Exploration and Colonization
The Ancient OnesEvidence of the Anasazi's footsteps across the high plateaus
of the area date back 2000 years. They were cliff dwellers who
hunted deer and mountain sheep, and farmed the land. The
Anasazi reached the peak of their culture from about 700 A.D.
To 1000 A.D. In 1300 A.D. they abandoned their homes and moved
southward. The cause of their departure is unclear, but it is
believed that a sever drought or invasion by the Navajos
precipitated their move out of the area.
After the Anasazi disappeared, the area was criss-crossed by
nomadic tribes of Paiute and Navajo indians. The Kaibab band of
Paiutes & the Navajo continue to live here and contribute to
our cultural heritage.
In 1776, the first Europeans led by Father Escalante and Father
Dominguez, explored this area seeking a route from Santa Fe,
New Mexico to California. At that time the region was Spanish
territory that later passed to Mexico, As a result of the war
with Mexico in 1846, the territory became part of the United
States in the 1848 treaty of Guadelupe Hudalgo. The old Spainish
trails of that time later became the foundation for the highways
of today.
Mormon pioneers settled in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, in 1847.
Within a few years, many new settlements were established as
the region was explored. Jacob Hamblin, a frontiersman and Indian
missionary, was instrumental in the settlement of the Kanab area.
Under the direction of Hamblin, construction of Fort Kanab was
started in 1864 to provide a base for exploration & protection
from indian attacks. Frequent indian attacks make it impractical
to maintain the fort and it was abandoned in 1866. Fort Kanab
was them periodically occupied until June 14, 1870, when the party
of settlers under the leadership of Levi Stewart arrived to
establish a permanent settlement.
