1976 Exhibit Brochure
In 1826 James Clyman, Louis Vasquez, Henry Fraeb and Black Harris made the first 300-mile circumnavigation of the Great Salt Lake in two buffalo hide bull boats.
2023 Exhibit Guide
Circumnavigating the Great Salt Lake depicts an 1826 bull-boat journey used by four men who attempted to navigate the circumference of the Great Salt Lake beginning at the mouth of the Weber River. During this journey, they discovered that the lake had no outlet. While many trappers claimed credit for “discovering” the Great Salt Lake, it is widely accepted that Etienne Provost, French-Canadian fur trader and participant in the ‘encounter at Mountain Green,’ was the first to enter the region two years prior to the first circumnavigation.
In the following years, other mountain men, explorers, and trappers attempted a similar boat journey with some success. These explorers likely traveled past the inlets to creeks flowing through what is now known as the area surrounding Kaysville and Fruit Heights.
Kaysville Area Connection
Phillips or Sandy Creek, Holmes Creek and Haight Creek were the original names for the first three streams of water south of the Weber River to run out of the mountains to the Great Salt Lake. All three were named after the earliest settlers, and of the three Haight carried the largest amount of water. Trappers exploring the Great Salt Lake while looking for inlets that might contain fur-bearing animals would have seen these sources as having possible resources for their use.
Artist
Dale W. Bryner (1935-1999)
Dale Bryner from Ogden, Utah received both Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Utah, and joined the Weber State College art faculty in 1965. He was highly regarded as a skilled life-drawing and figure-structure teacher.
Bryner’s work, recognized both locally and nationally, involves a variety of mediums including gouache, oils, airbrush, printmaking, illustration, etching, and photography.
Sources
- “Bicentennial Historical Art Collection.” 1976 Exhibition Brochure, Special Collections, Weber State University.
- Eyes Toward the Past. DVD.
- Karras, Marilyn. “Mountain Men Braved Salty Lake”. The Ogden Standard Examiner, 8 Feb 1976, Sun.
- Stansbury, Howard, et al. “Map of the Great Salt Lake and adjacent country in the territory of Utah, 1849 and 1850.” Library of Congress.
- “Autobiography of Edward Phillips (1813-1896)” as dictated to Sylvia Phillips. 1889.
Notes
Copyright owned by Weber State University Storytelling Festival. All rights reserved. Painting shown by Kaysville – Fruit Heights Museum with permission. Painting number seven in the 2023 exhibit guide.
