Some of the Different Historical Sites Found in Utah.

American Civilization History 1700

December 2, 2019
 Ahumada2
There are three places I have been able to visit this year. In the order I went goes as

follows; Flaming Gorge, Antelope Islands and the Utah State Capitol Building. I have visited

these sites various times and in the past as well. Yet I have never looked into the historical side

of each of these sites. Before all of this research, I had no clue of their true value and how they

are what we see now a day. Little do we know of the many things that had to happen to see the

great creation or end results in the end. The first site I will be mentioning is Flaming Gorge. I

had the opportunity to visit this place to go river rafting and I was able to see the big dam there.

Pretty hard to miss.

The Flaming Gorge is located in the Green River in Utah not too far from the Utah and

Wyoming border line. This dam is currently used to provide hydropower and tourism for the

town of the Green River in Wyoming. Hydropower1 is a method used to produce energy from

running water. This dam also helps equalize water flow to be able to store it for when seasons are

dry. The states that rely on this dam are; Wyoming Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona,

Nebraska and Nevada. Serving about 50,000 households2.

Flamings Gorge’s Dam was finished in 1968. This dam was initially built to be part of

the Bureau of Reclamation’s Colorado River Storage Project. It initially was started in 1922

which was an agreement that divided the states into two basins. Utah, Colorado and Wyoming in

the upper and California, Nevada and Arizona in the lower part. Each basin was given a million

acre-feet of water each year. Which did seem pretty fair for the time. But was it? Not really

because California, Nevada and Arizona were using much more water than anticipated. Because

1
Stacy Muise, ​Hydro Power,​ ​ (West Cordova Vancouver, BC Canada)
2
Bureau of Reclamation, ​Flaming Gorge Dam, ​(Salt Lake City, Utah)
 Ahumada3
of this now that would mean that the upper part of the basin would not get their complete

arranged share. But in 1940 we started the period of change. Engineers and geologists started to

investigate the Flaming Gorge Dam to see if they are able to built it and store water to be able to

have better control of it. It was successful and congress passed the Colorado River Storage

Project Act in 1956 to fund that and other projects.

It did take a long time to get the ball rolling to start the construction of the dam. It took

seven years just to clear the water in order to build the dam. The concrete dam came out to be

500 ft. tall. Because of this big project, it required time, money and a plan, Many residents were

required to move out of their homes to make room for the new construction and to avoid the

potential of flooding their household.

But, a question can arise from this dam that we know of today, we may ask ourselves,

who discovered it first? It all began with an expedition that had a duration of three months in the

Green and Colorado Rivers. On may 24th 1869, John Wesley Powell and nine men began their

exploration. Powell held many positions. He was a soldier, geologist, explorer, professor and

director of many institutions. When this group of men arrived to the Uinta Mountains on May

27th they were astonished of the unique beauty of the sun's reflection that showed a bright hue of

a red gorge that could seem to be like it was on fire, Powell said,:” ​At a distance of from one to

twenty miles from this point a brilliant red gorge is seen, the red being surrounded by broad

bands of mottled buff and gray at the summit of the cliffs, and curving down to the water's edge

on the nearer slope of the mountain. This is where the river enters the mountain range—the head

of the first canyon we are to explore, or, rather, an introductory canyon to a series made by the
 Ahumada4
river through the range. We have named it "Flaming Gorge." . ​And that is how Flaming Gorge
3

got its name that we know of now a day.

The second historical place is Antelope Island. Throughout the years I have been able to

go to this site and many areas around it. Many insects are here. That even residents nearby are

able to confirm that this island is filled with many many gnats. Even the small shop has

protective gear to help you cover up from the gnats when travelling around.

