Tooele County School District is a school district headquartered in Tooele, Utah .
122-506: Its boundary is exactly that of Tooele County . The district in question previously had a policy that allowed students from other school districts to attend Tooele County schools without prior permission. Additionally, the district allowed students who lived in Utah with other families, but whose parents lived outside of Utah, to attend Tooele County schools for free. However, in 1983, the district changed its policy and began requiring students in
244-481: A graduate or professional degree . Heavy industry and the resulting pollution of the air, soil, and groundwater has affected the region in several ways. The US Environmental Protection Agency has reported that Tooele-based US Magnesium discharges dangerous toxins and cancerous byproducts. In 2008, the US Government considered listing the area as a Superfund site. Tooele County was listed in 1989 as having
366-494: A rifle and food. The trials that the Donner Party had so far endured resulted in splintered groups, each looking out for themselves and distrustful of the others. Grass was becoming scarce, and the animals were steadily weakening. To relieve the animals' load, everyone was expected to walk. Keseberg ejected Hardkoop from his wagon, telling the elderly man that he had to walk or die. A few days later, Hardkoop sat next to
488-466: A "disagreeable" glue-like jelly. Ox and horse bones were boiled repeatedly to make soup, and they became so brittle that they would crumble upon chewing. Sometimes they were softened by being charred and eaten. Bit by bit, the Murphy children picked apart the oxhide rug that lay in front of their fireplace, roasted it in the fire and ate it. After a party set out on makeshift snowshoes in an attempt to cross
610-544: A 16-year-old named Jean Baptiste Trudeau from New Mexico , who claimed to have knowledge of the Native Americans and terrain on the way to California. The party turned south to follow the Hastings Cutoff. Within days, they found the terrain to be much more difficult than described. Drivers were forced to lock the wheels of their wagons to prevent them from rolling down steep inclines. Years of traffic on
732-524: A 25-year-old teamster named John Snyder, traveling together in three wagons. Their arrival brought the Donner Party to 87 members in 60–80 wagons. The Graves family had been part of the last group to leave Missouri, confirming the Donner Party was at the back of the year's western exodus. It was August 20 by the time that they reached a point in the mountains where they could see the Great Salt Lake . It took almost another two weeks to travel out of
854-540: A carriage maker from Illinois, brought his wife Eleanor (25) and their two children, James (3) and Margaret (1). The Breen family consisted of Patrick Breen (51), a farmer from Iowa , his wife Margaret ("Peggy", 40) and seven children: John (14), Edward (13), Patrick, Jr. (9), Simon (8), James (5), Peter (3) and 11-month-old Isabella. Their neighbor, 40-year-old bachelor Patrick Dolan, traveled with them. German immigrant Lewis Keseberg (32) joined, along with his wife Elisabeth Philippine (22) and daughter Ada (2); son Lewis Jr.
976-411: A family of thirteen. Her five youngest children were: John Landrum (16), Meriam ("Mary", 14), Lemuel (12), William (10) and Simon (8). Levinah's two married daughters and their families also came along: Sarah Murphy Foster (19), her husband William M. (30) and son Jeremiah George (1); Harriet Murphy Pike (18), her husband William M. (32) and their daughters Naomi (3) and Catherine (1). William H. Eddy (28),
1098-622: A more direct route (which actually increased the trip's mileage by 125 miles) to California across the Great Basin , which would take travelers through the Wasatch Range and across the Great Salt Lake Desert . Hastings had not traveled any part of his proposed shortcut until early 1846 on a trip from California to Fort Bridger , a scant supply station run by Jim Bridger at Blacks Fork , Wyoming. Hastings stayed at
1220-525: A mountain pass in present-day Wyoming which was relatively easy for wagons to negotiate. From there, pioneers had a choice of routes to their destinations. Lansford Hastings , an early migrant from Ohio to the West, published The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California to encourage settlers. As an alternative to the Oregon Trail's standard route through Idaho 's Snake River Plain , he proposed
1342-503: A new and better road to California" and said he would be waiting at Fort Bridger to guide the migrants along the new cutoff. On July 20, at the Little Sandy River, most of the wagon train opted to follow the established trail via Fort Hall . A smaller group opted to head for Fort Bridger and needed a leader. Most of the younger men in the group were European immigrants and not considered ideal leaders. James Reed had lived in
SECTION 10
