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Show r-- - - , -...' f . - V ' ' : :,:'': a'r,-M, r. .,.. tin- !,-. M $ ' ' : ! ,.. II 1 1, I p HISTORY MARKER-another sign of history (among top fishing-hunting) in Daggett County. Morvhecosvern Uvah has many interesting historical events By Hartt Wixom Vernal Express Outdoors Writer You can't hunt, fish, or camp in ortheastern Utah for long without jaking in a certain amount of ad-;tional ad-;tional local lore: the rich history of aggett and Uintah counties. Most of my early experiences in and round "Dinosaurland" as the maps illed it, were fishing the Green River, laming Gorge, the eastern toe of the intah Mountains, or hunting into Clay asin-Taylor Flat. In those days "late" jnts required a deer-seeker to cross ie Green River ice, according to some d-timers. But, the thing I personally 'member best was the colorful nai. es every canyon or mountain en-xintered. en-xintered. O.aiized rr.uley bucks, for example, e chased over Cold Spring Mountain, ut, in the late 1890s it was desperate ten like Harry Tracy, or Tom Horn, es, I'll give local historian Kerry oren ample credit as far as I'm seemed he did as much to write obert Redford's "Outlaw Trail" as ie movie actor did but I've also been ltrigued enough by Daggett history to plore much of it on my own. One of the interesting aspects has ?en comparing points of view. For stance, in Sheep Creek Canyon south Manila is a sign which reads: Cleophas J. Dowd, 1857-1897, Dowd Dmesteaded this valley from 1885 to 597. He was killed by his associate, harles Reaser, in self dfense (note: iginal spelling) and two of his lildren are buried here." Whether is was "self defense" or not, spends on who says so. (This is not a tah State Historical Society marker.) istorians other than the signmaker ten claim Reaser to be innocent of at shortcoming. I have no nuarrel in ie matter. I remember the sign best as :ing near the spot where I caught a ce limit of rainbow trout not too many immers ago, although I suspect they ere placed there via hatchery truck to Sweeten" Sheep Creek. Farther istream, near another historical arker commemorating families owned in a wall of water sweeping wn the canyon, I caught native itthroats. Higher in the canyon, I have had to iply the brakes to let cow elk scurry in Dnt of me, and one time, two young uley bucks. It is great country, rich in ldlife as well as history. There is not ace here to enumerate the many periences thereabouts watching a beat dragoff a freshly-killed beaver, yotes howling mournfully, brook Jut slurping in my offering at Browne ike. But, wherever you go, take time read the historical markers. I would so recommend taking a'nng a book or o, including: Charles Burrough's Vhere the Old West Stayed Young," m Horn's own autobiography lthough for some reason I cannot ke all this sly hero-outlaw says as spel truth), Charles Kelly's metimes embellished "Outlaw ail," and various locally written blications, including "Our Strip of md," the history of Daggett County. There are also the versions written such confessed outlaws as Matt arner, who almost didn't live long ough to be an outlaw, one encounter ing with warpath Utes in Duchesne mnty, enroute to a hideout on Pot eek north of Vernal. Warner had ootouts at mining camps on the Uinta uth slope, and I suppose you would 24 ve had to be a Philadelphia lawyer, 5 d eye-witness both, to decide which the many versions were best. VThere are also many such jewels of Atory, outlaw and posse, within the 1 1 mote Book Cliffs southward. But, y ey are not as remembered in plaque and sign as in Daggett County. If you are headed for trout fishing below Little Hole near Dutch John, you will probably drive through Jesse Ewing Canyon, and it would be so worth your while to read the incredible exploits of this ambitious soul. Ditto on Charley Crouse (Crouse Canyon), Baptiste Brown (Browns Hole or Park) and many others. Some settlers here knew Butch Casidy. It's all an interesting interlude to your local fishing and hunting. |