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Show A HistoryofMoab History of Moab , Utah UtahBy _ _ By Faun \ McConkie 1\IcConkie 1 IcConkie Tanner TannerCopyright TannerCopyright TannerCopyright ( Copyright 1937)Chapter 1937) 1937 1937)Chapter ) Chapter 3 . THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL . MountainMission IIountamlIIssion It has generally general1y beep been bee i supposed that the Elk I\Iountam I Iountam Mountain \ l\IIssion l IIssion Mission \ of 1855 was the filst fhst first of the white lace to enter the thevalley thevalley thevalley Howevelthere valley of \ Moab l\10ab l 10ab ( eaily emly early known as Spanish Spamsh Valley VaUey ) . . Howevel However , , there thatthis is considerable evidence to substantiate the belief bebef that thIS valley was known and used by the white men long be- be - be-foie be foie befme befoie fme foie the advent of the Mission 1\1Is81on 1 1Is81on \ in 1855 . ofthe Probably the ihe first white men to discovel dlscovel discovei the feitilrty fei fel tility tIhty of I the soIland soil and the excellent e\.cellent e.cellent e .cellent cellent \ . climate of : Moab valley weie wele were the theeally theeaily theeaily eally eaily hunteis huntels and tiappeis happels whose adventurous lives hves led ledthem them to eveiy evelY every nook ook and corner cornel ' of the gleat gle-at gle at great - west . Kit Carson Car Car- Carson Carson ledI - I , son evidently spent a delightful winter wmter flapping happmg trapping beaver on the onthe theLa Colorado ( Gland Giand ) nver rIver in southeastein southeastelll Utah , near the La Sal mountains mountams . speakingtiavellers speaklngbaveUers speakingtravellers It seems quite piobable plobable that the filst first English speaklng speaking , baveUers travellers into mOO what is now Utah weie wele James tames Wolkman VVOlkman Woikman mid and andSamuel aridSamuel Samuel Spencer , lost flappers happel's happels tiappers ' . These n men , men , en evidently found foundtheir foundtheir foundtheir their way to the valley whel wheie e lloabIS Moabis \ Moab l\loab l loab is now located . , ACCOI Accoid- Accoid Accoiding Accoid-ing Accoid ing d- d dmg - - mg ing to the account of their trip1 trIpl trip ' these two menVOlkman men , \VOlkman VOlkman Woikman Woikmanand \ Wolkmanand VOlkmanand and piesentColorado presentColorado Spencer , in 111 the summer of 1809 180 , descended the plesent present , Colorado nver l'lVer llVer elver " ' fiom flom from one of its headwaters to the clossmg clossmgI ciossrng clossmgof ciossrngof dossingof I of the Old Spanish Spamsh Tiail Tiall at \ Moab l\loab l loab , apd avd journeyed thence thencewIth thencewith thencewith wIth wItha a paity patty of Spanish Spamsh traders to southein southeln Califoima CalIfOlma Califoinra . ' They had left St . Louis Loms in m the spnng spung spiing of 1807 with a apalty aparty apaity palty party of twenty trappeis trappels trappers , , under the leadeiship leade-lshlP leade lshlP leadership - of EzehIaI Ezekial EzehIaIVlhams EzekialWilliams EzekialWilliams \Vlhams Vlhams Williams \ ) , and weie wele all an cut off or 01 ' killed by Comanche Indians Indianslaigely , Ialgely laigely in 111 a battle on the headwaters of the Alkansas Aikansas . , e\- e ex- ex ecept except e\-cept e cept ' \ : \ - | cept thl thiee ee menVdhams men , \ Williams \Vdhams Vdhams VdhamsV , Wolkman Woikman \V V \ nkman : and Spencer . vVIlhams Williams vVIlhamsmade Williamsmade Williamsmade made his way down the Arkansas river and thence oveilandto ovellandtQ overlandtq ovelland overland tQ St . Louis . But Workman and Spencer struck for Santa Fe Fepresumably , presumably on the drainage dramage of the Rio del N01 NO Noite ! te ( RIO RIOGrande RioGrande RioGrande Grande ) , but by mistake came down the Gumnson Gunmson Gunmsan , and the theGrand theGrand theGrand Grand ( now Colorado ) . Their Then ' narrative as has been pre pre- preserved pre- pre preserved preserved - - served by David H . Coyner , an early-day early day - western newspaper newspapercorrespondent newspapercorrespondent newspapercorrespondent correspondent , is contained contamed in m the book "The The " Lost Tlap- Tlap Tiap- Tiap Tlappel's Tiappers Tiap-pers Tiap pers - - pel's pels pers ' . " The following folIowing brief quotation fiom flom this account IS ISafter isafter isafter after the two