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Father Escalante and Dominguez
Fathers Silvestre Velez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Dominguez seek a new route from New Mexico to California and explore Utah. -
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Trappers, Traders, & Explorers
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Mexican and Spanish Traders
Mexico wins independence from Spain and claims Utah. Following the Mexican Revolution, traders from Spanish and Mexican territory barter actively in Utah -
Jim Bridger
Discovering the Great Salt LakeGeneral William H. Ashley sends trappers to northern Utah and Jim Bridger discovers the Great Salt Lake. -
First Annual Rendezvous
William H. Ashley arranged for his men to meet at Henry's Fork of the Green River for what became the first annual rendezvous. The next three rendezvous were held in Utah--one in Cache Valley and the next two on the south end of Bear Lake. -
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Smith leads the first overland expedition to California. -
Old Spanish Trail
The Old Spanish Trail which enters Utah about fifteen miles east of Monticello, and continues roughly northwesterly to about the town of Green River, crosses the Colorado River just northwest of Moab and eventually crosses desert and wash region until it reaches the Green River. -
Antoine Robidoux
Antoine Robidoux builds a trading post in the Uintah Basin. -
Fort Davy Crockett
William Craig, Philip Thompson, and Previtt Sinclair built a fort at Brown's Hole and after news of the fall of the Alamo and the death of Davy Crockett reached the mountains, the owners renamed it Fort Davy Crockett. However, the mountain men usually referred to the place as "Fort Misery" because of the deplorable conditions. -
John C. Fremont and Kit Carson
John C. Fremont and Kit Carson explore the Great Basin. -
Samuel J. Hensely
Samuel J. Hensley discovers a route from Salt Lake City to the California Trail near the City of Rocks in Idaho, which came to be known as the Salt Lake Cutoff. -
Gold Rushers
In mid-June the first gold-rushers reach Salt Lake City to briefly rest, attain supplies, and rest their animals -
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell explores the Colorado River.
