Kevin – Sunday. Our choice for church today was an 11:30 start. We were pooped from the past week. We attended the Coalville 2nd Ward meetings, then headed back to the RV for lunch and a nap.
In the evening, we did the same as yesterday but we didn’t bike down Echo Canyon. Today we drove the canyon focused on finding all the historic markers, photographing such and the area which they pertained to. A "History Tour" if you will.
William Clayton wrote: “There is a very singular echo in this ravine, the rattling of wagons resembles carpenters hammering at boards inside the highest rocks. The report of a rifle resembles a sharp crack of thunder and echos from rock to rock for some time. The lowing of cattle and braying of mules seems to be answered beyond the mountains. Music, especially of brass instruments, have a very pleasing effect and resemble a person standing inside the rock imitating every note.”
As many of the markers are related to events much after the Mormon Battalion detachments and the Mississippi Saints arrival, I will not relate much of anything about them. Suffice it to say that besides the Saints, the canyon was well used by the native tribes, the mountain men tappers and traders, the argonauts, the Army and the early motor highways.
Copies of the Echo Canyon Road historic sites brochure and the Lincoln Highway road tour sites brochure are available at the Summit County Courthouse, 60 North Main Street, Coalville, Utah, about 8 miles south of Echo on I-80 (Exit 162). To request copies by mail, call (435) 336-3015. We will verify that tomorrow or Tuesday when the courthouse is open. If it’s not correct we will update on the Monday or Tuesday blog post.
That’s a LOT of history packed into one canyon and town. Take for example this marker about the early 1800’s fur trappers and how the beaver were nearly killed off.
Not much further up canyon, we came upon this beautiful beaver lodge down in Echo Creek. And if you look at the base of the downed tree in the foreground … beaver chew marks. That lodge is currently active. We didn’t see the beaver, but they’re there.
So, what else did we see this evening?
How about some pretty horses – wild ones we think.
The nooning location of the ‘Vanguard’ company for 16 July 1847 is in this very beautiful amphitheater area a little above the creek’s level.
Brother Brigham was very sick and so on July 17, the company stopped a short distance after exiting Echo Canyon. Now they were following the Weber River to the north. Because Brigham was so ill, they laid over the rest of Saturday and Sunday. Saturday afternoon, a group of men hiked to a nearby hill and prayed earnestly for Brigham to be healed. The hill became known as Supplication Hill. On their return they passed a tall rock spire which they named Sentinel Rock.
Tomorrow we start up Main Canyon Road going south from Henefer aiming to reach the base of Big Mountain on Tuesday. I cannot help but wonder if the 1847 group were as excited as I am to enter the valley of the great salt lake.
Shall we let that be it for today Gentle Reader?