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Show . ' . 2 ' s ss sw s . w + n M . w . . : . ) ! e S SFur Fur Trappers TrappersThe TrappersThe TrappersThe The First : Whites Whitesto Whiteto to Enter the theUintah theUintah theUintah Uintah Basin BasinBefore I > Before Lewis and dark Clark h had .j j . re- re returned returned re returned - - turned home from t their 1elr explorIng explorIngexpedl exploringexpeditions exploring-expeditions exploring expeditions -expedl expedl - - expeditions hons of 1804 and 1806 they theywere theywere theywere were < met by fur trappers pushmg pushing pushingtheir pushmgtheIr pushingtheir theIr way westward into the coun coun- country's coun- coun country's country's - - try's trys ' newly acquired wilderness wllderness . The Thefur Thefur Thefur fur trade and these trappers had a avery avery avery very real and important influence influenceupon influenceupon influenceupon upon the west They spelleJ spelIeJ doom to tothe tothe tothe the unsettled Indian territory . T'ae Tae The T'aewestward Thewestward ' Thewestward westward movement which resulted resultedin In the exploration and opening opemng of ofthe ofthe ofthe the vast western country was launch launch- launched launched launched - ed by the fur trappers trappersA A notable company of this perIOd perIOdwas periodwas periodwas was the Rocky Mountain Fur com com- company company . - pany under William Henry Ashley Ashley.Under AshleyUnder . Under various leaders it was in op- op opera operation op operation - - era eration bon from 1821 to 1836 Wlll1am William WilliamH Wlll1amH H Ashley was one of the tile most not not- noted noted noted - ed and successful fur traders in St StLouIS StLours StLouis LouIS Lours In his Rocky Mountain com com- company company company - pany were such noted characters as asAndrew asAndrew asAndrew Andrew Henry , , Jedediah Jeded1ah Smith , , Hen- Hen - .ry ry . * ry , " . JFraeb Jrraeb Pra . . . 3inc Jim.Br1dget"Cbatle Jim.Br1dgetCbatle JimBr1dgetCbatle initBridger . BridgeerN4harle , . . " Cteles Pite-Patrick Pite Patrick Fit Fib % - , * A patrick , . Etienne"l Etiennel Etienne"lPtQ Etienne Etiennex " ProYpt'and ProYptand PtQ Provot ! t ' and and.J .fns fns . .J J < . .JJn man Jn ' oth othelrs " ' $4 4 $ . t k Xf ( , 1\\ 1 1i ' \ ' \ i . t i ! ) ; * 4t . - I s , " \ ' 1 > ' 1'1 11 'J J ' .r r . , l > ) " _ it . . jA " "N'1IoI1 N1IoI1 AiShley ' " ' . was a a--man a man - TOan , " , ) y.w yw " , fsome 1U1Ut 1 U1Ut : ' " , \ imMainence lnen lnenc . , In Tn 1813 Xsia h b ile'as ileas ' was was a a'capt acapt " ' capta.h captah catrta 1n . an(1 an1 an4 an4in an anin ( in 4.818 4818 1818 i818 . a colonel colonel fn In n X822he 1822Jbe 1822 1.822 . Jbe , he became becameLieutenant bectuJ1e bectuJ1eLi Lieutenaat becameLieutenaat Li utenartt ; Governor Governora Governoraofl o otl1\f1ssouri otl1 f1ssouri ofl \ lssO11zi issoisri , ? Hn1824 in 1824 he was a b h . candida candidate andidate andidatetot e for -tot tot - toi gover- gover governor governor - * * nor and in 1831 1$3L1 13L1 $ ; ! ( was va elected to con-gress con gress con corn corngres - . gres < . Xt It Zt was in inn ) ' fha the e sm srhalllto Sthalltown lli llitowu , ! towu , vn ot oi ofPotasi { " , Potasi , Mis MJs 14is our oudt ourI , n niar ar r StLoufsir1822 St , 1 ) 1Louis 1 Louis , , in int ' - ' 1822 'that that "that ' " ' an a11 idea ' " that was was'to wasto ' to changethe change eirange changethe eirangethe the destiny of the tbe nation was born bQrn , . Hee Her