#17327731038171464-636: A new high school in Stansbury Park. In 2022, Mark Ernst assumed the role of superintendent in the Tooele County school district. It remains to be seen what changes he will bring to the district's policies and practices, but his appointment marks a new chapter in the history of the district. Alternative: This Utah school-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tooele County Tooele County ( / t uː ˈ w ɪ l ə / too- WIL -ə )
1586-522: A previous marriage: Elitha (14) and Leanna (12). George's younger brother Jacob (56) joined the party with his wife Elizabeth (45), stepsons Solomon Hook (14) and William Hook (12), and five children: George (9), Mary (7), Isaac (6), Lewis (4) and Samuel (1). Also traveling with the Donner brothers were teamsters Hiram O. Miller (29), Samuel Shoemaker (25), Noah James (16), Charles Burger (30), John Denton (28) and Augustus Spitzer (30). James F. Reed (45)
1708-472: A rescue party for the refugees. A rescue party including William Eddy started on February 4 from the Sacramento Valley. Rain and a swollen river forced several delays. Eddy stationed himself at Bear Valley, while the others made steady progress through the snow and storms to cross the pass to Truckee Lake, caching their food at stations along the way so they did not have to carry it all. Three of
1830-492: A rifle, a blanket each, a hatchet and some pistols , hoping to make their way to Bear Valley . Historian Charles McGlashan later called this snowshoe party the " Forlorn Hope ". Two of those without snowshoes, Charles Burger and 10-year-old William Murphy, turned back early on. Other members of the party fashioned snowshoes for 12-year-old Lemuel Murphy on the first evening from one of the packsaddles that they were carrying. The snowshoes proved to be awkward but effective on
1952-482: A rising river, but Tamsen Donner wrote to a friend in Springfield, "indeed, if I do not experience something far worse than I have yet done, I shall say the trouble is all in getting started". Young Virginia Reed recalled years later that, during the first part of the trip, she was "perfectly happy". Several other families joined the wagon train along the way. Levinah Murphy (37), a widow from Tennessee , headed
2074-437: A river below, a route likely to break wagons. In his letter Hastings had offered to guide the Donner Party around the more difficult areas, but he rode back only part way, indicating the general direction to follow. Stanton and Pike stopped to rest and Reed returned alone to the group, arriving four days after the party's departure. Without the guide they had been promised, the group had to decide whether to turn back and rejoin
2196-448: A single person living alone and 984 (4.5%) were two or more people living together. 10,566 (47.8%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 17,970 (81.4%) of households were owner-occupied while 4,117 (18.6%) were renter-occupied . The median income for a Tooele County household was $ 76,737 and the median family income was $ 83,730, with a per-capita income of $ 27,702. The median income for males that were full-time employees
2318-473: A stream, his feet so swollen they had split open; he was not seen again. William Eddy pleaded with the others to find him, but they all refused, swearing they would waste no more resources on a man almost 70 years old. Meanwhile, Reed caught up with the Donners and proceeded with one of his teamsters, Walter Herron. The two shared a horse and were able to cover 25–40 miles (40–64 km) per day. The rest of
2440-638: A wagon. But the desert soon came to an end, and the party found the Truckee River in beautiful lush country. The company had little time to rest. They pressed on to cross the Sierra Nevada before the snows came. Stanton, one of the two men who had left a month earlier to seek assistance in California, found the company; he brought mules and food from Sutter's Fort, and two Native American guides employed by John Sutter. These Miwok men from
2562-480: A whip handle—when Reed's wife attempted to intervene, she too was struck. Reed retaliated by fatally stabbing Snyder. That evening, the witnesses gathered to discuss what was to be done. American laws were not applicable west of the Continental Divide (in what was then Mexican territory ) and wagon trains often dispensed their own justice. But George Donner, the party's leader, was a full day ahead of
SECTION 20
#17327731038172684-512: Is a county in the U.S. state of Utah . As of the 2020 United States Census , the population was 72,698. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele . The county was created in 1850 and organized the following year. Tooele County is part of the Salt Lake City , UT Metropolitan Statistical Area . A 2008 CNNMoney.com article identified Tooele as the U.S. county experiencing the greatest job growth since 2000. The western half
2806-487: Is available. The county generally slopes to the north. Its highest elevation is Deseret Peak in the Stansburys, at 11,031 ft (3,362 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 7,286 square miles (18,870 km ), of which 6,941 square miles (17,980 km ) is land and 345 square miles (890 km ) (4.7%) is water. Covering vast amounts of the Great Salt Lake desert west of Salt Lake Valley , Tooele County
