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Show ( Appendix E. l) and where sites frequented by certain spiritual figures are located ( Appendix E. 2.3). Also, in the vicinity of the Tridell Pipeline is an old dance ground which must not be disturbed ( Appendix E. 2.2). All of these are significant spiritual places which need to be protected. In addition, there are some isolated grave sites along the course of the Whiterocks- Uintah Pipeline, and according to one consultant, this area needs to be gone over on foot with a Ute knowledgeable about such matters ( Appendix E. l). 2. LF Other Considerations There are also some old mines in Whiterocks canyon that are associated with legendary tales of gold, but none of these appear to have any special significance beyond the curious tales of their past existence ( Appendix C. 3). 2. ii The Uinta River: Its Canyon and Watercourses From the standpoint of its historic use and contemporary cultural significance to the Utes, this is probably the most important of the canyons on the southern slopes of the Uintas. Historically, this was a major trail route used by local Indian groups and later by mountain men and others crossing the Uintas. Along the right side of the river, somewhere near the town Whiterocks is the site of Utah's first trading post, Fort Robidoux. Although the Utes burned this fort in 1844, it was an important rendezvous site for several years, not only for trappers and explorers who frequented the area, but also for the Utes who lived at this locale and some of their Shoshone neighbors who traded there ( Appendix D. 2). Ecologically, it forms one of the more ( if not the most) diverse riparian community along the Uintas' southern slopes. This is true in terms of both local flora and fauna. Today, it is the best area to fish, a respite and feeding area for heron and other waterbirds, the home for a healthy and growing herd of moose, and the environment for a diverse selection of plants highly valued by the Utes. Culturally, it ranks at the top among all the canyons in the area. This is true in two senses. On the one hand, it is an area easily accessible and regularly used for the procurement of a wide range of natural resources of practical and/ or spiritual significance to the Utes. And on the other hand, it constitutes a " spiritual corridor," in which resources and activities necessary to the performance of the Sun Dance occur along its watercourse from the revered Big Springs to the sacred dance grounds at Hayden. The density and variability of resources found along the Uinta River and its high bench drainage systems makes development along its 16 |
