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77-626: American Fork Canyon is a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah , United States . The canyon is famous for the Timpanogos Cave National Monument , which resides on its south side. It is named after the American Fork River , which runs through the bottom of the canyon. The area is accessed by State Route 92 , through what is officially called the "Alpine Loop Scenic Byway." Visitors entering American Fork Canyon from

154-790: A hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The Ute occupied much of the present state of Colorado by the 1600s. The Comanches from the north joined them in eastern Colorado in the early 1700s. In the 19th century, the Arapaho and Cheyenne invaded southward into eastern Colorado. The Utes came to inhabit a large area including most of Utah, western and central Colorado, and south into the San Juan River watershed of New Mexico. Some Ute bands stayed near their home domains, while others ranged further away seasonally. Hunting grounds extended further into Utah and Colorado, as well as into Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Winter camps were established along rivers near

231-452: A location in Utah is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wasatch Mountains The Wasatch Range ( / ˈ w ɑː s æ tʃ / WAH -satch ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about 160 miles (260 km) from the Utah - Idaho border south to central Utah . It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains , and

308-557: A lush understory of wildflowers and grasses. Wyoming big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis ) occurs at the lowest and driest elevations, although much of the Wasatch Range is above the elevation where this subspecies occurs. All sagebrush species, combined, provide critical habitat to greater sage grouse , a species under consideration for listing by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . The Wasatch Range

385-484: A popular climbing area such as the Pfeifferhorn . Farther north, Big Cottonwood Canyon features tricky climbing on quartzite . The densely vegetated narrow canyons of the Wasatch Range, such as Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon, are heavily visited; on 25 September 2005, 1,200 automobiles entered Little Cottonwood in an hour. The canyons sit within 24 miles (39 km) of downtown Salt Lake City and

462-487: A prosperous urban strip of some 25 cities along nearly 100 miles (160 km) of mountain frontage. The Wasatch Range is home to a high concentration of ski areas, with 11 stretching from Sundance in northeastern Utah County to Powder Mountain and Nordic Valley Ski Area northeast of Ogden . There are also two ski resorts in the Bear River Mountains ( Beaver Mountain and Cherry Peak Resort ). Park City alone

539-565: A reservation in 1881. Today, there are three federally recognized tribes of Ute people: These three tribes maintain reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah (3,500 members); Southern Ute in Colorado (1,500 members); and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico (2,000 members). The origin of the word Ute is unknown; it is first attested as Yuta in Spanish documents. The Utes' self-designation

616-642: A total of $ 31 million in a land claims settlement. The Ute Mountain Tribe used their money, including what they earned from mineral leases, to invest in tourist related and other enterprises in the 1950s. In 1954, a group of mixed blood Utes were legally separated from the Northern Utes and called the Affiliated Ute Citizens. Since the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 ,

693-403: Is Mount Nebo , a triple peak rising above Nephi , at the southern end of the range. In some places the mountains rise steeply from the valley's base elevation of 4,330 feet (1,320 m) to over 11,000 feet (3,400 m). Other notable peaks include Mount Timpanogos , a massive peak that looms over northern Utah County and is especially prominent from Pleasant Grove and Orem ; Lone Peak ,

770-798: Is Núuchi-u , meaning 'the people'. Ute people speak the Ute dialect of the Colorado River Numic language , which is closely related to the Shoshone language . Their language is from the Southern subdivision of the Numic language branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family . This language family is found almost entirely in the Western United States and Mexico , stretching from southeastern California, along

847-572: Is a Colorado River Numic language , part of the Uto-Aztecan language family Historically, the Utes belonged to almost a dozen nomadic bands, who came together for ceremonies and trade. They also traded with neighboring tribes, including Pueblo peoples . The Ute had settled in the Four Corners region by 1500 CE. The Utes' first contact with Europeans was with the Spanish in the 18th century. The Utes had already acquired horses from neighboring tribes by

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924-539: Is a significant problem at Ute Mountain, affecting nearly 80% of the population. The age expectancy there was 40 years of age as of 2000. The culture of the Utes was influenced by the invasion of neighboring Native American tribes. The eastern Utes had many traits of Plain Indians, and they lived in tepees after the 17th century. The western Utes were similar to Shoshones and Paiutes , and they lived year-round in domed willow houses. Weeminuches lived in willow houses during

