Little Snake River Valley: Part I

By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield

The Little Snake River heads in the Sierra Madre Mountains along the Colorado-Wyoming line. After a brief run north from Three Forks, the stream turns west and a little southwest where it joins the Yampa River near Dinosaur Monument. It is the second largest tributary of the Yampa; however, it is a deceptive stream. Through Wyoming it meanders with countless oxbow curves as if resisting what’s ahead. Crossing into Colorado west of Baggs, the river banks widen and the water begins sinking into the sandy semidesert soil. The story of the past or present is little known; yet, it has a rich and enduring tale to tell.

The most traveled trail for the Ute from Browns (Hole) Park to the North Platte River, North Park, and Middle Park was along the Little Snake River and over Battle Mountain. During its heyday, Mountain Men, native Americans, and American sightseers met at Grand Encampment to trade, race horses, write treaties, and socialize.

Recently returning to Fort Bridger from a horse stealing trip to California in 1841, Henry Frapp led a party of men, women, and children on a hunting trip into northwestern Colorado. They happened upon a Sioux hunting camp near the Yampa River and, after getting them drunk, stole their horses and headed northeast. Careless in their travels, Frapp’s hunters soon allowed the Sioux to catch up with them. In a two-day battle, Frapp was killed. Although the exact location of the battle is not agreed on, Battle Mountain is named for the fight. Jim Baker, destined to become a famous mountain man, was also at the fight. He traveled far and wide through his years, but the Little Snake River Valley always held a special place for him. In later years, he returned to the Little Snake River Valley and built a fort/home where he and his two wives lived. One of the first recorded mountain men to enter the Little Snake River Valley was Ceran St. Vrain. It requires a greater understanding of the English language than I have, but Savery Creek and the town of Savery are a corruption of St. Vrain – at least I’ve been told. Along the highway between Baggs and Crescent Junction stands a lone marker lost in the vast sage brush. Tracks leading east and west tell of stagecoaches, wagons trains, trail herds of cattle, horses, and sheep, and Indian Wars. This was the Overland Trail – the route of pioneers. On March 2, 1861, the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company signed a million-dollar contract to deliver mail to the west coast.

In late 1861 and 1862, the Shoshones and Bannocks began raiding the stage stations along the Oregon Trail. The new owner of the Overland Stage Company employed Major John Kerr to locate a shorter route over Bridger Pass into Little Snake River basin. Denver and Salt Lake City agreed to finance construction of stage stations and Fort Halleck was constructed to protect the new road.

In 1863, a band of Ute rode into Fort Halleck and soon realized it was woefully undermanned. The Ute rode to Elk Mountain Station and drove off the horses. The raids continued. In August, a wagon train of men, women, and children stopped at Muddy Creek near Sulphur Springs to fill water barrels. The Ute surprised them; however, Major R. A. Morse’s command was nearby and they rode hard into battle. The Ute were quickly driven off; however, 29 men, women, and children were killed or wounded. At Sage Creek, the agent and his family were killed and the horses driven off. Following the arrival of the lst Colorado Cavalry under Major Edward Wynkoop and a unit from Kansas, the Overland Trail became safe to travel, although sporadic raids continued for the next two years.

No settlements or extensive mining, only a small smattering of farm land existed in northwestern Colorado or the Little Snake River Basin in 1868 when the Ute signed the treaty establishing the reservation. Chief Ouray and his large following benefitted immensely, but the Ute associated with the White River and Denver agencies suffered an enormous loss in territory – all of Summit, Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Routt, and Moffat counties in Colorado and the entire Little Snake River basin in Wyoming. Rio Blanco and Garfield counties, Colorado, were in the reservation. Moffat, Routt and Eagle counties were out of the reservation, although the White River Ute continued to hunt in these areas. The Grand River Ute refused to honor the treaty and Governor McCook established the Denver Agency for them.

Discovery of gold and silver in the San Juan Mountains resulted in extreme tension until Ouray and his followers in 1874 agreed to cede the San Juan Mountains. While treaty negotiations were progressing and tension was at the breaking point, Chief Douglas led his followers north from White River toward Rawlins. As they neared Pine Grove Meadows, a group of white men seeking to start an Indian war fired on the peaceful Ute. Instead of returning the fire, Chief Douglas and his followers quickly took shelter and returned to White River. Despite Denver newspapers’ attempt to bring public opinion to a boil, the Ute’s cool headed response averted a serious incident and probably a full scale war. The Ute completely understood that peace was absolutely necessary.