The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-27
EARLY HISTORY
OF THIS REGION
Three Books in the City Library Read-Peer
ken Ogden General Ashley and Others Who Pioneers
'-Trappers Were All Over This Country-Beaver in the
Ogden River-Discovery of Great Salt Lake.

Editor Standard: In the City Ii,
brary is new work in three volumes
which should be read by everyone who
Is interested in the early history OF
Ogden and OF Utah. IT has been In
the library for some months but has
not received much reading as yet
am quite sure OF this, because, when
l read II a few weeks ago | found
many Of the leaves still uncut.
The title Of the work Is History of
the American Fur Trade OF the Far
West" 1t deals with the fur trade in
that part of the United States lying
west Of the Missouri river and as the
hunter and trapper hbs always been
the first pioneer and explorer the
book really contains the beginnings of
the known history OF the Far West"
The author Is Major Hiram Martin
Chittenden for many years a resident
OF Sioux City. In his youth he was a
trapper and in later years came into
| possession OF the account books and
correspondence of several Of the old
fur trading companies of St, Louis,
which city was for more than half
a century the recognized headquar-
ters of the fur trade
No one can read Major Chittenden's s
books without being impressed by his
evident anxiety to be accurate and
with the great amount of original data
To which he has had exclusive access.
This Is nowhere better shown than in
those pages dealing with the early his
tory OF the vicinity of Ogden City on
page 74S OF volume is the follow
! ing:
EARLY History Of Ogden.
Near the northeastern shore of the
Great Salt Lake there was a deep re-
cess In the range of lofty mountains
to the east. known in early times as
Ogdens Hole. near where now the
city OF Ogden, Utah. stands 1t was
a sheltered cove Of striking form and
beauty. and no doubt was frequented
by the retainers Of that noted trad
er whose name II now bears.
The most important valley near
Great Salt Lake. however. was that
traversed by Bear river in northern
Utah and southern Idaho. 1t was an
! extensive valley, bounded on the east
by noble range of mountains. and on
the west by smaller hills, whore all
the conditions were to be found that
made a desirable stamping ground for
the trapper
To-day It Is the homo OF busy pop
ulatlon, with ten or more thriving vii
lagos all in sight at once. 1t is known
by It's original name of Cache valley
which arose from some unrecorded
circumstance. possibly from the cache
of beaver furs belonging to Peter
Skeen Ogden which shadowy tradition
SAYS was lifted by General Ashley
TO the latter's great financial ad
vancement"
Gen. Ashley OF St. Louis.
We find that the General Ashley re
ferred to was a bankrupt st. Louis
politician, who organized n trapping
and trading expedition TO the Rocky
Mountains" and after suffering ser
ious losses from the hostile Indians
on the upper Missouri river. crossed
over into the Great Salt Lake basin
in 1925.
On page 276 of Volume I. is given
the following account of his doings
which are perhaps characteristic ol
the methods of many business men
still residing In the vicinity of ST
Louis and who still regard The Far
| West as their lemon.
ut was on this occasion that Ash
ley made his explorations south OF
| Great Salt Lake He went as far as
Sevler lake which was then given the
name OF Ashley lake. Historians have
generally supposed that It was Utah
lake which was temporarily honored
with the Generals name. but this Il
not the case IT was on the shores
OF either Utah or Sewer lake that the
trading post stood which Ashley Is
| said 20 have built.
, Having completed these explora
| tions Ashley and Provost turned north
| en- route to the animal rendezvous in
| tho valley of Green River. AT some
| point north of Great Salt Lake. and
| possibly in the beautiful mountain
park known as Cache Valley, ar
event took place which marked the
turning point In Ashley's fortunes.
There was In this nelghborhood al
the time party OF Hudson Bay trap
peTs under the leadership OF the well
known trader, Peter Skeen Ogden
They were I'm possession Of a large
| quantity OF beaver fur yariously esti
| mated at from seventy to two hundred
thousand dollars worth. These furs
through some transaction now not pos
itiyely known, came into Ashley''
possession at an Insignificant price
some say by looting cache In which
they were concealed. and some by vol
untary sale TO Ashley by Ogden 10 re
lleyo the latter's necessities.
BE that as IT may, the event was
an important one TO Ashley. He 1.
said to have been deeply involved II
debt at that time, owing 10 his re
peated disasters: but the returns o
this year enabled him 10 pay of hi.
debts and lay the foundations OF {
goodly fortune"
There is an elaborate foot-notc cit
ing authorities on this incident which
seems 10 have attracted tho attention
OF a number Of writer's:
Robbed a Cache.
Common tradition among the trad
ers. which has even survived 20 th'
present time. says that Ashley an'
Provost accidentally came upon
cache of Ogden's fur and not feelinl
very well disposed toward the Brit
ish on general principles, nor believ
ing that they had any business In thi
quarter. promptly connscated the fur
"Ono authority says that Ogden wa