1001-676: Is bordered by two ski resorts. Due to the low relative humidity in wintertime, along with the added lake-effect from the Great Salt Lake, the snow has a dry, powdery texture which most of the local ski resorts market as "the Greatest Snow on Earth". The snow and nearby ski resorts helped Salt Lake City gain the right to host the 2002 Winter Olympics . Several of the canyons in the Lone Peak area, most notably Little Cottonwood Canyon , have several high-quality granite outcroppings, and make up

1078-682: Is common on the foothills of the range from just south of Brigham City in the north, to the southern extension of the Wasatch Range. It is not found in the northern portion of the Range. Ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ), while abundant elsewhere in Utah is not common in this mountain range, except in plantations in Big Cottonwood Canyon southeast of Salt Lake City and in Logan Canyon , east of Logan. Some individual trees have been found in remote areas of

1155-585: Is especially gentle compared to the rest of the range. The range widens east of Ogden, sheltering a high mountain valley known as the Ogden Valley. Three more ski resorts lie here, as well as several small towns (such as Huntsville , Liberty , and Eden ). North of this, the Wellsville Mountains branch off from the northwest of the range, continuing a line of mountains paralleling the I-15 corridor. This range

1232-769: Is exceptionally thin and steep. However, US-89 / US-91 is maintained as a four-lane highway through the range at Wellsville Canyon east of Brigham City . Cache Valley , created by the Bear River , is flanked on the west by the Wellsville Mountains and on the east by the much denser and higher Bear River Mountains. The northwestern border of Cache Valley is flanked by the Bannock Range in Idaho . The two highest peaks in this area are Mount Naomi and Mount Logan , each just under 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The southeastern portion of

1309-659: Is home to several Native American pictographs , created by the Fremont people. They are several thousand years old and can be found along rock faces and walls lining the canyon. Additional artifacts from the Fremont people and other later Native American groups, spearpoints, grindstones, and arrowheads have been found in minor caves along the canyon, suggesting that hunters used these caves as temporary homes or base camps for hunting. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd479321.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1153267.pdf This article about

1386-529: Is home to several plants that occur nowhere other than in this area. Several of these are rare and restricted to narrow geological formations, while others are more widely distributed throughout the area. Some of the less rare endemics include five-petal cliffbush ( Jamesia americana var. macrocalyx ), Sierra fumewort ( Corydalis caseana ssp. brachycarpa ), and Utah angelica ( Angelica wheeleri ). In addition to ski resorts, there are hundreds of miles of mountain biking and hiking trails winding through

1463-548: Is well below that of their non-Native neighbors. Unemployment is high on the reservation, in large part due to discrimination, and half of the tribal members work for the government of the United States or the tribe. The Ute language is still spoken on the reservation. Housing is generally adequate and modern. There are annual performance of the Bear and Sun dances. All tribes have scholarship programs for college educations. Alcoholism

1540-622: The Colorado River to Colorado and extending south the Nahuan languages in central Mexico. The Numic language group likely originated near the present-day border of Nevada and California, then spread north and east. By about 1000 CE, hunters and gatherers in the Great Basin spoke Uto-Aztecan. They are the likely ancestrors of the Ute, Shoshone , Paiute , and Chemehuevi peoples. Linguists believe that

1617-679: The Domínguez–Escalante expedition (1776). Utes left images of firearms and horses in the 1800s. The Crook's Brand Site depicts a horse with a brand from George Crook's regiment during the Indian Wars of the 1870s. Public land surrounding the Bears Ears buttes in southeastern Utah became the Bears Ears National Monument in 2016 in recognition for its ancestral and cultural significance to several Native American tribes, including

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1694-655: The Mesa Verde National Park , Navajo Reservation , and the Southern Ute Reservation. The Ute Mountain Tribal Park abuts Mesa Verde National Park and includes many Ancestral Puebloan ruins. Their land includes the sacred Ute Mountain . The White Mesa Community of Utah (near Blanding) is part of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe but is largely autonomous. The Ute Mountain Utes are descendants of

1771-605: The Plains Indian cultures of the Great Plains . They also became involved in the horse and slave trades and respected warriors. Horse ownership and warrior skills developed while riding became the primary status symbol within the tribe and horse racing became common. With greater mobility, there was increased need for political leadership. The Utes had direct trade with the Spanish at least by 1765 and possibly earlier. The Utes had already acquired horses from neighboring tribes by

