Southern Utah Expedition of 1849 — Winter Trail in Fremont Canyon

Late in 1849 Brigham Young sent Parley Pratt south with some fifty men to see whether the country below the settlements could be colonized. They crossed the Tushar passes in bitter cold and dropped into the Little Salt Lake Valley, where the snow thinned to a few inches; Pratt named the gap Summer Gate for the relief. His report — of rich soil, timber, mill sites, and iron ore on Nuwuvi land — brought settlers to Parowan and Cedar City within two years. This marker stands near where they came through.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Beaver — 10 mi
  A charming main street town with surprisingly good food
• Butch Cassidy Boyhood Home — 19 mi
  The restored Circleville cabin where the West's most famous outlaw spent his teens
• Panguitch — 23 mi
  A well-preserved pioneer town and gateway to Bryce Canyon
• Parowan Gap Petroglyphs — 28 mi
  An ancient rock art gallery hidden in a desert canyon

More markers nearby

• The Old Spanish Trail — steps away
• John Christopher Armstrong — steps away
• Lee's Ranch Indian Raid — 8.7 mi
• Pioneer First Camp Ground — 9.4 mi