The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-24

Before narrating the famous journey
of the Mormon pioneers, who, in 1s47
founded Salt Lake city, it will be proper
to allude briefly 10 some of the illustrious
explorers and trappers, who, previous to
that time, traversed that part of our
great country which now constitutes the
Territory of Utah, and also to give an
outline OF 'toverland travel'' prior to
1S47.
From the town of Santa Fe, n. NJ,
which was first settled in the beginning
of the seventeenth century, the Spaniards
sent out several exploring expeditions to
the north and west, but it is not known
whether any of them ever visited the
region around the Great Salt lake until
the year 1776, when Francisco Atanasio
Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Es-
calante, two Franciscan frlars, set out
from Santa Fe, accompanied by seven
9th r, for the purpose of discovering
a direct route to Monterey in California.
Entering the country now embraced in
the boundaries of Utah from the east,
they discovered Utah lake Sept. %, 1776.
According to Hubert II. Bancroft , S
history of Wyoming, Ezekiel Williams, a
hardy frontiersman and trapper, in the
employment of the government, was the
first white man, so far as known, who,
at the head of an escort, attempted to
reach California via the South Pass in
1907. But while upon the headwaters of
the North Platte he was attacked by In
dams, who killed five of his men and
drove off the horses of the expedition.
Williams then moved southwark, wander
ing among the mountains until the
spring of 1903, when he reached the
South Platte.
The first recorded expedition which
passed through what is now part of the
state of Wyoming from the east was that
of Wilson Price Hunt in 1911, who con-
Quoted to Oregon the overland part of the
Pacific Fur company, which founded
Astoria. This expedition left the Mis-
souri, river at the mouth of the Big Chey
enne, and followed the general course OF
that stream to and along the base of the
Black Hills, travelled westward across the
Powder river valley and Big Horn noun
tains to Wind river, where they turned
south to find grass and game. In due
course of time they came to the upper
waters of Spanish river, now Green
river where they found their way to
Snake river, The following year (1S12)
three members OF Hunts expedition and
two Frenchmen returned east; but all
their horses were stolen by Indians in the
mountains and they were compelled to
finish their journey on foot to the Mis-
souri,. Avoiding their former route
over mountains, they followed the Platte
ing the first to travel that natural high
way to the Pacific coast so generally pur-
sued. -
In 1920 Major Stephen H. Long, under
order from the government, explored the
Platte valley as far west as the junction of
the North and South Forks The result
OF his expedition was to attract attention
to the central overland route to the noun
tains, which finally made the Platte,
North Platte and Sweetwater valleys the
great thoroughfare of Pacific travel.
Half a century after the discovery OF
Utah Lake by the two Franciscan friars
(DomingueZ and Escalante) we find
United States fur hunters standing on the
border of the Great Salt Lake tasting its
brackish waters and wondering if it was
an arm of the sea. First among these,
combining ourselves to authentic records, -
writes the historian Bancroft, twas
James Bridger, to whom belongs the
honor of discovery. 1t happened in this
wise: During the winter of 1S24-25 a party
OF trappers, who had assembled the Mis-
souri, river with Henry and Ashley, found
themselves on Bear river in Cache or Will
low valley. A discussion arose as to the
probable course of Bear river, which
flowed on both sides of them. A wager
was made and Bridger sent to ascertain
the truth. Following the river through
the mountains, the first view of the great
lake fell upon him. and when he went to
the margin and tasted the water, he found
that it was salt. Then he returned and
reported to his companions. All were
interested to know ii there emptied into
this sheet other streams on which they
might find beavers, and If there was an
outlet: hence, in the spring of 1926 four
men exp lored the lake in skin boats"
In 1924 William II. Ashley, Virginian
by birth, who two years previous had
erected a fort on the Yellowstone, en-
listed 800 men and set out for the noun
tains He followed the Platte to the
South Pass, exploring and naming the
Sweetwater, and appointed a rendezvous
with the Indians on Spanish river, which
he named after member of his company,
Green river. In 1925 he pushed his ex-
plorations to Utah lake first discovered
bv Escaiante in 1776), but seen by no
American before Ashley, VINO gave it his
own name. Here he established a post,
and in two or three years collected $780,