Weber Canyon
Encyclopedia
Weber Canyon is a canyon
in the Wasatch Range
near Ogden, Utah
, through which the Weber River
flows west toward the Great Salt Lake
. It is fed by 13 tributary
creeks and is 40 miles long.
nomadic Native Americans
, including the Shoshone
and Ute
tribes.
The river and canyon were named for fur trapper John Henry Weber
. Early explorers also included Étienne Provost
. In 1825, near the present-day community of Mountain Green
, trappers of the British Hudson's Bay Company
Snake Country Expedition, under the leadership of Peter Skene Ogden
, had a confrontation with competing American trappers, under the leadership of Johnson Gardner. Gardner insisted that the British group was trespassing in United States Territory. Ogden kept the situation from becoming an international incident, although some of his men, including Canadian Antoine Godin
, left his group to join Gardner.
Emigrants
travelling to California
, including the Hudspeth, Bryant-Russell, and Young and Harlan parties, took the first wagons through Weber Canyon in 1846. The first road through the canyon was completed in 1855 by a group led by Thomas J. Thurston. In 1868, Brigham Young
contracted with the Union Pacific Railroad
to build part of the transcontinental railroad
though Weber Canyon.
now travels through Weber Canyon. The highway passes by an unusual geological formation called Devil's Slide
.
There is also the 1000 Mile Tree
, a pine discovered by Union Pacific Railroad workers marking 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) from the railroad's origin in Omaha, Nebraska
. The original tree died in 1900 and was removed in September of that year. In 1982 to commemorate the site, UP planted a new tree that has grown today to over 30 feet tall.
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
in the Wasatch Range
Wasatch Range
The Wasatch Range is a mountain range that stretches approximately from the Utah-Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region...
near Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, through which the Weber River
Weber River
The Weber River is a c. long river of northern Utah, USA. It begins in the northwest of the Uinta Mountains and empties into the Great Salt Lake. The Weber River was named for American fur trapper John Henry Weber.-Weber River:...
flows west toward the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
. It is fed by 13 tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
creeks and is 40 miles long.
History
Weber Canyon is, historically, one of the more important canyons in Utah. The many streams that feed into the Weber River made the area attractive to prehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
nomadic Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, including the Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
and Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
tribes.
The river and canyon were named for fur trapper John Henry Weber
John Henry Weber
John Henry Weber was an American fur trader and explorer. Weber was active in the early years of the fur trade, exploring territory in the Rocky Mountains and areas in the current state of Utah....
. Early explorers also included Étienne Provost
Étienne Provost
Étienne Provost was a French Canadian fur trader whose trapping and trading activities in the American southwest preceded Mexican independence...
. In 1825, near the present-day community of Mountain Green
Mountain Green, Utah
Mountain Green is a census-designated place in Morgan County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,309 at the 2010 census. Located up the Weber River from Ogden, Mountain Green is the world headquarters of the Browning Arms Company.-Geography:...
, trappers of the British Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
Snake Country Expedition, under the leadership of Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden , was a fur trader and a Canadian explorer of what is now British Columbia and the American West...
, had a confrontation with competing American trappers, under the leadership of Johnson Gardner. Gardner insisted that the British group was trespassing in United States Territory. Ogden kept the situation from becoming an international incident, although some of his men, including Canadian Antoine Godin
Antoine Godin
Antoine Godin , a Canadian fur trapper and explorer, is noted primarily for the public murder of a Gros Ventre chief which led to a battle between fur traders and Indians in Pierre's Hole, now called the Teton Basin, in eastern Idaho....
, left his group to join Gardner.
Emigrants
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
travelling to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, including the Hudspeth, Bryant-Russell, and Young and Harlan parties, took the first wagons through Weber Canyon in 1846. The first road through the canyon was completed in 1855 by a group led by Thomas J. Thurston. In 1868, Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
contracted with the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
to build part of the transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
though Weber Canyon.
Attractions
Interstate 84Interstate 84 in Utah
In the U.S. state of Utah, Interstate 84 heads southeast from the Idaho state line, overlapping Interstate 15 between Tremonton and Ogden and ending at Interstate 80 at Echo.-Western segment:...
now travels through Weber Canyon. The highway passes by an unusual geological formation called Devil's Slide
Devil's Slide (Utah)
Devil's Slide is an unusual geological formation located in northern Utah's Weber Canyon, near the community of Croydon in Morgan County, Utah, United States. The slide consists of two parallel limestone strata that have been tilted to lie vertical, protruding out of the mountainside...
.
There is also the 1000 Mile Tree
Thousand Mile Tree
Thousand Mile Tree is a pine tree located in Weber Canyon near the community of Henefer, Utah, along the Overland Route of the Union Pacific Railroad...
, a pine discovered by Union Pacific Railroad workers marking 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) from the railroad's origin in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. The original tree died in 1900 and was removed in September of that year. In 1982 to commemorate the site, UP planted a new tree that has grown today to over 30 feet tall.