Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-30

~ UT In the mountains OF eastern
Utah. the happenings Of the
past fifteen years have not
much disturbed the rest Of the
world, because the country was near In
miles. but very very distant In point
Of accessibility. For that reason 1T
tie is known about the Indian peoples
who have lived there. and the chiefs
who made their headquarters along
tho rivers running into the Grand
And also little Is known about the eff
forts OF white men and trappcrs TO
I've with them. or to conquer them.
However, In Fort Duchesne, located
on the Uintah river, just above the
forks Of the Duchesne, and many miles
away from any outpost Ut whitc men
settlements. the government made its
frontier stanC 10 control one of the
last OF the warning tribes. Fort
Duohesne will be abandoned within
the next year, and the Indian chiefs,
for which II was built TO keep In sub
mission, are now either gone TO their
happy hunting grounds. or, instead OF
being young bloods, full of fight. and
vigor are aged grnndfathers. telling
tales Of early exploits 10 more peace
ful and agriculturally inclined de-
scendants.
FOUNDING OF THE FORT.
Fort Duchesne Is not much TO look at,
In point OF elaborateness OF finish, yet
II Is probably the most expensive fort
ever erected in America, In proportion
to what has been secured. Every
building has run up away beyond what
mIAgf h. all II f.x..
It's construction has had TO be freighted
in nom Price, Utah, after paying nigh
mountain freight rates to the railroad.
II was founded originally by Major A.
r. Chaffee. now commanders in chief of
the United States army, and Is literal
descendant of Fort Thornberg, near
Ouray, which in turn was made neces-
sary by the transfer OF the White
River utes into the Uintah country.
Preceding this transfer was one OF
the most bloody massacres In the last
days OF Indian warfare, and Siege
OF troops under Major Thornberg that
forced some OF the hardest work per-
formed In the west By the army Thorn
berg fell early in the 6ght, and when
the troops followed the nsurgent Utes
over the Colorado line into Utah,
their first camp was al L )rt Thorn
berg, which he had established AMI
abandoned at an earlier date. This was
IN the early eighties. and when Major
Chaffee took command with four CON-
panies of soldiers, he moved the fort
up the river to it's present site, and
named IL Fort Duchesne. The reason
for the transfer was that forage condl.
tons were better.
Fort Duschesne has had but little
history, as with one exception II has
not been called upon TO furnish troops
for massacre or death In battle. A
forced march over the Colorado line
however occurred I'm 1885, and saved n
large number of Colorado volunteers
from massacre In an Indian ambush.
CAVALRY ALWAYS THERE,
Chaffee had cavalry with him. ana IN
ell subsequent transfers of troops, Cav
airy has always been apportioned to FIT,
Duchesne. IL now has two troops "
the Fifth. and two companies OF the
Twenty nInth infantry. The march IN
TO Colorado was In charge OF a cavalry
officer, Lieut.. George r.. Burnett. who
was SO used up by his long ride In the
saddle that he had 10 be retired on
account Of permanent disability. re-
sulting from il. A few riot calls, when
some drunken Indian has gone on n
crusade. have filled up the recent years
of the forts activity.
ABANDONMENT NEXT YEAR,
IL was planned to abandon the fort
this year. and but for the work of Utah
congressional delegates, IL would now
he a thing of the past. A general fear
that the absence of troops would lead
to friction between whites and Indians
IN the new Ulntah settlements has led
~ the request that the fort remain
for another year at least. The belief
now Is that the autumn OF 1906 viii
zee II abandoned. and the buildings,
which have cost 80 much, sold at public
auction TO the highest bidder.
One feature about the fort Is that the
land on which II Is built does not be-
long TO the government, but to tho In
dams. on being sold the money de-
rived therefrom will go into the hands
OF the Indians, who shared In the gem
eral appropriations for the mainten-
ance OF the Uintah reserve.
The abandonment OF Fort Duchesne
marks an interesting period in the COM
bat between white man and Indian
for the possession of the west. Old
Utah pioneers can tell who "Tabby'
was in his youthful days, when he led
Southern Ute Indians on campaigns OF
pillage extending clear through Utah,
and over to the California trail. and
made forced marches necessary on the
part of early Utah militia.
Mere recently white men on the uin-