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The
unique history that lies around and within
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| The earliest settlers that were thought to inhabit Sanpete were Fremont-Sevier agriculturalists Native Americans who disappeared around A.D. 1300. Mounds have yielded small stone- and mud-walled structures, as well as pottery, points, and metates. However due to discoveries that have been made and recent interpretations it is believed that this valley may have been the home to some other very ancient cultures. A man by the name of John Brewer, found several separate caves, one containing mummies that were 7 and 9 feet tall. With these mummies were several gold, lead, and brass plates and artifacts that were engraved with strange characters. | |||
There has also been a large natural clearing found just short of some historic relic caves that resemble an eagle in flight, hence giving this valley the name of "the valley of the eagle." The San Pitch and Fremont natives that use to travel this area
had a rich knowledge of utilizing the lack of water to create very
elaborate irrigation systems to water their crops. Ute chief Wakara
enslaved local San Pitch Indians, who gathered and hunted in the
local marshes and canyons. The Utes had adopted the horse and other
trappings of Plains Indian Culture and ranged widely from an apparent
winter base in Sanpete County. |
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Wakara at first invited Mormon settlement, perhaps for the resources it would bring, and then opposed it in a war of 1853-54, which caused a period of "forting up" and the abandonment of area towns. The Black Hawk War of 1865-72, a more serious and prolonged series of guerrilla raids, also disrupted county settlement. It culminated in 1872 with the massacre of over 6,000 Native Americans. Why did everyone want this valley so badly? |
 Mormon pioneers defeated treacherous terrain as they ascended into the Sanpete Valley |
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| The first Mormon settlers
arrived in the area in the fall of 1849. They chose the Manti site
because of a nearby warm spring, the extensive limestone quarries
(later exploited commercially), and the fine farming and grazing lands
nearby. The county's larger towns were established in the first decade
of settlement. Scandinavian immigrants soon made up a sizable minority,
and elements of their culture and humor remain today. The towns peaked
in population from about 1900 to 1910, and then declined until the
1970s. The county was created in 1850, enlarged, and then later reduced
in size. |
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There have been many stories of the early Wild West robin hoods that passed through this area. They were mainly known as the Wild Bunch or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This gang was known for stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Many believe that Butch Cassidy and Sundance had been shot in a shootout in Bolivia. Many of the locals feel strongly to prove that the handsome, nearly six-foot Sundance Kid had returned to the United States as the five-foot-three-inch Hiram BeBee, a homely drunk who died in the Utah State Penitentiary in 1955, while serving a life sentence for shooting the sheriff in Mt. Pleasant. |
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They have since resumed the remains of those that were shot in Bolivia and DNA tested. The results... The remains of those buried in Bolivia had nothing that could have even resembled Sundance or Butch Cassidy. Did these outlaws escape a trial for a new beginning? One more draw to the county to find out. Ancient visitors aligned sacred centers around the globe by using levy lines and intent. These sites also aligned with different star systems in the universe. These advanced techniques for awakening have been forgotten, but are now re-emerging. Is this why so many have been driven to explore this valley that we call home? For the ancient knowledge that was left behind? The exploration and greater understanding will we ever know? --Brooke Bowhuis |
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| Wind
Walker Guest Ranch |
