The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-02-27
CATHOLIC CHURCH IN UTAH.
Continued from page ~.

along the Dolores to whore the Dolores entered the
Rio Grande some ten miles TO the west of the line
between Colorado and Utah
Along the Rio Dolores in about latitude IS de-
grees 10 minutes north, lies Spanish valley. and
from Santa Fe to this point, distance of more
than 800 miles, this old Spanish trail practically
followed the route taken fify-four years earlier by
Fathers Escalante and Dominique when they made
their brave attempt to open a road to Monterey Ii
is singular that nowhere in Bancrofts works or i'll
the writings of subsequent or previous writer's on
the trans-Rocky Mountain regions, do we find any
mention of this fact
At point, little to the north of Saucer val
ley, Escalante turned abruptly eastward and for
about fifty miles pursued eastcry course before
he again vecred to the north and travelled so far ON
this northern route that it was impossible for him
and his companions to reach Monterey that winter.
Had the Spanish priests not swung to the east
ward when they left their camp at Saucer VALLEY
but continued or. down the Rio Dolores they would
have found an easier crossing of the mountains.
passed far TO the south of Utah lake and perhaps
have entered Monterey before the severity of the
weather forced them to return to Santa Re. We
can suspect no motive or reason for the change I'M
to visit and instruct the Lagunas or Timpanago In
dians. whose presence in Utah valley was known
to the priests While the expedition failed of its
object it perhaps influenced partially the location
of the Spanish trail which Travelled over 500 miles
of the route.
We return to the course of the Spanish trail.
Moving through the Grand river below the mouth
of the Dolores, the trail Bore northwesterly till it
finally crossed the Green river just below the
mouth of the Price near whore the Denver & Rio
Grande railroad now bridges that stream. The
trail here paralleled the Price for twenty
miles on a westerly course when it veered for a
short distance to the southwest, fording the San
Rafael river, and sharply turning due south, went
on keeping to the west of the San Rafael swell and
crossed Muddy creek. Here it bent again to the
west and travelling up the Fremont river, crossed
the headwaters of the Sewer north of the Sewer
plateau climbed the great Wasatch range, and de
scending. entered the Great Basin Sweeping now
southwestward the trail skrted the easterly and
southerly rims of the present Escalante desert en-
tering again upon and following for a short dis
lance substantially the route travelled over by Es-
calante's party in 1II6, it turned south and moved
into Mountain Meadow" Here for portion of
the way it broke the road afterwards known as the
"old Mormon trail the route taken by the Nor
mons when travelling between Utah and Californa.
and the identical trail entered upon by the emf
grant party from Missouri which was slaughtered
in Mountain Meadow the morning of September
{, 1857.
Passing out of Mountain Meadow. the trail now
followed down the Santa Clara fork of the Virgin
river cut through the northwest corner of Arizona