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Show 4 isJlIMPOGOSrTIMES:,. . October 13,2010 " - r. rmm zi;::: : The Trails of Timpanogos a - - ' - Vr " : ..' - r.1.v :'.-!- . - x V - , : ... .... v-- ' .!'.' "' .. ...... .y. t ,. . -. .. - .. by Geri Taylor Along our Wasatch mountains one can find trails and paths leading to some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. But long before these trails were etched along the mountainside with grubbing hoes, picks and shovels, they were formed by the perpetual foot traffic of Utah's ancient inhabitants. The primitive people of the valley had lived, fought and conquered in the ongoing battle between clans for centuries as their nomadic lifestyle kept them ever on the move. Certain tribes made their yearly trek to Canada, closely following the mountain ranges to avoid the more aggressive Utes and Shoshones living in the valley and desert plains; the paths they traversed weaving through the mountains and foothills of the Wasatch. In 1776, two Franciscan friars became the first Europeans to enter the Utah Valley as they searched for a direct route between Santa Fe and Monterey, California. They found "the most pleasant, beautiful and fertile land in all New Spain " and stayed for a short time, teaching the native Indians their Christian beliefs. It is doubtful they ventured into the mountains and their promise to return was thwarted by the colonization and missionary efforts in the Spanish New World. Nearly 50 years passed before French Canadian trapper Etienne Provost arrived in the valley, searching for animals. The company was met by 20 or 30 Shoshone '"'ins to, J. they could not smoke the peace pipe with iron in their presence. Provost and his men complied by removing their knives and guns out of reach and were subsequently attacked with hidden knives and tomahawks. One record stated eight men were killed while another said 17 of the 22 lost their lives before they could escape to the mountains. Again the record does not indicate if Provost and his men navigated the mountain passageways, but if they did, they made no impact on its pristine beauty. Even the militiamen, dispatched by Brigham Young to quell the stealing of horses, were led along these primeval paths by Indian scouts to the creek called Mepha or Little Waters, where a band of Ute Indians were hiding. The skirmish that ensued became the first encounter between the Mormons and Utes and the site, as well as the creek, became known as Battle Creek, a name used when settlers came the following year. Some time later the citizens voted to change the name to Pleasant Grove, a reference to the grove of trees that welcomed the pioneers to the area. With a scarcity of trees in the valley, timber was harvested up Battle Creek canyon and a drag road was created to haul it down for fuel and building homes. Pioneer David West settled in Pleasant Grove in 1856 and recorded his experience with bringing wood down the mountain. David had answered the call by Brigham Young in October 1857 to defend "home, family and church" against Johnston's Army and left behind his wife and five children, the oldest being nine. Late in December the army was disbanded and David returned to find his family in dire straits, with no heat and his wife ailing. Three days after arriving home, he headed up Battle Creek Canyon to get wood to burn and met a man who had also come to cut cedars. David asked him not to throw his wood down, but the man ignored the request and began pushing the trees over a ledge. With lightning speed a rock was dislodged, hit another rock and struck David's right leg, breaking it and dislocating his ankle. With no doctors or surgeons around, he was confined to bed for 18 weeks and then used crutches for many months after, stating he was lame ever since. Pioneer life was harsh, but the determination of these early settlers kept them from giving up or giving in. He later owned a saw mill in American Fork Canyon and for 20 years supplied much of the lumber to the valley. Many years later, the mountain trails and pathways were considered for improvement by a collective effort of the U.S. Forest Service and PG High School teachers and students. The forest ranger was David West's grandson, Vivian, who headed the projects and is credited with developing the Alpine Loop, American Fork Canyon and the Timpanogos Cave Trail and National Monument. One of the first trails to be improved was an old drag trail that went up Battle Creek to the saddle between Bald Mountain and Timpanogos, then left to Dry Canyon ending at the head of the glacier. From the glacier a foot path led to the peak, an elevation of 1 1 ,750 feet. Tom Walker, recruited by the Forest Service to help build the Timp trails, told of how the bishops and council members of Pleasant Grove rallied the citizens to help build the Battle Creek Trail. Cattle overgrazing became a problem in the lower ranges and a