A History of Duchesne County

Introduction

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 fer­tile 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 explor­ing 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 iso­lation. 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 cul­tural 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 coun­ties 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, individ­ual, 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 feel­ing for the times and fit that into the larger historical picture of an era. The stories and accounts that are recorded are intended to pro­vide a window to view the past that not only represents the lives and experiences of those told but hopefully is representative of the expe­riences of the majority of Duchesne County residents. If the reading of this history sparks old memories, and similar stories and experi­ences are then remembered and shared with friends and family, this study will have been successful. Readers will note that Uintah has come to be spelled two differ­ent ways, depending on its usage. Uinta spelled without the "h" indi­cates a natural or geographical feature, such as the Uinta Mountains or Uinta Basin. Uintah spelled with the "h" indicates a cultural or human creation; for example, Uintah County or Uintah Basin Medical Clinic. Early chroniclers and narrative writers did not always make these distinctions, and thus the reader will find some examples of what at first glance might seem to be inconsistent usage but which have been left in their original form in the interests of historical accu­racy. My sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks go to the Utah State Legislature, which had the foresight and wisdom to pass House Bill 100 that called for the writing of county histories for the 1996 Utah statehood centennial; the Utah State Historical Society staff, espe­cially Kent Powell and Craig Fuller; the Duchesne County commis­sioners; and willing help and critiques from several individuals and librarians for time and research, particularly Michelle Miles, Jeannie Hokett, J.P. Tanner, Melva Allred, Donna Barton, and Doris Burton of the Uintah County Library. My love of history and many stories of the past I owe to my father, Jack D. Barton. From my earliest childhood I remember sto­ries he told me of his experiences and those of other early Duchesne xii INTRODUCTION County residents. Thanks, Dad, for telling me stories of meaning, not fairytales. I am forever grateful to my beautiful wife, Patricia, for her love and support and occasional demands that I get to work on this book. To my children, who missed many weekends and evenings with their father in order that this book could be researched and written, I hope that as they read the history and stories recorded herein they will feel that their sacrifice was worth it. I feel privileged to have grown up in Duchesne County and heard personally many of the stories told here. I am a Westerner through and through, and I hope that I am living up to the expectations of my forebears and the heritage they left me. Duchesne County, in all its communities and regions, is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I hope that readers of this work can look to the future as our pioneer forerunners did and appreciate their efforts to make Duchesne County a unique and wonderful place to live. DUCHESNE COUNTY