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<br />OO!!23 <br /> <br />-7- <br /> <br />II - DEVELOR'lENT <br /> <br />6. Early Hi story. <br /> <br />As early as 1765 the Uncompahgre region was explored by the <br />Spaniards. The first reoord of such exploration ooncerns one Juan de <br />Ri vera. who by order of Tomas Cachupin, Governor of New Mexioo. travel- <br />led from Santa Fe to the Gunnison River nsar the mouth of the Unoompah- <br />gre. His route from Santa Fe was around the south and west sides of the <br />San Juan MOlU1tains. aoross the Unoompahgre Plateau (Tabehauchis)"', then, <br />north along the Unoompahgre (San Francisoo) to the Gunnison (San Javier). <br /> <br />No written record is left of any aotivity in that area from <br />1765 to 1776. There is evidence. however. that trading operations (with <br />the Indians) was oarried on over that same trail, and that the area was <br />well known by the tim of the Dominquez-Esoalante expedition in 1776. <br /> <br />This seoond expedition extended de Rivera's trail into Utah a.s <br />far as Provo and baok to Santa. Fe through southern Utah. It Yi8.S 1'Ilrther <br />extended in 1830-31 to California by Wi lliam Wolfskill, Kentuckian trader <br />and trapper. <br /> <br />A French trapper named Antoine Robideaux established a post on <br />the Gunnison a short distanoe below the mouth of the Unoompahgre in about <br />the year 1832. He apparently continued his trapping end trading oarry- <br />ing his furs to Santa Fe until about 1844. The site was noted by Captain <br />J. W. Gunnison when he passed there on September 17, 1853. The remains <br />of the post v.ere still there. <br /> <br />The aotivity of the American fur traders wring the early part <br />of the 19th Century did not replace that of the Spaniards, Viho apparent- <br />ly oontinued their trading operations up until the time the territory <br />was ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848. At least there is evi- <br />dence that the Spaniards bought Indian slaves in Utah aftar the Mormons <br />had settled there in 1846. <br /> <br />Captain Gunnison's expedition was made in search of a railroad <br />location across the Rocky Mountains. Hl.s observa.tion oomerning the <br />Uncompahgre region ve.s recorded thusl <br /> <br />". . . a. desert unfit for cultiva.tion and habit- <br />able onl:' by savages." <br /> <br />For six years after Gunnison's expedition there is no reoord <br />of man's activity in the region. In 1860 a prospector named Charles <br />Baker and some oompanions came into the Oura.y region from leadville <br /> <br />.. <br />... Spanlsh names shewn in parentheses. <br />