2928-614: Is home to the Bonneville Salt Flats , traversed by Interstate 80 and the Wendover Cut-off , the former routing of the Victory Highway . Tooele County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of Nevada . Its northeast border abuts the Great Salt Lake . Three significant mountain ranges run north–south through the county. Its east boundary line is delineated by
3050-767: Is mostly covered by the Great Salt Lake Desert and includes the city of Wendover (the immediate neighbor of West Wendover, Nevada ) and Ibapah . Within the central section lies Skull Valley, between the Cedar and the Stansbury Mountains . It contains a few small towns as well as the Dugway Proving Ground . The population centers are on the eastern edge in the Tooele Valley, between the Stansbury and Oquirrh Mountains. This area contains
3172-579: Is the second largest county in Utah and among the driest. The Skull Valley Indian Reservation lies in Skull Valley , between the Cedar and Stansbury mountain ranges. According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey , there were 72,698 people in Tooele County with a population density of 10.3 people per square mile (4.0/km ). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people,
3294-674: The American Civil War , federal troops left the area leaving defense in the hands of the Nauvoo Legion until General Patrick E. Connor arrived in Salt Lake City from California in 1862. Connor acted ruthlessly toward the natives. He killed over 300 Shoshone in Southern Idaho in 1863. Connor's men attacked Native American camps, sometimes indiscriminately, but through 1863 stage coach companies had lost 16 men and over 150 horses to depredations. A peace treaty
3416-509: The Cosumnes River area were known by their Catholic conversion names: Luis and Salvador. Stanton also brought news that Reed and Herron, although haggard and starving, had reached Sutter's Fort. By this point, according to Rarick, "To the bedraggled, half-starved members of the Donner Party, it must have seemed that the worst of their problems had passed." Faced with one last push over mountains that were described as much worse than
3538-809: The Deseret Chemical Depot . Starting August 1996, the store was reduced by destruction in a controversial weapons incinerator, at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility ; the last such weapon was destroyed in January 2012. Since the 1980s, much of Tooele County's economic prospects have centered around private hazardous waste disposal facilities. Between 1988 and 1993, hazardous waste landfills and incinerators have been installed at Clive and Aragonite . This, coupled with uranium mine tailings from Salt Lake County which were disposed in Tooele County in
3660-733: The Donner–Reed Party , were a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest . Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada . Some of the migrants resorted to cannibalism to survive, mainly eating the bodies of those who had succumbed to starvation, sickness, or extreme cold, but in one case two Native American guides were murdered and eaten. The Donner Party originated from Springfield, Illinois , and departed Independence, Missouri , on
3782-527: The Humboldt River in present-day Nevada , resulted in the loss of many cattle and wagons, and divisions soon formed within the group. By early November, the migrants had reached the Sierra Nevada but became trapped by an early, heavy snowfall near Truckee Lake (now Donner Lake ) high in the mountains. Their food supplies ran dangerously low, and in mid-December some of the group set out on foot to obtain help. Rescuers from California attempted to reach
Tooele County School District - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-564: The Humboldt River . The "shortcut" had probably delayed them by a month. Along the Humboldt River, the group met Paiute Native Americans, who joined them for a couple of days but stole or shot several oxen and horses. By now, it was well into October, and the Donner families split off to make better time. Two wagons in the remaining group became tangled, and John Snyder angrily beat the ox of Reed's hired teamster Milt Elliott. When Reed intervened, Snyder rained blows onto his head with
4026-614: The Humboldt Sink to cache (bury) his wagon; Reinhardt and Spitzer stayed behind to help. They returned without him, reporting they had been attacked by Paiutes and he had been killed. One more stretch of desert lay ahead. The Eddys' oxen had been killed by Native Americans and they were forced to abandon their wagon. The family had eaten all their stores, but the other families refused to assist their children. The Eddys were forced to walk, carrying their children and miserable with thirst. Margret Reed and her children were also now without
4148-635: The Oregon Trail in the spring of 1846. The journey west usually took between four and six months, but the Donner Party was slowed after electing to follow a new route called the Hastings Cutoff , which bypassed established trails and instead crossed the Rocky Mountains ' Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake Desert in present-day Utah . The desolate and rugged terrain, and the difficulties they later encountered while traveling along