1848-675: The Sevier Orogeny . As the Farallon plate subducted under the North American plate between the Jurassic and Paleogene, the regional stress regime became a maximum striking east to west. This horizontal compression caused thin skinned imbricated thrust faults resulting in as much as 50% crustal shortening of the western North American Plate. The Wasatch anticlinorium represented the furthest eastern margins of these Sevier origin imbricated thrusts. Once

1925-565: The Taos , Santa Clara , Pecos and other pueblos. The Ute also traded with Navajo , Havasupai , and Hopi peoples for woven blankets. The Utes were closely allied with the Jicarilla Apache who shared much of the same territory and intermarried. They also intermarried with Paiute, Bannock and Western Shoshone peoples. There was so much intermarriage with the Paiute, that territorial borders of

2002-987: The Twin Peaks , and Mount Olympus , which overlooks the Salt Lake Valley ; Francis Peak overlooking both Morgan and Davis counties; and Ben Lomond and Mount Ogden , both towering over Ogden . Topping out below 12,000 feet (3,700 m), Wasatch peaks are not especially high compared to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or even the Uinta Mountains (the other main portion of the Rocky Mountains in Utah). However, they are sculpted by glaciers, yielding notably rugged, sweeping upland scenery. They also receive heavy snowfall: more than 500 inches (1,300 cm) per year in some places. This great snowfall, with its runoff, made possible

2079-592: The Union Pacific Railroad , the line is used by freight trains and Amtrak 's California Zephyr . The Wasatch Range is part of the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Level 3 Ecoregion, a temperate coniferous forest . Common trees include Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ), subalpine fir ( Abies bifolia ), Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii ), Colorado blue spruce ( Picea pungens ), and quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides ). Gambel oak ( Quercus gambelii )

2156-863: The Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation . The bands included the San Pitch , Pahvant , Seuvartis, Timpanogos and Cumumba Utes. The Southern Ute Tribes include the Muache , Capote , and the Weeminuche , the latter of which are at Ute Mountain . This is also a half-Shoshone, half-Ute band of Cumumbas who lived above Great Salt Lake , near what is now Ogden, Utah . There are also other half-Ute bands, some of whom migrated seasonally far from their home domain. The Utes traded with Rio Grande River Pueblo peoples at annual trade fairs or rescates held in at

2233-868: The 1810s. The French expedition recorded meeting members of the Moanunts and Pahvant bands. After the Utes acquired horses, they started to raid other Native American tribes. While their close relatives, the Comanches , moved out from the mountains and became Plains Indians as did others including the Cheyenne , Arapaho , Kiowa , and Plains Apache , the Utes remained close to their ancestral homeland. The south and eastern Utes also raided Native Americans in New Mexico, Southern Paiutes and Western Shoshones, capturing women and children and selling them as slaves in exchange for Spanish goods. They fought with Plains Indians , including

2310-547: The 1847 arrival of Mormon settlers . After initial settlement by the Mormons, as they moved south to the Wasatch Front, Utes were pushed off their land. Wars with settlers began about the 1850s when Ute children were captured in New Mexico and Utah by Anglo-American traders and sold in New Mexico and California. The rush of Euro-American settlers and prospectors into Ute country began with an 1858 gold strike . The Ute allied with

2387-523: The 4 million acres (16,185 km ) reservation area. Founded in 1861, it is located in Carbon , Duchesne , Grand , Uintah , Utah , and Wasatch Counties in Utah. Raising stock and oil and gas leases are important revenue streams for the reservation. The tribe is a member of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes . The Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation (Northern Ute Tribe) consists of

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2464-703: The Comanche, who had previously been allies. The name "Comanche" is from the Ute word for them, kɨmantsi , meaning enemy. The Pawnee , Osage and Navajo also became enemies of the Plains Indians by about 1840. Some Ute bands fought against the Spanish and Pueblos with the Jicarilla Apache and the Comanche. The Ute were sometimes friendly but sometimes hostile to the Navajo. The Utes were skilled warriors who specialized in horse mounted combat. War with neighboring tribes

2541-542: The Comanche. The Utes traded their goods for cloth, blankets, guns, horses, maize, flour, and ornaments. Several Ute learned Spanish through trading. The Spanish "seriously guarded" trade with the Utes, limiting it to annual caravans, but by 1750 they were reliant on the trade with the Utes, their deerskin being a highly sought commodity. The Utes also traded in enslaved women and children captives from Apache, Comanche, Paiute and Navajo tribes. French trappers passed through Ute territory and established trading posts beginning in

