| Show History IIi story Shows Visits Uintah Basin Dixon Paper Co of Salt Lake City has Issued the following account of Etienne vi sit to the Uintah Basin in 1824 Etienne one of the Great Basins Basin's early trappers first entered the pages of weSt wes tern history around 1823 There seems no question that he and I his partner LeClerc and their Mn coon Were Iel to n he t Uintah D Basin I in inin in 1821 There does however seem to be some question as to just where they first entered the Rocky Mountain area One historian says that they moved northwestward from Taos An An- Another other says that was with Henry Ashleys Ashley's men who came through South Pass in 1824 This is no serious discrepancy ot was a great traveler and could well have joined the Ash party in the vicinity of South Pass AT ANY RATE it was probably ably during the late summer or or early fall that and Le- Le LeClerc Le LeClerc Clerc were trapping along the Green River and its western trib trib- tributaries tributaries in the Uintah Basin Pro vot and a few of the men con con- continued continued over the mountains west west- westward westward ward Into Utah Valley and north into the valley of the Great Salt Lake here lIere they were suddenly at attacked tacked by a party of Shoshone Snake Indians who killed set so veral of the men and a afew afew few others got away and by hard riding crossed over the Wasatch Mountains and made their way eastward probably through Heber or Kamas valleys into tIle the Uintah Basin where they rejoined LeClerc This disastrous brush with the Indians was a matter of serious importance Some of the American trappers claimed the I attack to have been encouraged or even instigated by members of the Hudsons Hudson's Bay Company thus Increasing rivalry and sus sus- suspicion between these far out out- outposts posts of American and British subjects Another historian says Eli Eti enne one of the leaders in the Ashley party Is generally accorded first place in the actual discovery of the South Pass route which later be- be became became came a well beaten trail of the trappers and a highway of home homebuilding homebuilding building settlers South Pass is a much safer easier divide than those farther north Its discovery was of ma- ma major ma jor importance for it opened the way for the great emigrant wa wa- wa wagon gon trains of ten twenty and more years later to Oregon California and the Great Bas in Etienne became thor thor- thoroughly thoroughly familiar with the beaver streams the trails and passes I of the Uinta Mountains the Uin tab tah Basin and the great canyons of the neighboring Wasatch Be- Be Because Be cause of his activities in open open- opening opening ing the West his name was given given en to Provo Canyon the river that flows through it and to the third largest city of Utah Thus he wins a place of high distinction tion among explorers of the Outer Space of the |