4270-588: The Utah territorial legislature, which had the last say on the qualifications of its members, refused to seat the Liberal Party representative from Tooele County. The Liberals won an unopposed 1876 election. In 1876, the territorial legislature passed bills requiring voter registration and requiring women's suffrage for local elections—women had been voting in territorial elections since 1870. The Liberal Party, typically supported by male miners casually interested in politics, opposed both measures. In 1878
4392-404: The 1850s with Goshutes typically being on the losing side. By June 10, 1851, the county government was organized. On that date the county attachment to Salt Lake County was terminated. By 1852, Grantsville , Batesville, and Pine Canyon (later named Lincoln) were settled. In 1855 the town of Richville was designated county seat , but it soon became clear that Tooele was much larger. In 1861
4514-721: The 1980s, the presence of the Deseret Chemical Depot, and a high-polluting magnesium facility in Rowley , have contributed to a general perception of Tooele County as a " sacrifice zone " for unwanted wastes. News coverage for the county is provided by the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin newspaper. On September 8, 2004, the Genesis spacecraft crashed into the desert floor of the Dugway Proving Ground in Tooele County. The county's western portion
4636-603: The 2,200 votes cast in the election although only 1,500 Tooele County property taxpayers were on record. Incumbents refused to yield control of the Tooele County recorder's office and the Tooele County Courthouse because of the alleged fraud. Governor Woods dismissed the complaints and certified the Liberal victory. Third District Court Judge James B. McKean ruled that no evidence showing illegal activity had been presented. McKean construed poll tax as within
4758-539: The 20th century, but the county benefited from two major military bases located in the western portion of the county. Wendover Air Force Base , now closed, was the training base of the Enola Gay crew, which dropped the first atomic weapon in 1945. The Tooele Army Depot , built in 1942, formerly housed the largest store of chemical and biological weapons , 45 percent of the nation's, in the United States, at
4880-737: The Breens, then the Kesebergs, Stanton with the Reeds, Graves, and the Murphys. The Donners traveled last. After a few miles of rough terrain, an axle broke on one of their wagons. Jacob and George went into the woods to fashion a replacement. George Donner sliced his hand open while chiseling the wood but it seemed a superficial wound. Snow began to fall. The Breens made it up the "massive, nearly vertical slope" 1,000 feet (300 m) to Truckee Lake (now known as Donner Lake ), 3 miles (4.8 km) from
5002-780: The Democratic nominee in every election save 1956 (but being blue enough to vote for Stevenson in 1952 ). From 1972 on, however, it has become powerfully Republican, voting Democratic only once in this period thus far, for Bill Clinton in 1996 (with a low plurality and by a narrow margin). All parts of Tooele County are in the Tooele School District . Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University. 40°27′N 113°11′W / 40.45°N 113.18°W / 40.45; -113.18 Donner Party#Great Salt Lake Desert The Donner Party , sometimes called
Tooele County School District - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-474: The Donner Party crossed the next stretch of desert relatively unscathed. The journey seemed to get easier, particularly through the valley next to the Ruby Mountains . Despite their near-hatred of Hastings, they had no choice but to follow his tracks, which were weeks old. On September 26, two months after embarking on the cutoff, the party rejoined the traditional trail along a stream that became known as
5246-729: The Donner Party. Reed was laid over in San Jose until February because of regional uprisings and general confusion. He spent that time speaking with other pioneers and acquaintances. The people of San Jose responded by creating a petition to the United States Navy to assist the people at Truckee Lake. Two local newspapers reported that members of the snowshoe party had resorted to cannibalism, which helped to foster sympathy for those still trapped. Residents of Yerba Buena , many of them recent migrants, raised $ 1,300 ($ 42,500 in 2023) and organized relief efforts to build two camps to supply
5368-409: The Donner camp. Margret Reed had managed to save enough food for a Christmas pot of soup, to the delight of her children, but by January they were facing starvation and considered eating the oxhides that served as their roof. Margret Reed, Virginia Reed, Milt Elliott and the servant girl Eliza Williams attempted to walk out, reasoning that it would be better to try to bring food back than sit and watch