2618-586: The Farallon plate had largely subducted, the NW moving Pacific plate latched onto the North American Plate, causing a change in regional stress. Sevier thrust ramps were reactivated into normal faults, causing crustal extension as the Pacific plate drags the western margins of the North American plate to the NW. The current Wasatch range continues to grow via normal faults as the valley drops in periodic motion. Mount Nebo,

2695-736: The Four Corners Motorcycle Rally each year. The Ute operate KSUT, the major public radio station serving southwestern Colorado and the Four Corners. The Southern Ute Tribes include the Muache , Capote , and the Weeminuche , the latter of which are at Ute Mountain . The Ute Mountain Reservation is located near Towaoc, Colorado in the Four Corners region. Twelve ranches are held by tribal land trusts rather than family allotments. The tribe holds fee patent on 40,922.24 acres in Utah and Colorado. The 553,008 acre reservation borders

2772-823: The Red Cedar Gathering Company, which owns and operates natural gas pipelines in and near the reservation. The tribe also owns the Red Willow Production Company, which began as a natural gas production company on the reservation. It has expanded to explore for and produce oil and natural gas in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and in the deep water in the Gulf of Mexico. Red Willow has offices in Ignacio, Colorado and Houston, Texas . The Sky Ute Casino and its associated entertainment and tourist facilities, together with tribally operated Lake Capote, draw tourists. It hosts

2849-693: The Salt Lake Valley, shelters small mountain coves that harbor four world-famous ski resorts ( Alta , Brighton , Solitude , and Snowbird ). The eastern slopes of the Cottonwoods drop to the Snyderville Basin , which contains Park City and its two ski resorts ( Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley ). Much of the eastern side of the range, from north of Salt Lake City to the Bear River Mountains,

2926-426: The Shoshoni term wasattsi , meaning "blue heron". In 1926, Cecil Alter quoted Henry Gannett from 1902, who said that the word meant "land of many waters," then posited, "the word is a common one among the Shoshones, and is given to a berry basket" carried by women. Since the earliest days of European settlement, most of Utah's population has chosen to settle along the range's western front, where numerous rivers exit

3003-426: The Southern Numic speakers (Ute and Southern Paiute ), left the Numic homeland first and that the Central and then the Western subgroups later migrated east and north. The Southern Numic -speaking tribes, the Ute, Shoshone, Southern Paiute , and Chemehuevi , all share many cultural, genetic, and linguistic characteristics. There were ancestral Utes in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah by 1300, living

3080-406: The United States and Mexico in its war with the Navajo during the same period. Mormons continued to push the Utah Utes off their homelands, which escalated into the Walker War (1853–54). By the mid-1870s, the U.S. federal government forced Utes in Utah onto a reservation, less than 9% of their former land. The Utes found it to be very inhospitable and tried to continue hunting and gathering off

3157-455: The United States made a series of treaties with the Ute and executive orders that ultimately culminated with relocation to reservations: The Uinta and Ouray Indian Reservation is the second-largest Indian Reservation in the US – covering over 4,500,000 acres (18,000 km ) of land. Tribal owned lands only cover approximately 1.2 million acres (4,855 km ) of surface land and 40,000 acres (160 km ) of mineral-owned land within

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3234-549: The Ute generally did not - the Southern Utes developed such societies late, and soon lost them in reservation life. Warriors were exclusively men but women often followed behind war parties to help gather loot and sing songs. Women also performed the Lame Dance to symbolize having to pull or carry heavy loads of loot after a raid. The Utes used a variety of weapons including bows, spears and buffalo-skin shields, as well as rifles, shotguns and pistols which were obtained through raiding or trading. The Ute people traded with Europeans by

3311-498: The Ute left petroglyphs in rock along with rock art by the earlier peoples. Some of the images are estimated to be more than 900 years old. The Utes petroglyphs were made after the Utes acquired horses, because they show men hunting while on horseback. The Ute were divided into several nomadic and closely associated bands, which today mostly are organized as the Northern, Southern, and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. Hunting and gathering groups of extended families were led by older members by

