 In 1542 – Francisco de Coronado goes looking for the 7 Cities of Gold.  He goes from Mexico City to Kansas!  1. Never finds them  2. Changes history because….he loses a thousand head of horses

 So, these are not nice people …generally  Indian people are used as slaves in mines and other labor.  Coronado had over a thousand slaves carrying his stuff. Most of them died or ran away.

 In 1765 Juan Rivera and his group traveled on horses into Southeastern Utah.  They went into what is Monticello today 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.  For the most part Native Americans were friendly toward the Spanish—not sure why

 Father Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante were two young Catholic priests.  The priests, along with others, and a map maker named Miera, were sent to find a better route from Santa Fe to Monterey, California.  These men were young and eager for adventure—oh and to convert people too.

Dominguez and Escalante

Father Escalante and Father Dominguez were the first recorded white men in Utah County Do either of these dudes look 30? Escalante died at 30.

Okay, not just them. The party of ten men traveled on sturdy burros and horses from New Mexico. They wanted to find a route to California. They left in July of 1776 and arrived in Spanish Fork on Sept. 21, 1776.

 Did you just say 1776???

 Yep! The American Revolution.  These guys lived at the time of George Washington.  Remember that the Spanish had been in America for almost 300 years!!!!!!

 Note of interest—  Most people call this group the Escalante and Dominguez expedition, but it was Dominguez was actually the leader.  Why do you think people know Escalante and not Dominguez?

Father Escalante kept an excellent diary of the journey and wrote the things he saw while traveling. He wrote about the land, the plants, and the animal life 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?

 They avoided going south through what is now Arizona because they heard that there was the hostile Comanche tribe there.  So, they went farther north into what is now Colorado and Utah.

 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.  Ooops….

 The Spanish named the guides were Silvestre and Joaquin who was 12  Without the Indian guides Dominguez and Escalante probably would have not survived the journey.

 This was completely unmapped territory that they were going through. They had to completely trust their Indian guides.

When the Ute Indians saw the first white men entering Spanish Fork, they sent up smoke signals. This spread the news of the white man’s coming.

 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.  WRONG!  Father Escalante was born in Spain which has huge mountains especially down by the coast.  Father Dominguez was born in Mexico City which also has massive mountains.

 Mountains near Mexico City

 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.  (Okay, I’ll give them this…ALWAYS watch your sources! Some folks are just plain incorrect!)

 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

 They arrived at a large Indian camp near Utah Lake.  They offered to teach the Native Utes how to farm and raise livestock.  Why is that funny? Think…what do you know about Ute culture?

 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.  He noted that they had no horses, guns, or metal pots.  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.

Father Escalante and Father Dominguez never reached California. Wintertime came quickly and heavy snow forced them to turn back.

 The expedition slopped through snow and mud on their return to Santa Fe.  They ran into the Grand Canyon which was a huge obstacle.  Gee, y’think????

 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……  What do you think it was????

 “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