5490-506: The Donners, who were 5 miles (8.0 km)—half a day's journey —below them. Sixty members and associates of the Breen, Graves, Reed, Murphy, Keseberg and Eddy families set up for the winter at Truckee Lake. Three widely separated cabins of pine logs served as their homes, with dirt floors and poorly constructed flat roofs that leaked when it rained. The Breens occupied one cabin, the Eddys and
5612-524: The Goshutes had lost faith in the federal government, and recommended limiting further encroachments on Goshute land, but his suggestions were largely ignored. Twenty-two overland stagecoach outposts were built in Goshute territory, often on the sites of rare natural springs. Goshute attacks on mail outposts escalated in 1860, resulting in dozens of deaths in alternating waves of raids. At the outbreak of
5734-532: The Harlan–Young Party. The Harlan–Young wagon train had arrived at Sutter's Fort on October 8, the last to make it over the Sierra Nevada that season. The party of roughly 30 horses and a dozen men carried food supplies, and expected to find the Donner Party on the western side of the mountain, along the Bear River below the steep approach to Emigrant Gap , perhaps starving but alive. When they arrived in
5856-465: The Liberal majority in Tooele County disappeared, and the People's Party regained control in 1879 after more than six months of Liberal procedural delays. The Republic of Tooele era was characterized by subsequent politicians as one of excessive spending. The county was left with about $ 16,000 debt, significantly more than it started with. Mining continued to play an important part in Tooele County into
5978-556: The Liberals in Tooele County. The incumbent Mormon People's Party observed several Tooele polling places on election day and lodged complaints of fraud after the Liberal Party triumphed by about 300 votes out of 2,200. The People's Party alleged Liberal Party supporters had voted more than once, that many had not been residents for the required six months, and they were not taxpayers—according to territorial law, only taxpayers could vote in elections. The People's Party called attention to
6100-485: The Mormons ordered their armies to kill the Goshutes. In 1850, they ambushed a Goshute village, but the Goshutes were able to defend themselves without casualties. Later that year, a contingent of at least 50 men attacked the Goshute camp, killing nine and suffering no casualties. In 1851, General Daniel H. Wells took 30 people prisoners. After they tried to escape, Wells executed them. Similar attacks occurred throughout
6222-465: The Murphys another, and the Reeds and the Graves the third. Keseberg built a lean-to for his family against the side of the Breen cabin. The families used canvas or oxhide to patch the faulty roofs. The cabins had no windows or doors, only large holes to allow entry. Of the 60 at Truckee Lake, 19 were men over age 18, 12 were women, and 29 were children, six of whom were toddlers or younger. Farther down
SECTION 50
#17327731038176344-643: The Pacific Ocean, the range receives more snow than most other ranges in North America. The eastern side of the range, the Sierra Escarpment , is notoriously steep. After a wagon train left Missouri for Oregon or California, timing was crucial to ensure that it would not be bogged down by mud created by spring rains or by massive snowdrifts in the mountains from September onward, and that horses and oxen had enough spring grass to eat. In
6466-514: The Reeds) died, more from malnutrition than starvation. Franklin Graves fashioned 14 pairs of snowshoes out of oxbows and hide. On December 16, a party of 17 men, women and children set out on foot in an attempt to cross the mountain pass. As evidence of how grim their choices were, four of the men were fathers. Three of the women, who were mothers, gave their young children to other women. They packed lightly, taking what had become six days' rations,
6588-591: The Sierra Nevada to Rancho Johnson in late October. He was safe and recovering at Sutter's Fort, but each day he became more concerned for the fate of his family and friends. He pleaded with Colonel John C. Frémont to gather a team of men to cross the pass and help the party. In return, Reed promised to join Frémont's forces and fight in the Mexican–American War . He was joined by McCutchen, who had been unable to return with Stanton, as well as some members of
6710-503: The U.S. for a considerable time, was older and had military experience, but his autocratic attitude had rubbed many in the party the wrong way: they saw him as aristocratic, imperious and ostentatious. By comparison, the mature, experienced, American-born Donner's peaceful and charitable nature made him the group's first choice. While the members of the party were comfortably well-off by contemporary standards, most of them were inexperienced in long, difficult, overland travel. Additionally,
6832-487: The Wasatch Range, the Donner Party had to decide whether to forge ahead or rest their cattle. It was October 20 and they had been told the pass (now known as Donner Pass ) would not be snowed in until the middle of November. William Pike was killed when a gun being loaded by William Foster was discharged negligently, an event that seemed to make the decision for them; family by family, they resumed their journey—first
