On the morning of July 21, 1847, Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt made their way about 4½ miles down what they called Last Creek to the mouth of the canyon. Climbing to the top of the "steep and dangerous" hill the Donner Party had struggled over the previous year, they caught a glimpse of "a broad valley stretched out before us," Pratt noted. "We could not refrain from a shout of joy which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was in our view."
Meanwhile, the main body of the pioneer wagons, which had spent the night in East Canyon, had started at 6:30 a.m. on what would be one of the last and most difficult days of the trek. "Much time was necessarily spent cutting down tree stumps, heaving out rocks and leveling the road. It is an exceedingly rough place," William Clayton wrote.
There would be one more night in what is now called Emigration Canyon before the main body of the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 22. The arrival of the final group, composed of an ailing Brigham Young and other infirm travelers, on July 24 signaled an official end to the 111-day journey that had taken the pioneers across the Plains, over the Wasatch Mountains and into the Salt Lake Valley.
Those final few days were particularly arduous. As they entered the mountains, the pioneers had traveled over the path carved out by the Donner Party — by no means a superhighway, but at least somewhat passable. But as the Mormon pioneers came down into Emigration Canyon, they decided to cut their own road down the mouth of the canyon.
It proved to be a wise decision, and that was the road followed by most of the thousands of pioneers, Forty-Niners and others who entered the valley until the coming of the railroad in 1869.
Those journeys have given Emigration Canyon an honored spot in Utah history. But Stan Fishler, chairman of the Emigration Canyon Historical Society, points out that is just one part of what is a rich and intriguing story of the canyon.
"To me, and others, it is the most important and historical canyon of the 27 canyons on the eastern side of the valley," he says. Much that happened in the early history of the valley was touched by Emigration Canyon. Pioneers, handcarts, the Pony Express, the Overland Stage, the telegraph, the Utah War — all came down through Emigration. It was the site of a railroad, mining, homesteading and early recreation. It even now is a haven and a home for both outdoor enthusiasts and residents alike.
Not bad for a place described as "nine miles of road and 12,000 acres of canyon wilderness."
Fishler's own association with the canyon began in 1929 when his parents purchased a lot from Legrand Young, a nephew of Brigham Young. "It was during the Depression, and it took them several years to pay for it, but they eventually built a summer house. I remember that when Dad had an extra 50 cents or a dollar, he would buy lathes for the walls of the house, which we kids would nail on the 2x4s. It took years to finish, but we would move up there in the summer and roam the Mormon Trail and the mountains around."
Fishler left the canyon for 40 years, for a career as an anthropology professor, community planner and United Way worker, but when he retired some 18 years ago, he began building a house across from the lot once owned by his parents. He's lived there ever since, although "I'm still working on the house."
He became chair of the canyon's historical society, which has published "The History of Emigration Canyon: Gateway to Salt Lake Valley" by Jeffrey Carlstrom and Cynthia Furse (Utah State University, 2003; now out-of-print, the book's second edition is in the works). The society is also joining with the Sons of the Utah Pioneers to place monuments in the area.
"I just love this canyon," Fishler says. "So many things happened here that did not happen anywhere else."
Early use of the canyon dates to the pre-pioneer period, but without written records from earlier peoples, it's hard to say just how extensive that use was. Some arrowheads suggest that native tribes who moved through Salt Lake Valley may have wandered into the canyon.
Fur traders came through in the 1820s, and quite possibly explored the canyon, searching for beavers and other game.
The first emigrants were those of the Donner-Reed wagon train in 1846, and the canyon played a significant role in their tragic story, Fishler says. "They didn't think they could get down through the canyon, so they went up over what is now called Donner Hill. Just going up took them a whole day, and was another reason they were late getting to the Sierras," he says. As the authors of the book note, "Emigration Canyon holds the dubious honor of helping attach the adjective 'ill-fated' to the Donner-Reed party."
As more and more travelers came over the road, it was improved, and eventually paved, of course. Still, it is possible even now to drive up the road to East Canyon, look down and get a sense of what the canyon was like in those early days. It really helps you appreciate the pioneer effort, says Fishler. "It's a winding, devious canyon. Brigham Young talked about crossing the creek something like 13 times."
Daughters of Utah Pioneers markers note sites of Brigham Young's last camp and other canyon landmarks, so you can also get a sense of the journey there, as well.
But for the pioneers, the canyon was much more than a thoroughfare. Because of limited resources in the valley, early settlers looked to it and other canyons for rock, timber, water and other raw materials.
Limestone was mined in Emigration, as were red and white sandstone. The old Salt Lake City Library (later Hansen Planetarium and now O.C. Tanner) is one example of a building made of white sandstone quarried in Emigration Canyon.
Timber was cut and hauled out; a timber mill was planned, but never built. Other business enterprises did come along, however. One of the most famous was the Wagener Brewery, which existed at the mouth of the canyon from 1865 to 1914.
In 1907, the Emigration Canyon Railroad was built to haul out sandstone, gravel, shale and lime. It lasted for a decade "until concrete came along, and the railroad went bust," Fishler says.
Sheep herding was a longtime enterprise in the canyon, lasting from about 1870 to 1970, with major operations belonging to the Bertagnole and Gilmore families. At times, sheep drives clogged the road, and overgrazing created problems.
Another famous canyon business was Ruth's Diner, which opened in 1949 when Ruth Evans moved an old trolley car up the canyon and opened a cafe. The book offers this description: "Known for her outspoken abuse of her customers, a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush, her flowered sundresses, an unfiltered cigarette constantly hanging from her mouth, and the ever-present Chihuahuas, Ruth became a colorful canyon legend."
Ruth is gone now, but the diner remains. "She was a character," Fishler says. "My brother was a doctor. He diagnosed diabetes in Ruth's dog. After that, he could do no wrong in her eyes."
Another eatery, the Sun and the Moon Cafe, also still operates in the upper canyon area.
Other recreation opportunities were provided by a dance hall and by the Pinecrest Inn, which operated in the upper canyon from 1913 to 1949. Today, "we get tons of bikers," Fishler says.
In 1971, Camp Kostopoulos was established as a "place where children with handicaps could be just children."
At first, Emigration Canyon was looked at as a source of resources and a place to get away. But between 1869 and 1909, homesteaders moved into the canyon to establish permanent claims to the land. In the beginning, they were mostly summer places, but sometime around 1930, people began living in the canyon year-round.
Today, Emigration Township has a population of about 400 and its own community council. Annexation by the city has been proposed, but turned down by the residents. While the narrow canyon offers limited space, newer developments have come along, most notably the luxurious Emigration Oaks division built by the Boyer Co.
From the very first, Emigration Canyon has been important to our city, our state, Fishler says. "It's an interesting place to live and draws people from all walks of life. But everyone can enjoy the history and the beauty of it. It's so close, yet so far, from Salt Lake Valley."
e-mail: carma@desnews.com