Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-09-19

to work on the fort, the rest Of us
pushed on into the Great basin to trap
| through the fall.
! This was my Introduction to the
Great Basin country We came through
Echo canyon, and over the route sub
sequontly followed by tho pioneers, ex-
cept that In coming over Big mountain
we climbed 1t at sleeper ascent than
the trail afterwards followed. We
came over Little mountain, and had to
cut our way through Emigration cam
yon, the brush was SO thick.
You'd be surprised at the beaver
there Were in these Utah streams. Why
remember City creek was so damned
up with beaver dams that the water
could hardly get through. Down on
the Weber the beavers worked right
out to the last cottonwoods.
"1n those days we found cottonwoods
just few miles from where the Weber
goes into the lake, and at these cot
tonwoods one night | put in seven
traps, all a trapper is furnished by the
company, and in the morning had sew
en- beaver in them" n
WHO WAS WEBER?
"Who was Weber," was a pertinent
question. Henry NJ. Chittenden, who
has written a history of the fur trade,
throwing a flood of light upon early
>
that no record is eXtant, that has come
under his notice, giving any data about
Weber nor why the river should be.
named from him.
"Old Duff Weber, was the immediate
answer HE was In the country a few
years before came. Brldger told me
about him often, and always spoke web
of him. saying he was good man.
supposed from this he was an Ameri-
can Fur company man. Bridger told
me he struck the Weber river up In the
ISamas prairie country. and was the
first trapper to follow it down to its
outlet in the lake. So they gave the
stream his name, just as they gave the
Ogden river the name of Peter Skeen
Ogden, who was the first man to go up
into Ogden canyon and trap out the
stream of beaver"
WHERE OGDEN cor NAME.
demand to know more about Og-
den was pressed. Ogden. according to
Chittenden and Bancroft, was no
American, but is a man who links
Utah history UP with the British de-
velopment of the west, and the keen
competition between Great Britain
Russia, Mexico and the United States
to secure this western country, in the
era preceding the Mexican war.
Ogdens presence in Utah is repre-
for furs that led to the establishment
of Astoria by John Jacob Astor. the
.looting of Astoria by the British COM
company. under M'Tavsh. who rushed
down the Columbia with a declaration
of the war of 1912 by President Madi-
son in his hand, to shake it in the
face of the American garrison and
threaten their determination before the
war should be finished. and finally the
driving away of the Americans from
the Columbia. followed by an attempt
to drive them clear away from the
country west of the Rocky Mountains.
Frasrrantary records tell of meet
ing OF Ogden and Williap H. Ashley.
from wiiom Ashley Fork of the Green
river is named. in Cache valley. Utah,
in 1925. and of the looting by Ashley of
Ogdens caches of furs. giving him,
when they We're marketed in ST. Louis,
the snug little fortune of 100000.
CLAIMS KNEW OGDEN.
t,Do remember Ogden?" repeated
the veteran Utahn, Yes, / knew him
we'll Fort Hall was the British head
quarters in my day. He was /, dark
eyed, dark haired man of medium build.
When any of us from Fort Bridger
we're over the Fort Hall way wa al
ways went to ogden's camp because we 4