6954-447: The Wasatch Range. The men began arguing, and doubts were expressed about the wisdom of those who had chosen this route, in particular Reed. Food and supplies began to run out for some of the less affluent families. Stanton and Pike had ridden out with Reed but had become lost on their way back; by the time the party found them, they were a day away from eating their horses. Luke Halloran died of tuberculosis on August 25. A few days later,
7076-488: The age of 18, 41,869 (57.6%) from 18 to 64, and 6,870 (9.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 31.4 years. There were 22,087 households in Tooele County with an average size of 3.29 of which 17,531 (79.4%) were families and 4,556 (20.6%) were non-families. Among all families, 13,990 (63.3%) were married couples , 1,398 (6.3%) were male householders with no spouse, and 2,143 (9.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,572 (16.2%) were
7198-463: The arduous climb. The members of the party were neither well-nourished nor accustomed to camping in snow 12 feet (3.7 m) deep, and by the third day, most were snowblind . On the sixth day, Eddy discovered his wife had hidden a half-pound of bear meat in his pack. The group set out again the morning of December 21; Stanton had been straggling for several days and he remained behind, saying he would follow shortly. His remains were found at that location
7320-591: The area, Tooele County and Utah residents have opposed plans to dispose of nuclear waste in the county boundaries. A high level nuclear waste site proposed to be built at the Goshute Tribe Reservation in Skull Valley faced opposition until the plan slowly fizzled out. Projects to dispose of depleted uranium at Energy Solution's Clive facility continue to cause controversy. From 1932 through 1968 , Tooele County tended Democratic, selecting
7442-429: The armed and barricaded Mormons. Aware that a show of aggression could spark a battle, the parties were nonetheless unable to come to an agreement to hand over power. Judge McKean issued an even more strongly worded injunction, and Brigham Young advised his followers that they had an obligation to obey the federal courts. The county courthouse was abandoned, thus beginning about five years of Liberal Party rule. However,
SECTION 60
#17327731038177564-605: The belief that the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans belonged to European Americans and that they should settle it. Most wagon trains followed the Oregon Trail route from a starting point in Independence, Missouri , to the Continental Divide , traveling about 15 miles (24 km) a day on a journey that usually took between four and six months. The trail generally followed rivers to South Pass ,
7686-405: The best camping sites near reliable springs, hunted in Goshute hunting grounds, and overgrazed the meadowland, leaving it unfit for sustaining the animals and plants used by the Goshutes. Mormons believed that Utah was a promised land given to them by God, and did not recognize any Goshute claim to the land. Goshutes began confiscating Mormon cattle that trespassed onto their property. In response,
7808-500: The camp's inhabitants initially fled. The Native Americans gave them what they had to eat: acorns, grass and pine nuts . After a few days, Eddy continued on with the help of tribe members to a ranch in a small farming community at the edge of the Sacramento Valley . A hurriedly assembled rescue party found the other six survivors on January 17. Their journey from Truckee Lake had taken 33 days. James Reed made it out of
7930-403: The carcass of an ox that had starved to death. Desperation grew in camp and some reasoned that individuals might succeed in navigating the pass where the wagons could not. In small groups they made several attempts, but each time returned defeated. Another severe storm, lasting more than a week, covered the area so deeply that the cattle and horses—their only remaining food—died and were lost in
8052-545: The children starve. They were gone for four days in the snow before they had to turn back. Their cabin was now uninhabitable; the oxhide roof served as their food supply, and the family moved in with the Breens. The servants went to live with other families. One day, the Graveses came by to collect on the debt owed by the Reeds and took the oxhides, all that the family had to eat. The mountain party at Truckee Lake began to fail. Augustus Spitzer and Baylis Williams (a driver for
8174-426: The cities of Tooele , Grantsville , Erda , and Lake Point as well as the unincorporated community of Stansbury Park . Tooele Army Depot is located on the southern edge of the valley. The Stockton Bar geologic feature separates Tooele Valley and Rush Valley, in which the towns of Stockton , Vernon , Faust , and Rush Valley are located. Additional small towns, Ophir and Mercur , are located in two canyons on
8296-601: The county the Republic of Tooele. The 1874 election marked the first success of the anti-Mormon Liberal Party, which was organized in 1870. The party viewed the large non-Mormon mining population in the county as a natural environment for electoral success and campaigned fiercely in Tooele's mining districts leading up to the June 1874 election. The non-Mormon appointed governor of Utah Territory , George L. Woods , campaigned for