Antelope Island is located in the Great Salt Lake near the southeastern part of it. The

Great Salt Lake, even known as America’s Dead Sea, is a lake that has the remains of what used

to be a freshwater lake called Lake Bonneville. Since this lake shrunk because of temperature

change and the fact that the water could not go anywhere else, this created what we now know as

the Bonneville Salt Flats. Which is what it sounds like, salt flats. When this lake shrunk, it took

all the minerals with it including salt. Bonnie Baxter, the director of the Great Salt Lake Institute

and a biology professor at Westminster College told Live Science, “ Terminal lakes are often

salty, water evaporates, but salt stays behind and accumulates. A terminal lake holds everything

that has ever entered the lake except water, which can leave by evaporation.”4 It is the home of

many different animals. Some like the Black Tail Jackrabbit, Bison. Mule deer, and Coyote.

Many tourists can come to see the various wildlife including antelope. They can also visit the

visitor center, hiking trails, star watch and even

explore on horseback with horse rental on a

ranch on the island.

3
USGS, ​John Wesley Powell’s Exploration of the Colorado River,(​ N/A)
4
​Jessie Szalay, ​Facts about Great Salt Lake, ​(New York, NY,2016)
 Ahumada5
This state park had its ruff parts in the beginning. They had very big floods that resulted

in closure of the state park after the floods of 1983. It was so bad that the State Street that many

know of here in Utah, became a river. As the lake kept rising and rising they were forced to

utilize large pumps to have water go into the west of the desert.

Many have the misconception that John C. Fremont had discovered this Island but it is

not the case. We do have evidence of human use as far back as 6,000 years ago according to the

Utah Department of Natural Resources5. But in 1843 Fremont did name the island Antelope

after being disappointed of what it had, simply antelope.

The story is that Fremont and the rest that accompanied him ran into the Native

Americans. All seemed fine because they were given horses to use to and explore around them.

Including the island. When given this opportunity they used it and later ran into antelope. The

mistake they made was to kill some antelope for food, this is a mistake because one of the Native

Americans perhaps saw this as a disrespectful act. He claimed that the antelope were his. In order

to try to fix the problem.Or make amends, Fremont gave the Native American cloth, tobacco and

a knife.

Now, if the island in named Antelope Island, yet we see many bison and even a statue

when visiting the island then why is still named Antelope Island? Well there actually were many

bisons back before the pioneers arrived. They were killed before they could have been seen. But

5
Stewart Green,​ The Fascinating Story Behind Antelope Island State Park, ​(Farmington, Utah, 2017)
 Ahumada6
in 1891 bisons were reintroduced onto the island. Up to today we have between 500 - 700 and

having 100 to 200 calves each year according to Utah State Parks6.

The next site I have had the opportunity to visit is the Utah State Capitol. Many go here

to photograph or hike the nearby trails. People photograph either portraits, couples or simply the

scenery found here. I've always admired the elegance and fresh way the building has looked. The

exterior of the building was inspired by the Classical architecture and the Corinthian style.

Similarly to Greeces parthenon. The exterior is made from granite mined in our known Little

Cottonwood Canyon. As for the interior, it is made up from five floors including a basement.

With floors made out of marble. The Capitol building is next to many trails and very close to a

small park. It currently has six buildings; a central plaza, a reflecting pond, sprawling lawns, a

seven mile circular walkway and a broad collection of monuments, plaques and statuary.

In 1909 when Utah became the 45th state in the Union there was a commencement to

start and construct a Capitol Commission. Initially they had $2.5 million to use. But this funding

was not sufficient. They fell short. But until 1911 a $1 million bond was given from legislature.

6
​Carter Williams,​ 5
​ 0
years as a state park: Looking back at Antelope Island’s long and unique
history, ​(Salt Lake City, Ut, 2019)
 Ahumada7
After this there was a contest started by the Capitol Commission to have a total of eight

architects from all over Utah to make their personalized designs of the building. In 1912 began

the construction of the state building with the model plan of Richard K.A. and in 1916 the

building was completed.

A few decades later a renovation took place from 2004 to 2008. Not only for maintenance

but also to make new rooms. With an active legislative chambers, a ceremonial supreme court

chamber and working offices of the top for state officials. Also, inside the building on the 4th

floor and all around we find original artwork, treasured artifacts and historical monuments.

