A HISTORY OF 'Duchesne County r>* '••'""•"•• l'j •:%*'•:•• John D. Barton UTAH CENTENNIAL COUNTY HISTORY SERIES A HISTORY OF (Duchesne County John D. Barton Duchesne County, in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah, was opened for home- steading in 1905, the last region in the state settled by Euro-Americans, and among the last settled areas in the continental United States. Its history is a microcosm of that of the West, featuring various groups of Native Americans, Spanish explorers, fur trappers, outlaws, cowboys, miners, and freighters. It was made part of the Uintah Ute Indian Reservation in 1861. Later, it was opened to homesteading, resulting in a land rush. County residents lived a pioneering lifestyle well into the twentieth century as they home- steaded the land and built communities. In more recent times, the county has faced booms and busts based on extractive economies, large government water projects, environ­ mental problems, and conflict between tradi­ tional and contemporary ideas about land use. In recent years, the Ute Tribe has claimed jurisdiction over the land, resulting in legal battles all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Located on the south slope of the Uinta Mountains, Duchesne County contains many spectacular natural resources, including the highest point in the state—Kings Peak—and is loved by thousands of outdoor enthusiasts and county residents. ISBN: 0-913738-41-7 A HISTORY OF 'Duchesne County A HISTORY OF 'Duchesne County John D. Barton 1998 Utah State Historical Society Duchesne County Commission Copyright © 1998 by Duchesne County Commission All rights reserved ISBN 0-913738-41-7 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 97-62437 Map by Automated Geographic Reference Center—State of Utah Printed in the United States of America Utah State Historical Society 300 Rio Grande Salt Lake City, Utah 84101-1182 Contents GENERAL INTRODUCTION vii INTRODUCTION ix CHAPTER 1 Before It Was Called Duchesne 1 CHAPTER 2 Ute Lands and People 39 CHAPTER 3 Early Roads, Grazing and Schemers, and Outlaws 68 CHAPTER 4 Land Rush in the Uinta Basin 92 CHAPTER 5 Twentieth-century Homesteaders 113 CHAPTER 6 Duchesne County Communities and the Making of Utah's Twenty-eighth County ... 143 CHAPTER 7 From Settlement to the Great Depression— In One Generation 208 CHAPTER 8 Social Life in Duchesne County From World War II to the Present 267 CHAPTER 9 Water: Lifeblood of the County 301 VI CONTENTS CHAPTER 10 Duchesne County Economics: The 1960s to the 1990s 336 CHAPTER 11 Whose Land? 367 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 385 INDEX 389 General Introduction W,he n Utah was granted statehood on 4 January 1896, twenty- seven counties comprised the nation's new forty-fifth state. Subsequently two counties, Duchesne in 1914 and Daggett in 1917, were created. These twenty-nine counties have been the stage on which much of the history of Utah has been played. Recognizing the importance of Utah's counties, the Utah State Legislature established in 1991 a Centennial History Project to write and publish county histories as part of Utah's statehood centennial commemoration. The Division of State History was given the assign­ ment to administer the project. The county commissioners, or their designees, were responsible for selecting the author or authors for their individual histories, and funds were provided by the state legis­ lature to cover most research and writing costs as well as to provide each public school and library with a copy of each history. Writers worked under general guidelines provided by the Division of State History and in cooperation with county history committees. The counties also established a Utah Centennial County History Council VI1 Vlll GENERAL INTRODUCTION to help develop policies for distribution of state-appropriated funds and plans for publication. Each volume in the series reflects the scholarship and interpreta­ tion of the individual author. The general guidelines provided by the Utah State Legislature included coverage of five broad themes encompassing the economic, religious, educational, social, and polit­ ical history of the county. Authors were encouraged to cover a vast period of time stretching from geologic and prehistoric times to the present. Since Utah's statehood centennial celebration falls just four years before the arrival of the twenty-first century, authors were encouraged to give particular attention to the history of their respec­ tive counties during the twentieth century. Still, each history is at best a brief synopsis of what has transpired within the political boundaries of each county. No history can do jus­ tice to every theme or event or individual that is part of an area's past. Readers are asked to consider these volumes as an introduction to the history of the county, for it is expected that other researchers and writers will extend beyond the