3388-557: The Utes and the Southern Paiutes are difficult to ascertain in southeast Utah. Until the Ute acquired horses, any conflict with other tribes was usually defensive. They had generally poor relations with Northern and Eastern Shoshone. In 1637, the Spanish fought with the Utes, 80 of whom were captured and enslaved. Three people escaped with horses. Their lifestyle changed with the acquisition of horses by 1680. They became more mobile, more able to trade, and better able to hunt large game. Ute culture changed dramatically in ways that paralleled

3465-543: The Utes control the police, courts, credit management, and schools. All Ute reservations are involved in oil and gas leases and are members of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes . The Southern Ute Tribe is financially successful, having a casino for revenue generation. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe generates revenues through gas and oil, mineral sales, casinos, stock raising, and a pottery industry. The tribes make some money on tourism and timber sales. Artistic endeavors include basketry and beadwork. The annual household income

3542-447: The Utes. Members of the Ute Mountain Ute and Uintah and Ouray Reservations sit on a five-tribe coalition to help co-manage the monument with the Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service . The Ute appeared to have hunted and camped in an ancient Ancestral Puebloans and Fremont people campsite in near what is now Arches National Park . At a site near natural springs, which may have held spiritual significance,

3619-762: The Wasatch Range that appear to be relic individuals from past populations. Subspecies of big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) dominate drier portions of the landscapes. Most of the sagebrush that occurs in the Wasatch Range is mountain big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana ). Many of the valley bottoms at one time were occupied by basin big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata ). Most of this subspecies has been removed, however, because it occurred on what constitutes prime agricultural lands. In upper elevations, and on slightly more mesic sites than that of mountain big sagebrush, one can find subalpine big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridenta ssp. spiciformis ). This subspecies occupies productive sites and often has

3696-467: The Weeminuche band, who moved to the western end of the Southern Ute Reservation in 1897. (They were led by Chief Ignacio , for whom the eastern capital is named). Prior to living on reservations, Utes shared land with other tribal members according to a traditional societal property system. Instead of recognizing this lifestyle, the U.S. government provided allotments of land, which was larger for families than for single men. The Utes were intended to farm

3773-409: The abundance of game. Cañon Pintado , or painted canyon, is a prehistoric site with rock art from Fremont people (650 to 1200) and Utes. The Fremont art reflect an interest in agriculture, including corn stalks and use of light at different times of the year to show a planting calendar. Then there are images of figures holding shields, what appear to be battle victims, and spears. These were seen by

3850-445: The canyon (unless other recreational facilities are also utilized). There is no fee for non-stop travel on SR-92, "Timpanogos Hwy", "Alpine Scenic Loop", or non-stop travel on SR-114 "Cascade Springs Scenic Backway" into Midway, UT. Concessionaire operated campgrounds and day use fees are separate. You do not need a recreation pass unless you are visiting a recreation site outside of your campground that requires one. American fork canyon

3927-418: The canyon are as follows}} The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest passes, America the Beautiful Federal Recreational Lands passes are valid at recreation fee sites across the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest including sites in American Fork Canyon and Mirror Lake Recreation Corridor. Beginning in 2013, visitors going just to Timpanogos Cave National Monument are not required to pay the recreation fee to

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4004-564: The canyons and alpine valleys of the Wasatch Range. These offer backcountry access close to a large metropolitan area. There is rock climbing and mountaineering on the towering limestone , granite , and quartzite peaks and in many of the surrounding canyons. Winter recreation includes ski touring , ski mountaineering , and snowshoeing . Alpine lakes and streams offer somewhat overworked fishing opportunities. The Wasatch Mountain Club has regular activities. The Utah Native Plant Society conducts regular walks from spring until fall along

4081-413: The children sent to boarding school in Albuquerque died in the mid-1880s, due to tuberculosis or other diseases. There was a dramatic reduction in the Ute population, partly attributed to Utes moving off the reservation or resisting being counted. In the early 19th century, there were about 8,000 Utes, and there were only about 1,800 tribe members in 1920. Although there was a significant reduction in

4158-422: The domain of the Utes. Pikes Peak was a sacred ceremonial area for the band. The mineral springs at Manitou Springs were also sacred and Ute and other tribes came to the area, spent winters there, and "share[d] in the gifts of the waters without worry of conflict." Artifacts found from the nearby Garden of the Gods, such as grinding stones, "suggest the groups would gather together after their hunt to complete