Some of the past exhibits have been ​Art Meets History: John Wesley Powell Expedition, People

of Utah, and Utah Iconography ​to name a few7.

There is a sculpture with a man and a young boy looking up towards the sky. The man

holds a telescope up to one of his eyes. Giving a concentrated facial expression. This sculpture

has the intention of showing that science and technology have a relationship. Without no science,

there cannot be technology. Another sculpture we find is ​Philo T. Farnsworth​. It is made from

Bronze and he was known for being and inventor with the first completely electronic television.

Also known for an all electronic image pick up device.

There are four major murals in the House of Chamber. Two in which were already there

before the renovation of the building. It was ​Jim Bridger and the Discovery of the Great Salt

Lake b​ y Alonzo Earl Foringer​ ​and​ Dream of Brigham Young ​by Vincent Aderente8. And the two

​ hich represented a major historical

new ones from David Kroch named ​Seaph Young Votes w

7
​Utah State Capitol, ​Art Meets History: John Wesley Powell Expedition, (​ Salt Lake City, Ut., N/A)
8
Utah State Capitol, ​Dream of Brigham Young, ​(Salt Lake City, Ut.,N/A)
 Ahumada8
event when women got the right to vote in Utah in 1870. And the ​Engen Brothers Bring Skiing to

Utah ​representing how outdoor recreation would be the top way of the state to ge their economic

ways.

A tornado had passed through in Salt Lake in the year of 1999. Many did not expect

something like that to happen because of where Salt Lake is situated in. We live very close to

the mountains, making it harder for tornadoes to form. In many states tornadoes are likely to

happen because of the great plains and the proper mix of dry cold air and warm and moist air.

Something that I found interesting was after when the tornado hit Salt Lake, it took away many

trees that were on Capitol Hill, where our Capitol currently is. But there is always something

positive from any situation. Chris Gochnour, an experienced artisan, teacher, writer and a hand

tool expert in woodworking. He made the governor's desk out of wood from the fallen trees. The

desk still remains in the governor's office and is made out of three different trees. Maple trees,

linden trees, and japanese pagodas.

The Capitol offers many rooms for private and public usage. One room I was completely

ignorant about was the White Chapel. This building is on the Capitol grounds and was originally
 Ahumada9
built as a Latter Day Saints meetinghouse back in 1881. It was reconstructed in 1976 and is

currently being used for weddings, memorials and other special gatherings.

After analyzing all these different historical sites, I feel that sometimes we do not

appreciate many of the things that we have nowadays. Or in my case, I become used to just

simply thinking of something as “it is what it is”. Simply believing that something can be normal

and in a sense, beleving “it has always been like this”. Never really having a beginning. For

example our electricity in our everyday lives. We’ve become super accustomed to it that

sometimes we forget that it can be taken away or simply stop functioning. If that were to happen

we would simply not know how to act. We become so reliable on it. Even a natural disaster can

take this away from us in nearly seconds.

The first place I talked about, the Flaming Gorge dam is what allows many residents to

have power and water. It allows for our lives to become more easier. But if technology like that

were to be taken away I do not think we would adapt easily without it. It is nice to have things

and not have to work super hard for it. And just compared to many years ago and how differently

people carried themselves just to have the necessary in their lives makes me feel like I need to be

aware that I might not always have what I have. Those people did not have the privilege of

turning on the AC or the heater. Also transportation has been a very big game changer in our

lives. Even the ability to fly thousands and thousands of miles in simply a few hours. Yet today

we have those privileges and are blessed with it. It is clear that all of this had a beginning.

I do believe that knowing what our history is what makes us what we are. It allows us to

understand why we do or act a certain way. Why certains things seems so valuable to us. For
 Ahumada10
example, I did not know the history of Antelope Island. A place that to me seems like something

I have just grown accustomed to. After researching more about this place, it gives me more

opportunities to appreciate what it is and how we’ve been shaped by this. It is our little pearl of

Salt Lake. How the island has a different use compared to back then to now is also very

important. I also feel that it is a responsibility to each and everyone of us to take care of our

natural resources and our, in this case, national park. It's something that we are able to hold with

us day to day from our past. It's our responsibility to conserve it and conserve the many wild life

that calls this national park it’s home.