major push for a trail up Grove Creek was made by local farmers. In order to use all their farmland for crops during this depression era, cattle were taken to the foothills and up the canyons to graze. Areas around the springs were especially bare due to the fact the salt licks were there. Trails were built so men could get. the salt to higher places, forcing the cattle higher up the mountain. This ecological remedy was far before its time and not only improved the range, but prevented flooding that had been their heavy winter snow. This trail also resulted in revitalizing springs that cattle had tromped until they quit running by fencing them and building troughs for the cattle to drink from. The trails of Timpanogos and her surrounding hills, canyons, gullies, hollers and gulches, abound with tales of days gone by. We may only imagine the Indian village nestled behind Little Mountain or the sturdy pioneer seeking precious wood for a home, but the trails forged by these men, women and children of the past, afford us the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular vistas of Timpanogos. - .1 .v. .v.v : : - , ' . v' - Fall "Leafs" a Mess As we enter into Fall, re-member that leaves and other autumn debris are not to be swept or blown into the city streets. City residents are respon-sible to keep the sidewalks and gutters in front of their homes clean. Debris in the gutters are a major source of blockages in the storm drain system which lead to flooding problems. Published by the Timpanogos Times. Publisher, Calvin Walker. Publication design and layout, Phillip Chadwick. Office Phone: The Timpanogos Times is published each Wednesday at 1 South Main Street, Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062. Send address changes to the Timpanogos Times office address listed above. Deadlines: News and advertising is Friday at 5:00 p.m. prior to publication. Subscription prices: 1 year, $40 in Pleasant Grove, Cedar Hills, and Lindon. Single copy price $1. Advertising rates are available upon request. All articles and photographs submitted for publication are subject to editing and will only be used if the editor deems them as newsworthy. The Timpanogos Times reserves the right to hold submitted news items for space reasons. Copyright is held by Timpanogos Times, Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062. All rights are reserved. Reproduction, reuse or transmittal of all matter herein, including ads created by Timpanogos Times, is prohibited without prior permission by the publisher. -- J' ' ; V'lS, , ' n ,. Kf P - V? "i'V "' i I It f iVi . h , .... L.. If - M?i REFINANCE TODAY! Why wait any longer to take advantage of the historic rates! LEND I N G A 'L " I the future of finance. IV - Call Now! 801 --427-71 1 1 1 or email john glen stevens jstevensenglending. com "I willpersonally help you with your home loan needs. " I tomti0SsM Religious Practice Harms Oral Health by Chris Jolley, DDS Ginger Vitus (her name has been changed to protect the innocent) visited her den-tist for her regular check-u- p and cleaning. The dentist no-ticed that Ginger's gums were ' red, swollen and bleeding. The dentist told her that she needed to floss more or her inflamed gums would lead to bone loss around her teeth. Exasperated, Ginger re-plied, "But doc, I floss reli-giously! How can that be?" The dentist said, "I un-derstand you floss religiously, but every Christmas and Eas-ter just isn't good enough." As bacterial plaque accu-mulate on teeth daily, remov-ing plaque with daily flossing helps maintain healthy gums. While the first Amend-ment to the US Constitution protects our freedom of reli-gion from government intru-sion, one should not allow one's religion to interfere with maintaining good oral health. Annual Senior Health and Wellness Extravaganza Held on Thursday, October 21 The 26th Annual Health & Wellness Ex-travaganza will be held Thursday, October 21, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Provo Eldred Senior Cen-ter located at 270 West 500 North in Provo. This is a free event for people of all ages. Flu and pneumonia shots are pro-vided by the Utah County Health Department at no cost for individuals on Medicare andor Medic-aid. Shots are available at a low cost for those with-out insurance. Free Health Screenings will be provided that in-clude bone density screen-ing, vision assessments, blood pressure, hearing loss assessments and hear-ing aid repair, balance dizziness issues, fitness as-sessments, and speech and swallowing impairments due to strokes. Other ser-vices provided include Veteran's Benefits Infor-mation, Fall Prevention, Community & Caregiver Resources, Educational Booths, Entertainment, Food, Prizes and More. For additional in-formation, please con-tact Melanie Haws at the Mountainland Aging & Family Services Depart-ment by phone at 801-229-38- 04 or email at mhaws mountainland.org. The website is www.mountain-land.orgagin- g. |