where they often camped during the long winter months. Many tribes had roamed the valley, living along the streams, their villages clamorous with shouting children, barking dogs and the general clatter and excitement of the typical Indian camp ground. Small war parties were seen, even after the Pioneers arrived in 1847. Pahute, Ute and Shoshoni tribes used the canyon route to reach the Great Salt Lake Valley. For years their trails were clearly visible on the steep mountain sides. The upper Weber Valley was also the scene of early trapping excursions in search of the rich and highly prized beaver furs. As early as 1824 the Weber River and its tributaries had been explored under the leadership of General William H. Ashley. Trapping in the Mountain Green area was so successful that four men in a bull boat had cruised the Great Salt Lake in search of a comparable canyon in which to ply their trade. During the 1820's such hardy men as James P. Beckwourth, Peter Skene Ogden, Jedediah S. Smith, Caleb Greenwood, Kit Carson, William and Milton Sublette, and Jim Bridger had explored and trapped the valley. In 1824 a party of fur men headed by Etienne Provot, for whom Provo is named, found the Weber River frozen solid. They followed the icy stream to the valley below and set up a winter camp west of the present site of Ogden City. This location became a rendezvous for trappers and their families for the next several years. As many as 700 people camped there during the winter of 1825-1826. In 1826 John H. Weber, a Danish sea captain, wintered on the Weber. His name is perpetuated in history through the names of Weber River, Weber Canyon and Weber County. SCOUTING A PIONEER WAGON TRAIN Art-Annie Penrod Adams JIM BRIDGER 6