As for our Capitol, it is asstonishing when we look into the history of things. We learn so

much and find very interesting facts that we would have never imagined. For example, even after

a disastrous moment, we do have something good to look back at that came out of this. History

has always been important because through that we see what went wrong, what we could have

worked on and for future references. Of course we live in different times than the many things

we have reviewed throughout this paper, but it still fits under the same lines. Because in the end

of the day it is the same roots no matter what.

 Ahumada11
Bibliography

“About the Capitol.” Utah State Capitol, n.d..

https://utahstatecapitol.utah.gov/explore/about-the-capitol​.

“Antelope Island State Park .” Utah State Parks. Accessed November 20, 2019.

https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island/discover/​.

Banowetz, Jeff, Amy Whitley, and Stewart Green. “The Fascinating Story Behind Antelope

Island State Park.” RootsRated, December 4, 2017.

https://rootsrated.com/stories/the-fascinating-story-behind-antelope-island-state-park​.

Bureau of Reclamation. “Upper Colorado Region.” Flaming Gorge Dam | UC Region | Bureau of

Reclamation. Bureau of Reclamation , October 10, 18AD.

https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/crsp/fg/index.html​.

“Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir.” WyoHistory.org. Annette Hein , November 8, 2014.

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/flaming-gorge-dam-and-reservoir​.

“Gov. Herbert Signs S.B. 96, Medicaid Expansion Adjustments, into Law.” Governor Seal,

February 11, 2019.

https://governor.utah.gov/2019/02/11/gov-herbert-signs-s-b-96-medicaid-expansion-adjus

tments-into-law/​.

Muise, Stacy. “Hydro Power.” Hydro Power | Student Energy. Accessed November 29, 2019.

https://www.studentenergy.org/topics/hydro-power​.

Sage Scott. “9 Things to Do When You Visit the Great Salt Lake's Antelope Island.” Everyday

Wanderer. Sage Scott, October 31, 2019. ​https://everydaywanderer.com/antelope-island​.

 Ahumada12
Szalay, Jessie. “Facts About Great Salt Lake.” LiveScience. Purch, November 21, 2016.

https://www.livescience.com/56941-great-salt-lake.html​.

“USGS: John Wesley Powell's Exploration of the Colorado River.” National Parks Service. U.S.

Department of the Interior. Accessed November 27, 2019.

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/geology/publications/inf/powell/sec4.htm​.

Williams, Carter. “Looking Back at the 1983 Flood That Sent a River through Downtown.”

KSL.com, September 8, 2016.

https://www.ksl.com/article/41402975/looking-back-at-the-1983-flood-that-sent-a-river-t

hrough-downtown​.

Williams, Carter. “50 Years as a State Park: Looking Back at Antelope Island's Long and Unique

History.” KSL.com, June 20, 2019.

https://www.ksl.com/article/46578419/50-years-as-a-state-park-looking-back-at-antelope

-islands-long-and-unique-hist​ory​.
 Ahumada13
Images

“Capitol,City Salt Lake,Utah,Stairs,Floor Visitors - Free Image from Needpix.com.” Capitol,city

salt lake,utah,stairs,floor visitors - free image from needpix.com. Accessed November 29,

2019. ​https://www.needpix.com/photo/652838/capitol-city-salt-lake-utah-stairs​.

Dvs. “Flaming Gorge Dam from Downstream Rim.” Flickr. Yahoo!, June 21, 2017.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dvs/35307742851​.

“Gov. Herbert Signs S.B. 96, Medicaid Expansion Adjustments, into Law.” Governor Seal,

February 11, 2019.

https://governor.utah.gov/2019/02/11/gov-herbert-signs-s-b-96-medicaid-expansion-adjus

tments-into-law/​.

Utah State Parks. Accessed November 29, 2019.

https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island/rentals-food/​.