He e = : the urge struck struckr r Ash:6y Ash6y Ashey Ashley : to toascend toascend tcascend ascend the Missouri : ' : rjiv6r river : ; ' sto Jto ito "pene pene Jene pene- penetrate "penetrate " ) . - trate the count country ; y of the upper ri riV'cr1 riVcr1 riV'cr1to rider riderto ' er.to erto . to explore the Rockies Rocki s and btd1 btd1trading buildtrading b Ua Uatrading trading posts throughout through throughb 'ut ut ' it the wil wild.er wilder wil4eP wil4ePness < . , . ness beyond . He struck a deal withAndrew 'with with 'withAndrew withAndrew ' Andrew Henry and this was the idea ideabehind ideabehind ideabehind behind the tne formation formatlon ' of the Rock RockMountain Rocky RockyMountain RockyMountain Mountain Fur company . On March March20 20 , 1822 he advertised in a Missourinewspaper Missouri Missourinewspaper Missourinewspaper newspaper for a group of 100 youngmen y young youngmen ung ungmen men to accompany him on the fir-siof fir siof first firstof firstof - of his expeditions expedl bons . And so the movement which re resulted re re- resulted . - sulted suIted in the discovery of Ashleyvalley Ashley Ashleyvalley Ashleyvalley valley ( where waere Vernal Vernalls is now locatedand locateq locate4 locateqand locate4and and through which U . S . 40 crosseswas crosses crosseswas ) Was launched The valley which stillbears still stillbears stillbears bears Ashley's Ashleys ' name was explored byhis by byhis byhis his men completely and thoroughlybefore thoroughly thoroughlybefore thoroughlybefore before the Rocky Mountain Fur com com- company company . - pany ceased its 1 ts operations in 3.836.In 3836.In 3836In :1.836 1.836 1836 : . . . In their expedition Ashley and Wsmen hsmen hts hs htsmen { men were carried carved through dark gorg gorges gorg- gorg gorges . - es eSt eStimpressive , impressive canyons , over rapidswhirlpools rapids rapidsvhlrlpools , \vhlrlpools vhlrlpools whirlpools \ an I 1 falls exhausting theirstrength their theirstrength theirstrength strength , their hopes and their foodsupply food foodsupply foodsupply supply . Near Ashley Falls Fails in the Redcanyon Red Redcanyon Redcanyon canyon of the Green river the gen gen- general general gen- gen general - - eral painted his name and date dateHAsh "Ash-ley "Ash Ash ley HAsh- HAsh "Ash- "Ash Ash HAshley1825 "Ashley1825 " - ley-1825 ley 1825 ley--1825 - - - 1825 " in large letters on therock the therock therock rock wall . The party portaged the numerousrapids numerous numerousrapids numerousrapids rapids in Whirlpool and Split moun mouDM moun- mountain mouDMtain mountain - tain canyons and finally reached thevalley t"oe toe the t"oevalley thevalley " valley which bears his name They Theyfollowed Theyfollowed Theyfollowed followed the Green river some dis distance dis- dis distance distance - - tance on foot and then turned to- to toward toward to toward - ward the west by way of the val valleys val- val valleys valleys - - leys of the Uintah Ulntah Urntah and Duchesne riv rivers riv- riv rivers rivers - ers They crossed over the mountainsnorth mountains mountainsnortn mountainsnorth nortn north of the basin . Just eight years after Ashley's Ashleys ' ex expedition ex- ex expedItion expedition - - pedition in the valley there weretrading were weretrading weretrading trading posts established along theUintah the theUlntah theUrntah Ulntah Urntah river and in the Brown's Browns ' parkregion park parkregIOn parkregion regIOn of western Colorado ColoradoI _ I , . . ; ' , , |