8418-714: The crestline of the Oquirrh Mountains , which separate the Tooele Valley from the Salt Lake Valley. The Stansbury Mountains parallel the Oquirrhs in the eastern part of the county, and the Cedar Mountains also run parallel to the other two through the east-central part of the county. There are also isolated prominences across the county, especially at its SW corner. The county terrain is largely arid and unused for agriculture unless irrigation water
8540-402: The desert. Many other families' cattle and horses went missing. The journey irreparably damaged some of the wagons, but no human lives were lost. Instead of the promised two-day journey over 40 miles (64 km), the journey across 80 miles (130 km) of the Great Salt Lake Desert took six. None of the party had any remaining faith in the Hastings Cutoff as they recovered at the springs on
8662-407: The east to resettle in the Oregon Territory or California, which at the time were accessible only by a very long sea voyage or a daunting overland journey. Some, such as Patrick Breen, saw California, then a part of Mexico, as a place where they would be free to live in a fully Catholic culture ; others were attracted to the West's burgeoning economic opportunities or inspired by manifest destiny ,
8784-452: The emaciated migrants overate. All the cabins were buried in snow. Sodden oxhide roofs had begun to rot and the smell was overpowering. Thirteen people at the camps were dead, and their bodies had been loosely buried in snow near the cabin roofs. Some of the migrants seemed emotionally unstable. Three of the rescue party trekked to the Donners and brought back four gaunt children and three adults. Leanna Donner had particular difficulty walking up
8906-405: The following year. The group became lost and confused. After two more days without food, Patrick Dolan proposed one of them should volunteer to die in order to feed the others . Some suggested a duel , while another account describes an attempt at a lottery . Eddy suggested that they keep moving until someone simply fell, but a blizzard forced the group to halt. Antonio, the animal handler,
9028-433: The former category to obtain permission from district officials before enrolling, and it started requiring the latter to pay tuition fees. Notably, sponsored international students were still permitted to attend for free. Fast forward to 1997, the board of trustees proposed a bond of $ 25 million to address the increase in student population in high schools. However, the proposal was later increased to $ 40–45 million to build
9150-558: The fort to persuade travelers to turn south on his route. As of 1846, Hastings was the second person documented to have crossed the southern part of the Great Salt Lake Desert, but neither had been accompanied by wagons. Arguably the most difficult part of the journey to California was the last 100 miles (160 km) across the Sierra Nevada . This mountain range has 500 distinct peaks over 12,000 feet (3,700 m) high, and because of its height and proximity to
9272-551: The group not to take Hastings's shortcut. By the time the Donner Party reached Blacks Fork on July 27, Hastings had already left, leading the forty wagons of the Harlan–Young group. Because Jim Bridger's trading post would fare substantially better if people used the Hastings Cutoff, Bridger told the party that the shortcut was a smooth trip, devoid of rugged country and hostile Native Americans, and would shorten their journey by 350 miles (560 km). Water would be easy to find along
9394-413: The group stripped the muscle and organs from the bodies of Antonio, Dolan, Graves and Murphy. They dried them to store for the days ahead, taking care to ensure nobody would have to eat his or her relatives. After three days' rest, they set off again, searching for the trail. Eddy eventually succumbed to his hunger and ate human flesh, but that was soon gone. They began taking apart their snowshoes to eat
9516-458: The hubs. The days were blisteringly hot and the nights frigid. Several of the group saw visions of lakes and wagon trains and believed they had finally overtaken Hastings. After three days, the water was gone and some of the party removed their oxen from the wagons to press ahead to find more. Some of the animals were so weakened they were left yoked to the wagons and abandoned. Nine of Reed's ten oxen broke free, crazed with thirst, and bolted off into
9638-555: The main Oregon Trail had left an easy and obvious path, whereas the Cutoff was more difficult to find. Hastings wrote directions and left letters stuck to trees. On August 6, the party found a letter from him advising them to stop until he could show them an alternate route to that taken by the Harlan–Young Party. Reed, Charles T. Stanton and William Pike rode ahead to get Hastings. They encountered exceedingly difficult canyons where boulders had to be moved and walls cut off precariously to