4235-472: The early 19th century including at encampments in the San Luis Valley , Wet Mountains , and the Upper Arkansas Valley and at the annual Rocky Mountain Rendezvous . Native Americans also traded at annual trade fairs in New Mexico, which were also ceremonial and social events lasting up to ten days or more. They involved the trading of skins, furs, foods, pottery, horses, clothing, and blankets. In Utah, Utes began to be impacted by European-American contact with

4312-407: The eastern edge of the Great Basin region. The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the Bear River Mountains , extends just into Idaho , constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state. In the language of the native Ute people , Wasatch means "mountain pass" or "low pass over high range." According to William Bright , the mountains were named for a Shoshoni leader who was named with

4389-533: The following groups of people: The Southern Ute Indian Reservation is located in southwestern Colorado, with its capital at Ignacio . The area around the Southern Ute Indian reservation are the hills of Bayfield and Ignacio, Colorado. The Southern Utes are the wealthiest of the tribes. The Tribe holds a triple A credit rating with all three primary rating agencies. Oil & gas, and real estate leases, plus various off-reservation financial and business investments, have contributed to their success. The tribe owns

4466-498: The foothills of the central Wasatch Front and in adjoining canyons as the season progresses. Many wildflowers bloom in the late summer in Albion Basin at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon . Ute people Ute ( / ˈ j uː t / ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau in present-day Utah , western Colorado , and northern New Mexico . Historically, their territory also included parts of Wyoming, eastern Nevada, and Arizona. Their Ute dialect

4543-420: The gold-rich San Juan area, which was followed in 1879 by the loss of most of the remaining land after the " Meeker Massacre ". Utes were later put on a reservation in Utah, Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation , as well as two reservations in Colorado, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Reservation . Following acquisition of Ute territory from Mexico by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo 1848,

4620-453: The highest peak of the Wasatch, is at the southern edge of the range. The Colorado Plateau comes to its northwest corner as it meets the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. Immediately west of these two, the Great Basin , which is the northern region of the Basin and Range Province , begins and stretches westward across western Utah and Nevada until it reaches the Sierra Nevada near the Nevada/ California border. Geologic faults punctuate

4697-543: The land, which also was a forced vocational change. Some tribes, like the Uintah and Uncompahgre were given arable land, while others were allocated land that was not suited to farming and they resisted being forced to farm. The White River Utes were the most resentful and protested in Washington, D.C. The Weeminuches successfully implemented a shared property system from their allotted land. Utes were forced to perform manual labor, relinquish their horses, and send their children to American Indian boarding schools . Almost half of

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4774-524: The late 17th century. During this time, few Europeans entered Ute territory. Exceptions to this include the Spanish Domínguez–Escalante expedition of 1776. The Utes traded with other tribes who were part of the deerskin and fur trade with the Spanish in New Mexico in the 18th century. The Utes, the main trading partners of the Spanish residents of New Mexico, were known for their soft, high-quality tanned deerskins, or chamois, and they also traded meat, buffalo robes, and Indian and Spanish captives taken by

4851-473: The late 17th century. They had limited direct contact with the Spanish but participated in regional trade. Sustained contact with Euro-Americans began in 1847 with the arrival of the Mormons to the American West and the gold rushes of the 1850s. Utes fought to protect their homelands from invaders, and Brigham Young convinced U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to forcibly remove Utes in Utah to an Indian Reservation in 1864. Colorado Utes were forced onto

4928-408: The mid-17th century. Activities, like hunting buffalo and trading, may have been organized by band members. Chiefs led bands when structure was required with the introduction of horses to plan for defense, buffalo hunting, and raiding. Bands came together for tribal activities by the 18th century. Multiple bands of Utes that were classified as Uintahs by the U.S. government when they were relocated to

5005-467: The mountains. For early settlers, the mountains were a vital source of water, timber, and granite. Today, 85% of Utah's population lives within 15 miles (24 km) of the Wasatch Range, mainly in the valleys just to the west. This westside concentration is known as the Wasatch Front and has a population of well over 2 million. Salt Lake City lies between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake . The range's highest point — 11,928 feet (3,636 m) —

5082-539: The number of Utes after they were relocated to reservations, in the mid-20th century the population began to increase. This is partly because many people have returned to reservations, including those who left to attain college educations and careers. By 1990, there were about 7,800 Utes, with 2,800 living in cities and towns and 5,000 on reservations. Utes have self-governed since the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Elections are held to select tribal council members. The Northern, Southern, and Ute Mountain Utes received

