Vernal Express | 1937-12-09 | Page 9 | Uintah Basin Rich in Pre-Historic, Ancient and Modern History

US 7 H Iffe IT TL H If I III Ins Basin l lc c fi Rich B T fEni al in Bir Aai PreHistoric 1 B fi T B r w e Ancient and Modern Modem History Records of Ancient Ament and Pre PreHistoric I Historic Inhabitants Be- Be Believed Be Most Complete m in North America Early Col Colonizing of Ashley ey Valley a Story of Romance By MAX NEF F SMART I Long long before Horace Greel Greel- Greeley Greel-ey Greel ey pronounced his now-famous now ad- ad admonition admonition ad admonition monition Go Go West Young Man before the discovery of gold In Cal Cal- California Cal California made the West the of the world long before Brigham Young and those Intrepid Mormon pioneers made the v western estem desert blossom even een before Christopher Columbus made the west an en- en enchanting enchanting en enchanting chanting phrase the Uintah Ba- Ba Basin Ba Basin sin nestled at the foot of Amer Amer- America Americas America ica s B only west east-west axis axle mountain range had been selected as a par par- particularly particularly par particularly romantic and important section of the globe It Is doubtful If a search how hON hov- hov however ever minute could show an area equal In size with nearly the in- in In Interesting of or history and ro- ro romance ro romance mance manco which has ben boen b en written across these windswept Winds hills these resounding river riser valleys and these fertile valleys since life began lain ored Fa G Geologically Long before the dawn of man millions of years before the beginning be- be beginning be beginning ginning of history as we ve know it itan itan itan an Important chapter of world orld his his- history history his history tory was being written In the Uin- Uin Uintah tah Basin by numberless reptilian monsters who vho made this section their home Two Tao lUlion illion years ago agog I in Mesozoic times the Uintah I Ba-I Ba- Ba Basin Ba Basin sin was selected to later become become the finest place in the United Std Std- States Sta States tes to show a chapter in the his his- history history his history tory of earth life This section ont one of or the worlds longest known continuous sections cross-sections of or the earth s crust tells teUs a stary of life in th the v west nest est during ages past of a tropical climate te exotic palms profuse and of thousands of or reptiles vary sary- varying ary- ary ing in size from a few Inches in length to gigantic monsters weigh weigh- weighing weigh weigh-I weighing ing many tons This region is ib ii ans answering mooted long-mooted qi which have ever puzzled students and scholars concerning these huge framed small-brained small animals which have ha hardly a counterpart in modem modern life lire I Rich Hydrocarbon Deposits In practically the same period the Basin was selected to become a particularly fortunate spot when conditions produced here hat shat may yet vet et become a vast producing producing producing ing coal ceal field Those same palm trees and that same profuse vegetation vegetation vegetation which flourished while dinosaurs were haunting this in- in inland inland In Inland land empire laid the stage for foi the I formation of one of largest layers of hydrocarbon material in the west westend end made the region a great po- po potential po potential supply of oil oU shale oil gil- gil gilsonite and asphalt This page in inthe inthe inthe the romance of the west vest has yet yetto yetto yetto to be properly read and interpret interpret- interpreted ed and adds suspense to the col- col colorful colorful col colorful drama which began millions of years ago The next readable chapter in thel the history of the west was as written hundreds of thousands of or yearn year I after dinosaurs and once more the most accurate editions may be I found in the Uintah Basin These come to us from a people v oho ho roamed these valleys about the time Alexander the Great swept to victory over all aU the known eastern eastern eastern tern world and are n n in pictographs and rock pictures on onI the cliffs of nearby mountains I I Oldest Pictographs In N America In Ln the Uintah Basin there are rock pictures of at least four cul- cul cultures cul Cl cultures tures of ancient man that seem I to have ha decipherable value The Thel I Pueblos a people who made round bodied drawings to represent humans and the head hunting Fremont peoples The Pueblos were driven en out of this region soon after they had resorted d to building walled thick thick houses and pueblos and the erect erect- erecting erecting erecting ing of cliff houses to towers ers and forts fortsas fortsas fortsas as protection against their ene- ene enemies enemies ene enemies mies From this It is concluded that they entered the region about the beginning of the Christian era and were sere driven out about the time of the fall of the Roman empire So v when then hen one views s the hunting rock and-rock picture scenes on the walls calls of Ashley and Dry DryFork DryFork Fork ForI canyons he is seeing things that were happening while Asia Africa and Rome wrangled like likel l loose tigers in an for forthe forthe forthe the mastery of the world orld One eminent authority on ancient cul- cul culture cul Cl culture ture felt that the inhabitants of the Uintah