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Show 'Horse trade still paying off for anglers after 78 years In one of the greatest trades with the Indians since Manhattan Manhat-tan Island was purchased for $24 in trinkets, white men 78 years ago purchased all rights to one of the best fishing lakes in the west. Fish Lake, in the Fishlake National Forest of south central cen-tral Utah, cost the Fremont Irrigation Ir-rigation Co. nine horses, five I 1 pounds of flour, a beef steer and a suit of clothes a bargain bar-gain even in those days of low prices. Anglers with mora, than a passing fancy for the sport know Fish Lake best1 for its Mackinaw trout. The largest on record, a 36 pounder, was taken ta-ken from the lake several years ago. But its waters also contain con-tain a huge supply of rainbow, brook, native and German Brown trout. At an altitude of more than 8,000 feet, Fish Lake's modern camp grounds and picnic grounds are cool havens during the warm summer months, even among non-fishermen. Developed Devel-oped by the U.S. Forest Service and Utah Department of Fish and Game, the four square-mile lake has attracted three large resorts. Fish Lake and its forested environs was the setting for the three-year Black Hawk War between the Ute Indians and early Mormon settlers, which ended in 1868. Although unrest between the white men and Indians In-dians flared frequently after the skirmish, the settlers began returning to the area. Relations between the settlers and their Indian neighbors had so improved by the late 1880's that old chief Poganeap, anxious an-xious for lasting peace, entered into an "Artickel of Agreement" Agree-ment" in 1889 with the irrigation irriga-tion company, forever closing the door to the rightsm of the picturesque lake to his people. In the agreement, Poganeap sold the Ute rights and title to the lake, "also all our airs and assigns . . in said Out Let of said Lake forever." What the white negotiators lacked in spelling ability, they more than made up in negotiating negoti-ating talent, for the horses, steer, flour and clothing, at today's prices, would probably be valued at little more than $1,000. The white bargainers bought a lake 5 miles long, of a mile wide, and fed by six streams. While the lake is a fisherman's paradise, the surrounding sur-rounding forests team with deer and elk perhaps one of the finest hunting grounds ever surrendered by Indians with less than bloodshed. |