tiappers bappers had lost their log canoe to Indians IndianswhIle Indianswhile Indianswhile whIle reconnoitering the Black canyon of the Gunnison , and andfollowing andfollowing . following the stream thereafter on foot for seveial sevelal days : "Having Having " descended this nver rIver for several bundled hundled hundred mIles milesstill , I IstilI stilI still believing it to be the Rio del Norte , and wondermg wondering wondermgwhy wonderingwhy wonderingwhy why they had not leached reached Santa Fe , they came to a place placeI placewhich placewhich placewhich I which whichseemed seemed to have been used as a crossing ( now assign asslgn- asslgn assign- asslgnI asslgned assigned assigned - I I ed a as : Moab ) . There were a great many signs of hoises hmses horses and andmules andmules andmules I mules , but they ihey wel wei weie e a old , and all pointing pointmg an an , eastern course course.Indeed courseIndeed . . ' Indeed the signs were all so numerous that Wolkman Workman and andSpencer andSpencer andSpencer I Spencer conjectured there must have been several thousand thousand.Without thousandWithout . vVithout Without the least hesitation the trappers lesolved resolved to foUow follow foUowI foUowthis followthis followthis I this great tiail hall trail , and to take the way the signs indicated mdicated the thelast thelast I Ilast last caravan had gone . They felt confident that this trail trailI trailhad trailhad trailhad I had been made by the Spaniards and not by the Indians Indians.They IndiansThey . I They travelled it two days , when they met a caravan of ofSpaniards ofSpaniards ofSpaniards ' Spaniards ( about 40 or 50) 50 ) on the trail , but going the op- op opposite opposite op opposite - - posite direction . Fiom Flom From these travellers they learned thatthe that thatthe , the river was the Colorado and they were about five hundred hundredmiles hundredmiles hundredmiles miles from Santa Fe . " I I Thus , , Moab lays its first claim to " fame "ame ame as tne the place placewhere placewhere placewhere where the Colorado nver lIver river crossing was made on the Old OldSpanish OldSpanish OldSpanish Spanish Trail . The Old Spanish Trail is far more perfectly preserved preservedin in history and legend than in fact . Following the best used usedIndian usedIndian usedIndian Indian h ti tiails ails early fur trappers and Indian traders welded weldedthe weldedthe weldedthe the links and forged considerable of the chain that made madeup madeup madeup up the Old Spanish Trail Tra11 between Santa Fe and Los Angeles Angelesby , by way of what is now Greenriver , Utah . Probably the earli earli- earliest earliest earliest - est historical record shows that this traIlwas trail was partly broken brokenin brokenin brokenm in 1761 J by > y Juan JuanJMaria l\Iaria l Iaria Maria \ Rivera . In 1776 Father Escalante folContinued folContinued fol- fol folContinued - ' ( Continued on last page ) _ A History of MoabContinued Moab _ [ _ _ ( Continued Oontinucd from first page ) _ ftu fui fmther ther then cast east than l\'Ioab l 'Ioab Ioab Moab \ ' ) ? , crossed though ihough ho he lowed it in pal pail t Utah Utahlem Utahylear Uta swing-ing swing ing SWIngmg swinging - noitheasteily northeasterly nm theastell theastellr r fl fiom flom om La Sal and r le-enteiing le enteiing le-enteling enteling e-enter e enter - - ing tiail hall trail has been called in ln vanou varIOUS varIOUSsectIOns varioussections basin . The ) lieai ylear lem the Uintah Umtah . South- South Southwesteln Southwestern Trail the Mormon Molmion trail , the - sections the Santa Fe , , , westein westeln western loute route , the Duiang-o Duiang o Dtuango Durango - trail trall , and the Los Angeles trall trail . - . Jcdediah JededIah S . Smith and John C . Fiemont Flemont Fremont both followed followedI followedIpalt followedpart I the trall trail trailin tra train pait Ipalt part of Father Escalante's Escalantes ' loute route and helped locate in eaily eally early exploiing e\.1)lollng e.1lollng e .1)lollng 1lollng explolrng ' \ . ) expeditions e\.peditlO.ns epeditlO.ns e .peditlO.ns peditlOns ' \ . . . Walliam Wllham William WllhamVolfsklll ' \ Wolfskill \Volfsklll Volfsklll , a com- com compamon companion con " - - 1830 is cledlted credited edited with bieakmg blealang breaking or orUSIng orusing ( 1111 pamon panion of Kit Krt I t