5159-430: The present-day cities of Provo and Fort Duchesne in Utah and Pueblo , Fort Collins , Colorado Springs of Colorado. Aside from their home domain, there were sacred places in present-day Colorado. The Tabeguache Ute's name for Pikes Peak is Tavakiev , meaning sun mountain. Living a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle, summers were spent in the Pikes Peak area mountains, which was considered by other tribes to be

5236-471: The range across Wasatch County transforms into the relatively flat, windswept Wasatch Plateau at an elevation of about 8,500 feet (2,600 m) to 9,500 feet (2,900 m). At its southeastern edge, just north of Helper , it runs into the Book Cliffs . Further north, the Heber Valley and Weber River Valley separate the Wasatch Range from the Uinta Mountains , while the Bear River Valley and Bear Lake Valley separate it from lower mountain ranges that mark

5313-446: The range include US-6 / US-89 through Spanish Fork Canyon , US-189 through Provo Canyon , Utah State Route 39 extending east from Huntsville (a route which is closed in winter), US‑89/ US-91 through Logan Canyon , and along Idaho State Highway 36 near the northern end of the range. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad had a line through the Wasatch Range via Soldier Summit Pass and Spanish Fork Canyon. Now operated by

5390-422: The range, chief among them the Wasatch Fault . These faults also formed the Timpanogos Cave . A series of mountain valleys punctuate the northern Wasatch Range. While the western side of the range drops sharply to the floors of the Wasatch Front valleys, the eastern side of the range is gentler, allowing for the construction of several ski resorts. The Cottonwoods, a particularly rugged and dense area just east of

5467-406: The reservation. In the meantime, the Black Hawk War (1865–72) occurred in Utah. In 1868, the U.S. federal government established reservation in Colorado. Indian agents tried to get the Utes to farm, a dramatic lifestyle change which lead to starvation due to crop failures. Their lands were whittled away until only the modern reservations were left. A large cession of land in 1873 transferred

5544-678: The summer as well as offering excellent snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and backcountry skiing during the winter months. American Fork Canyon was part of the Recreation Fee Demonstration Project pilot project, which has become the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 2005. The fees collected at the information stations remain in the area to improve visitor services, maintain recreation facilities, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources.[1] As of December 1, 2023 fees for

5621-480: The tanning of hides and processing of meat." The old Ute Pass Trail went eastward from Monument Creek (near Roswell ) to Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs to the Rocky Mountains . From Ute Pass, Utes journeyed eastward to hunt buffalo. They spent winters in mountain valleys where they were protected from the weather. The North and Middle Parks of present-day Colorado were among favored hunting grounds, due to

5698-580: The west can follow SR-92 up the canyon to the summit of the Alpine Loop, down the east side of Mount Timpanogos , past Sundance Ski Resort and then out into Provo Canyon to the south. Spurs off SR-92 take visitors to Tibble Fork Reservoir and Cascade Springs. A paved road continues east from Cascade Springs to Midway . This area is home to many hiking, biking, and equestrian trails with several established campgrounds. Tibble Fork Reservoir and Silver Lake Flats Reservoir are popular camping and fishing spots in

5775-486: The western edge of the Green River Basin. The Wasatch Range is traversed by just seven highways, along with several rugged mountain roads and unpaved trails. The most prominent are I-80 through Parley's Canyon east of Salt Lake City and I-84 through Weber Canyon southeast of Ogden. They meet near the ghost town of Echo on the eastern slopes of the range and continue northeast as I‑80. Other highways through

5852-404: The year-round paved roadways can reach 5,000 feet (1,500 m) higher in elevation above the city within a short distance. Dirt roads readily drivable in passenger cars with moderate clearance stretch up from Park City, Heber, and Big Cottonwood Canyon. These reach about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level and provide long-range high country views. The Wasatch Range's origins are rooted in

5929-497: Was mostly fought for gaining prestige, stealing horses, and revenge. Men would organize themselves into war parties made up of warriors, medicine men, and a war chief who led the party. To prepare themselves for battle Ute warriors would often fast, participate in sweat lodge ceremonies, and paint their faces and horses for special symbolic meanings. The Utes were master horsemen and could execute daring maneuvers on horseback while in battle. Most plains Indians had warrior societies , but

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