Basin something over too ho thousand years ears ago provide the oldest rC record ord of man In Amer Amer- America America America ica north of Mexico He lie Albert CAlbert AlbertB I B Reagan Rc-agan Ph D sass S It falls upon ncr Utah to give ghe usa us usa n a readable historic record th I probably reaches farther back In inthe inthe I the yesterdays s of time than any other record yet vet et found or at least I deciphered ed north of Mexico as- as astounding astounding as astounding as such a statement may ma seem Another might tell a astory astory astory story of th the ancient ancestors of the Ute Indians which h are now resen a in the Basin From remains of their civilization it must be concluded that before the en- en entrance entrance en entrance trance of the Ute in the Grew Grea Ba Basin cin an earlier branch of the Indian stock had 11 lived cd and struggled here nd had here passed from the setting Their final act of the state of time in the theater of or the hills in Uintah Ba- Ba Basin Basin Ba Basin sin left present white hUe man much evidence e of their former here here I Inc written history of the west a r w p Y t t r ra a l 1 p t I q j ji rf i rn a G aG tl h r y yh A At Af t f 1 t w t tf a First Hou House e Constructed in Ashley nUey balley by Captain Pardon Dodds Is no less lees romantic nor ner remark remark- remarkable remarkable remarkable able than the volumes of unwritten unwritten unwritten ten history which has been deduct deduct- deducted deducted deducted ed from fossils pictures and arti- arti artifacts artifacts arti artifacts facts And similar to the unwritten unwritten unwritten ten history the recent happenings make the Uintah Basin an Import import- important Important ant place In the history import import-I of the we west t de Tits Pie name Fray Silvestre Velez de Escalante rings through every eryl i andi American hl history tory book of note and It v was as this dogged trail-blazer trail who andI I in that historic 1776 was the first white man to tread E B P soil soU Escalante s Journal described the Uintah country at some length and ande e established it as ar an important route across aCIO S America I Men Recruited by Ashley I I Although hardly so significant but probably just as romantic Is I the period of the trappers and fur fur- fur tra I traders of the v west est and strangely fur I en enough ugh the Basin area again steps I into the limelight when hen such glam glam- glam j glamorous glamorous orous names as William H Ashley I Jedadiah Smith Henry gertry Charles Fitzpatrick and Jim Brid- Brid Bridger ger Brid-ger Iger ger are mentioned Capt Ashley for whom AShley valley and creek were sere named was wasI wasa wasa wasa I a man of some prominence He was vas one of the most noted and successful traders of St Louis and the tha circumstances led to Ashle Ashley Valley bearing its ite present i name carry us back hack to that city in in 1822 when Ashley inserted the I following ing classified advertisement in the Missouri Republican To ToI enterprising young oung men The sub sub- subscriber subscriber sub subscriber I scriber hundred wishes to engage one hun hun- hun dred young men to o ascend the Mis- Mis Missouri Missouri Mis Missouri river to its it source them their to tobe be employed for two tao or three sears ears lib For particulars Inquire of Major MaJ r Andre Andrew Henry Henn near the lead lea mines In the country of Washington i or oron oron oron on the sub subs near St Louis I signed William WilHam H Ashley I Thus the movement mo which led I ledI Valley to the of Ashley Val Val- Val ley was as la launched The trip in into to Iley the valley alley is described by Alter as follows s They embarked in inthe the harmless looking Green river in boats which they had made of buffalo hides They reached Hen Hen- Henry Henrys ry rys s Fork Just below the tah 17 t ah- ah W ah-W W Wyoming oming boundary April 20 1825 This was vas a suitable place for hold hold- hold rendezvous ing holding the th general trading sous Ashley placed signs I accordingly gns accord accord- as his exploring parties had been advised The merchandise was left here in a cache cadre while chile v Me the trappers drifted innocently into a series of adventures which which made ordinary Indian fighting seem like a mere pastime 1 Captain Ashley Ashly most unwilling unwilling- unwillingly ly and at times quite helplessly was carried forward gorges I and Impressive rapids ids canyons canyon over oser rap rap- rapI rap I whirlpools and falls exhaust exhaust- ing exhausting his men his hopes and his food supply Near Ashley Falls in Re I Re I II named canyon the Captain painted his date Ashley nanH and nd the date lin in large letters on the rock wall B Bv persistent hard work the party ran and portaged I rapids in Whirlpool the and numerous mountain canyons They reached Ih-d Ih Uintah river w v where here In- In I ns replenished their Pl sup food sup sup- hit Kit Carson CaNon in Uintah Basin Seldom has the associated name of Kit Carson en been own ed d with Utah and the sin Basin Ba in IrL the hi hiu Uintah Ba- Ba history u ui i and fiction o Co the v test est yet et It remains a fact tha that famous hunter scout lod In dlan fighter spent the v inters or of 38 1837 at Fort Davy Jr ir Brown s Park and established iT 1833 Fort Kit Carson Iii the y j t r BASi t likely near