limits of time, space, and detail imposed on this volume to add to the wealth of knowledge about the county and its people. In understanding the history of our counties, we come to understand better the history of our state, our nation, our world, and ourselves. In addition to the authors, local history committee members, and county commissioners, who deserve praise for their outstanding efforts and important contributions, special recognition is given to Joseph Francis, chairman of the Morgan County Historical Society, for his role in conceiving the idea of the centennial county history project and for his energetic efforts in working with the Utah State Legislature and State of Utah officials to make the project a reality. Mr. Francis is proof that one person does make a difference. ALLAN KENT POWELL CRAIG FULLER GENERAL EDITORS Introduction I.,n 1861 Brigham Young sent an exploring party to the Uinta Basin to determine the region's potential for Mormon settlement. Upon the expedition's return to Salt Lake City, its members reported in the DeseretNews of 25 October 1861 that they had found "the fer­ tile vales, extensive meadows, and wide pasture range so often reported to exist in that region, were not to be found . and [that the country] is entirely unsuitable for farming purposes." The explor­ ing party found the region lying east of the Wasatch Mountains a "vast contiguity of waste, . measurably valueless excepting for nomadic purposes, hunting grounds for Indians and to hold the world together." The report was disappointing to Brigham Young and others. Reports from trappers and hunters earlier had described the Uinta Basin with unreserved praise, claiming that it was a beautiful valley and more to be desired than any they had seen in the Great Basin, not excepting that of Great Salt Lake. The expedition's survey of the Uinta Basin was likely limited; and it probably explored no farther east than what is now called the Myton Bench. Ironically, the Myton Bench today is an important IX INTRODUCTION farming region of the Uinta Basin; in fact, much of the region the 1861 expedition surveyed is a productive agricultural region. The change in the productiveness of the land has occurred as the result of the human will to turn a "vast contiguity of waste" into a productive farming and ranching region. The land of Duchesne County, Utah, has long been inhabited by Ute Indians; white interest in the Uinta Basin, beginning with the Dominguez and Escalante Expedition of 1776, has waxed and waned for more than two hundred years. Soon after the 1861 expedition's report to Brigham Young, much of the Uinta Basin and all of present- day Duchesne County was set aside as an Indian reservation by President Abraham Lincoln. From the 1860s until the turn of the century, the Ute Indians and their reservation were left for the most part undisturbed, protected in part by the region's geographical iso­ lation. However, changes in federal Indian policy in the 1880s, the discovery of Gilsonite, the increasing demand of whites for virgin farm and grazing lands, and an interest in area water by the Wasatch Front communities brought increased attention of whites to the western portion of the Uinta Basin. Today, Duchesne County, created in 1914 as the state's twenty- eighth county, is home to more than 12,500 people of various cul­ tural backgrounds. The 1990 U.S. Census listed a total of 12,645 people living in the county. Of this total 11,807 were white, 10 African-American, 664 Native American, 39 Asian or Pacific Islander, 350 Hispanic, and 125 listed as other races. Of the twenty-nine coun­ ties in the state, Duchesne ranks fifteenth in population. It has a diverse economy and boasts six incorporated communities— Roosevelt, Duchesne, Myton, Altamont, Tabiona, and Neola—and several unincorporated regions of habitation. Writing this history of Duchesne County has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Many times as I read pioneer journals and stories tears came to my eyes as I realized the sacrifice and effort those early homesteaders endured to live in this great county. Their sacrifice and dedication to building good homes for themselves and future generations of Duchesne County residents should not be forgotten or taken for granted. One of my regrets with this brief history is that there is simply not room in this account for a INTRODUCTION XI number of stories worthy of publication. Other individuals, while mentioned briefly, deserve additional pages. Some, such as William Smart and A.M. Murdock, could require a full biography. To those who, upon reading this book, feel that a story, individ­ ual, group, area, project, or community, has been slighted, please accept my sincere apology. Although I am the first to admit that it was often insufficiently done, I have tried my best to capture a feel­ ing for the times and fit that into the larger historical picture of an era.