Carson in , ci using the Old Spanish Spamsh Trail throughmuch through much , , if not all aII , , of Its Itslength itslength -S S ' - length . It was quite qmte e.t et extensively : . slvely used by br fortune hunters hunterswhose hunterswhose ' whose eyes , were vere on the golden west , and often in 1n pal pait part t by byiravellels bytravellers b , travelleis iravellels travellers dossing ClOSSIng crossing the west diagonally . Subsequently , , it and andIts andits ar- ar ari " TntYiniig for fm- fm fmpnHlp - pnHlp caitle cattle thieving , , driving drlvmg and ar hppQTYiQ famous Its i < c ? by-paths by paths T- T Tir - > ir - r > n < - became - bandit flights . . The re real l Spanish Spamsh Trail came into mto existence e1stence : " ' ' when there therewas therewas ther m was absolutely nobody at home in 1n Utah . It flourished In Inusage inusage n usage for a time but has now reverted back to its primitIve primitIveusage primitiveusage - usage . Its route through Utah was evidently from La Salthrough Sal SalthlOUgh Sa thiough thlOUgh through Moab to Gre Greenriver , river to get around the Grand Can- Can Canyon Can - . , . yon of the Colorado , crossing Green river at Greenrivertown Greenriver Greenrivertown town . Thence it led to Emery , and over the Wasatch moun moun- mountains - " . tains through Salina Salma cany canyoin canygn , Sevier valley , , Clear and Cove Covecreeks Covecreeks Cov creeks , southwesterly thiough ihlough through the Mountain Meadows and anddown anddown down the ihe Santa Clara presumably to the southwestern trail . There is much evidence to substantiate the st statement statementthat tement tementthat L that the Old Spanish Trail passed through Sp Spanish ish Valley Valleywhere Valleywhere Valle : ' where the town of Moab is now located . A careful study ofmaps of ofmaps o maps showing the trail indicate that it passed through thIS thISI thISvalley.2 thisvalley thi valley valley.2 valley2 ? . , I valley.2In In addition to this fact , , early settlers in the valley tell tellof tellof tel of evidences of a well travelled trail through the valley when whenthey whenthey whe ; 1 shodhorse marks on the rocks at atBlue atBlue aBlue they came . . There were , Blue Hill ( above Moab ) which Lester Taylor , according accordmg to tohIS tohis t his son , saw there when he first came into the valley about abou1877 " 1877 . A Mexican Me'Ican MeIcan : " ' told him that it would take at least leastthousand a athousand athousand thousand shod hOl hoises horses ses to make those marks . Since the horses horsesof horsesof of the Indians were not shod , the valley was undoubtedl undoubtedly undoubtedlyknown undoubtedlyknown ; known and used by the Spanish and other traders of earlierdays earlIer earlIerdays earliedays L ' days . There is also a tradition among many of the Me.Icans MeIcans Mexicans Me.Icansin Mexicansin Mexicanin : . their the'll thell ' fathers and grandfathers made madethrough madethrough madthrough in this region of trips ' through the valley . . \ Many l\iany l iany of the early settlers tell of the trail through the thevaII thevalley thvalley vaII valley y , , evidences of the crossing crossmg , etc . They have even out- out outlined oul out . - , out- out oul their lIned the couise COUlse course of the trail fiom flom from evidences and - 01 of " [ the He tiail hall trail uau . . I 01 " [ He uau . . lIne l111A follows ff"ll1mv ffll1mv " oji on 0)1 01 ) maps , Another evidence that the valley must have been arendezvous arendezvous a rendezvous of trappers and traders is 1S the fact that there"as thereas there " was "as as as a well-defined well defined - race track , a qual quaiter quarter tel ' of a mile long , onwhat onwhat on what is now known as Taylor Flats Flatsj \j\ j \ i)1 i1 in ) jthe \ the vicinity of \ Moab 1\ioab 1 ioab . . ThIS tiack hack track was wide enough to accommodate about six sit sithorses sixhorses horses and was quite likely used by tradeis tradel traders s and trappers aswell as well as Indians . I i - ; David avld H Coyner . The Lost Trappers 2 Explorations EploratIOns ' ! : and SUI Surveys veys for TrappersI a Railroad Route from the Missrssipp MISS1SSIppi Mississippi MISS1SSIppiRivel MississippiRivet I River Rivel Rivet to the Pacific Ocean-Vol Ocean Vol Ocean - Vol 11 , Map No 4 4To 4To ( To be continued contmued next ne.t net : . week . ) |