Dura It v was as some ome of his escapades with In dlan dian Indian hor horse e thieves in this thle ity that he established self himself a 8 athe the man of courage anc am phenomenal marksmanship r fo v which his name is now so famous Thus this American Ul Ulysses whO name has become American the symbol of th frontier roamed ea 3 ern em Utah and one mc- mc Q amorous page to its already alread thrill history Browns Brown s Park rk Rivaling even esen th the tales of Kif Kl Carson for romance and color arc arf those V has have hs e been passed passe down to us concerning the seth lUes of the outlaws H and bad men mer which r a frequented nearby Browns Park as late as ae 1905 s w x Brooms Part s located Vernal only on the forty-five forty Green miles river from PartI lies Ues I I I on the Utah-Colorado Utah line and andI Tended Itself splendidly to the an- an ancient an ancient business of cattle ru ling If a posse came from one state the herds could be quickly driven into the next In addition the Park is hardly winter accessible during the Win Win-I win win- win I ter months Thus It became a ver- ver ver veritable Robbers Robber Roost the decades before and after the turn i of or the century Such famous and andI infamous names formes as Butch Cassi- Cassi Cassidy Cassidy dy Casl I dy Harry Tracy Loom Isom Dart David Lant and Jack Bennett will wUl m mk kA that section live forever fore as one of the landmarks of the old west The dinosaurs the primitive hu- hu humans humans hu humans mans mans the early Re Redskins the immortal im- im immortal im immortal mortal explorers of the west the romantic fur traders and trappers the notorious western outlaws have come and gone and each in turn tum has written a thrilling page In the annals of the Uintah Basin and the West Captain Pard Pardon Tt Dodds For further thrilling chapters one turns next to the story of the settled pioneers who actually set set- set thel tied Captain this Inland empire To Cap Cap- tain tamn Pardon Dodds a native of Pennsylvania and a Civil War vet vet-I vet vet- veteran vet veteran eran gees oes Oes the honor of being theil the first settler of Ashley valley 7 1 came as a stockman to the valley ir r ary 1873 having I served as an official at the Whiterocks White White- rocks Indian Agency during the I four previous years ears Dodds built I the fir first t house e ever er built bum by white whiteman in the valley and also con con- constructed con constructed the first a irrigation ditch con I to be taken out of Ashl v creek The Vernal Express of 1907 car car- carries carries cAr I ries rles the following sketch of Basin pioneer The first cabin was ae built in 1873 bv by Captain Dodds I and that cabin still stands stand as R a monument to one of the grand grald old men of this valley alIey He still lives Ines on the land hp he I located In to that vear veer but h 11 hIs has built another house home Pardon Pal don 1 is an interesting figure and le 1 e deserves more han i t p csur p no notice notice notice tice as ae do many other pioneers of I th the valley salles In 1871 and 1872 he ex- ex explored explored ex explored the Colorado with Colonel Powell and party from rom Green River Riv- Riv River Riv River er City Wyoming to Mojave Moja When General Sh made his fa- fa famous famous fa famous march t to the sea ea Captain Dodds was as with him He was vas in some of the famous battles of the Civil War including those of Mis- Mis Mis Missionary Ridge and Lookout Moun Maim First White While Women nomen Some of the human Interest con con- contained contained con contained In the coming of those pio pio- pio- pio pioneers pioneers pioneers to w the Ba Basin in can be gathered gather gather- gathered gathered ed from another Vernal Express article of July 25 1929 In going C eser Er the early ry of Ashley It is Interesting to rehearse the arrival of the little group of four I vho ho arrived on the of No- No NoI November No November I vember ember 1875 Their names were v ere I Mr and Mrs Robert Sn der their daughter Idaho Ida who oho was as on one year I old and a girl by the name crt of Clara Crouch v who ho came to work I for Mrs Snyder Sn Mrs Snyder anel anc Miss anc-Miss Miss Crouch v were sere ere the first white admen omen to come to the alley salley to tC tomake tomake I make a home and blaze a trail i for all who vho are now thing living here 1 enjoying comfortable homes and I surroundings I Mr Snyder Sn der came to the Ba- Ba Basin Basin Ba Basin sin with cattle about a year i ear I be-I be- be before fore he moved his family in The settled on Ashley creek on the place where David ld Timothy liver Q I The snow ofir of winter win ir r came and shed Its white blessings over the val val- valley valley val valley litS ley and mountains Major critch- critch critchloW Critchlow loW Critch-loW loW and wife of Whiterocks came cameto cameto cameto to visit the Snyders ders that winter She was the only white lady they saw all winter I Spring pring came with its long sun sun- sunshiny sun shiny shiny days davs da and in March a babyboy baby babyboy boy brightened the little log cabin of Mr and Mrs Mrs Mrs- Sn der This was v as the first v white hite child chUd born bem here and v was as named Robert Ashley Snyder Snyder der der Summer passed and winter camp again and still stUl they were ere the only v white hite ft