Show The Moab Story BY ELLIS FOOTE FOOTS City Recorder The early Utes were of the thc roving kind a highly mobile species of redman Their warriors warriors warriors war war- especially were on the move It seems incredible even evenin evenin evenin in our day of ultra-mobility ultra but the records are many and con con- Their normal year might encompass a foray all the way to the Spanish settlements of the West Coast to obtain ponies and another to Mexico to dispose of slaves acquired this in addition to huntIng hunting hunting hunt hunt- ing and feuding over an area comprising what is now the Western Slope of Colorado of Wyoming and Idaho all 0 of Utah and most of Nevada They were of the wind unsettled unsettled un settled and constant only In their movement All outdoors was their domain The entire I Mountain West was theIr door door- yard They worshiped in the Church of the Great Unplowed Unplanted and Uncultivated It is within this context that we have to place the circumstances circumstances circum stances of 01 the fated Elk Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain tamn La fa Sal Sa Mission of 1855 The Utes who gave agreeable or at least passive welcome to the Mormon settlers in the spring were probably not the tho same Indians who murdered three of them In the fall tall The difference Is noted In these two entries from the dl dl ary of 0 O. O B D. D Huntington historian hist orlan orian of the Mormon group Late June The Indians were very friendly and the work appears ap pears to be getting In their hearts September 24 Early In the morning the Indians came to the fort tort said they were glad three of 01 the Mormons had ad been killed It was now thought best tor for us to move right away or 01 we should all die as the tho Indians In diana had set ft runners out In Into Into In In- to the mountains for tor help Without eating breakfast we wethen wethen wethen then got our horses packed up what little wo we could and left What caused the reversal of attitude and behavior on the part of the Indians in the space of three months Probably this above all other contributing factors The authentic authentic authentic auth auth- virile ways the loving Ute was not present In Inthe Inthe the thc valley when the pioneers entered Only the stay homes the old and infirm the and very young were present during the late spring and sum sum- mer By fall the warrior had returned |