Curated in 1997 by Linda Thatcher During the 1800s more than 500,000 emigrants crossed the Western plains hoping to find a new and better life for a variety of reasons. One of the largest groups to move west was the Mormons. From 1847 to 1868, 70,000 Mormon pioneers made the trek on foot, in wagon trains, or handcart companies to …
The Peoples of Utah, Selected Bibliography
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY compiled by Phil Notorianni African American Bringhurst, Newell G. “An Ambiguous Decision: The Implementation of Mormon Priesthood Denial for the Black Man — A Reexamination,” UHQ 46 (1975): 45-64. Clark, Michael J. U.S. Army Pioneers: Black Soldiers in Nineteenth-Century Utah. Salt Lake City, 1981. ________. “Improbable Ambassadors: Black Soldiers at Fort Douglas, 1869-99,” UHQ (1978): 282-301. Coleman, Ronald …
Parowan
Janet Burton Seegmiller Utah History Encyclopedia, 1994 Southern Utah’s first settlement and county seat of Iron County, Parowan City blends a rich historical past with present-day, small-town hospitality. Set in a beautiful natural location, it serves as a year-round gateway to Brian Head Resort and Cedar Breaks National Monument. Its elevation is 5,970 feet; its population in 1990 was 1,873. …
The Salt Industry Was One of the First Enterprises
Jeffrey D. Nichols History Blazer, July 1995 Sodium chloride, or common salt, is one of the most useful and sought-after substances on earth. It has long been used to flavor otherwise bland foods and to preserve perishables in the absence of refrigeration. The various inhabitants of Utah over the millennia have recognized the value of the Great Salt Lake and …
The Great Salt Lake Mineral Industry
Linda Thatcher, Beehive History 16 Rumors of a salty lake somewhere in western America circulated for more than a hundred years before it was actually sighted by white men. The Dominguez-Escalante expedition of 1776, while not attempting to visit the Great Salt Lake, nonetheless recorded the lake on the expedition map drawn by Bernardo Miera y Pacheco, their cartographer, using …
Utah’s Capitols
Everett L. Cooley Utah Historical Quarterly 27 July 1959 Symbols play a significant role in human relationships. Just as national and state flags have symbolic meaning to those living under a specially designated ensign, so too have capitols their special symbolism. Closely associated with the rise of nationalism and sovereignty is the adoption of symbols representing a nation’s dreams and …
A Bicyclist Challenges the Great Salt Lake Desert
Lyndia Carter History Blazer, April 1996 A formidable wasteland of salt overlying a sea of mud, the Great Salt Lake Desert challenged travelers in Utah in the 19th century. Native Americans skirted the salty wilderness. Early immigrants usually chose the California Trail through Idaho to avoid it, at least until Lansford W. Hastings suggested a shorter way. After all, John …
Edge of Empires (1500–1846)
The Euro-American encounter with the interior North American West can be divided into three processes: the approach to and entry into the region of Europeans and Americans, which reflected the political and economic expansion of national empires; the resultant slow development and spread of awareness and knowledge of the region; and Euro-Americans’ beginning uses of, or finding of external value …
Utah’s Influential Citizens of the 19th Century
James Bridger Martha H. Cannon David Eccles John C. Fremont Miles Goodyear Jacob Hamblin Hoskannini Albert S. Johnston Thomas Kearns Tabby-To-Kwanah Peter Skene Ogden Chief Ouray Chief Pocatello John Wesley Powell Etienne Provost Jedediah S. Smith Reed Smoot Arthur V. Watkins John Weber Brigham Young
Fort Robidoux
John D. Barton Utah History Encyclopedia, 1994 Fort Robidoux, a fur trading post also known as Fort Uintah and Fort Winty, was located at the junction of the Uintah and Whiterocks rivers in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah. It was founded in 1832 after Antoine Robidoux bought out the Reed Trading Post that had been in operation at that …