9760-456: The main wagon train with his family. Snyder had been seen to hit Reed, and some claimed he had also hit his wife, but Snyder had been popular and Reed was not. Keseberg suggested that Reed should be hanged , but an eventual compromise allowed Reed to leave the camp without his family, who were to be taken care of by the others. Reed departed alone the next morning, unarmed, but his stepdaughter Virginia rode ahead and secretly provided him with
9882-489: The meaning of being a taxpayer. Since no evidence was provided there were over 300 carpetbaggers or repeat votes in the election, McKean sustained the tally and authorized deputy U.S. Marshals to install the Liberal candidates. The recorder's office was seized when it was momentarily abandoned, but a contingent of People's Party supporters and incumbents held the county courthouse night and day. The marshals and Liberal Party candidates, outnumbered, attempted to negotiate with
10004-459: The members of the party had little knowledge about how to interact with Native Americans . Journalist Edwin Bryant reached Blacks Fork a week ahead of the Donner Party. He saw the first part of the trail and was concerned that it would be difficult for the wagons in the Donner group, especially with so many women and children. He returned to Blacks Fork to leave letters warning several members of
10126-473: The migrants, but the first relief party did not arrive until the middle of February 1847, almost four months after the wagon train became trapped. Of the 87 members of the party, 48 survived. Historians have described the episode as one of the most fascinating tragedies in California history and in the record of American westward migration. During the 1840s there was a dramatic increase in settlers leaving
10248-600: The mountain pass, two-thirds of those remaining at Truckee Lake were children. Mrs. Graves was in charge of eight, and Levinah Murphy and Eleanor Eddy together took care of nine. Migrants caught and ate mice that strayed into their cabins. Many were soon weakened and spent most of their time in bed. Occasionally one would be able to make the full-day trek to see the Donners. News came that Jacob Donner and three hired men had died. One of them, Joseph Reinhardt, confessed on his deathbed that he had murdered Wolfinger. George Donner's hand had become infected, which left four men to work at
10370-489: The murder was not kept secret, Kristin Johnson notes that "Foster was not greatly blamed" for it and spent the rest of his life without being troubled by the authorities —this can be attributed to the general attitude, as expressed by Lewis Petrinovich, that the lives of Native Americans "seemed to matter little". Not more than a few days later, the group stumbled into a Native American settlement looking so deteriorated that
10492-414: The northern portion of the county, provided a major stumbling block for the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party in 1846. Its crusty sand slowed the group's wagons to such an extent that the group spent six days crossing its 80-mile length , severely sapping the group's resources and leading to their eventual disaster. In 1847, Mormon pioneers settled in the neighboring Salt Lake Valley . Initially, Tooele Valley
10614-410: The one they had just crossed, and "one of the most inhospitable places on earth" according to Rarick. Their oxen were already fatigued, and their water was nearly gone. The Donner Party pressed onward on August 30, having no alternative. In the heat of the day, the moisture underneath the salt crust rose to the surface and turned it into a gummy mass. The wagon wheels sank into it, in some cases up to
10736-431: The other side of the desert. They spent several days trying to recover cattle, retrieve the wagons left in the desert, and transfer their food and supplies to other wagons. Reed's family incurred the heaviest losses, and Reed became more assertive, asking all the families to submit an inventory of their goods and food to him. He suggested that two men should go to Sutter's Fort in California; he had heard that John Sutter
10858-463: The ox teams: Milford ("Milt") Elliott (28), James Smith (25) and Walter Herron (25). Baylis Williams (24) went along as handyman and his sister, Eliza (25), as the family's cook. Within a week of leaving Independence, the Reeds and Donners joined a group of 50 wagons nominally led by William H. Russell. By June 16, the company had traveled 450 miles (720 km), with 200 miles (320 km) to go before Fort Laramie . They had been delayed by rain and
10980-647: The oxhide webbing and discussed murdering Luis and Salvador for food. Eddy warned the two men and they quietly left. Jay Fosdick died during the night, leaving only seven members of the party. Eddy and Mary Graves left to hunt, but when they returned with deer meat, Fosdick's body had already been cut apart for food. After several more days—25 since they had left Truckee Lake—they came across Salvador and Luis, who had not eaten for about nine days and were probably close to death. William Foster shot both men, thus realizing his plans from before they had left; their bodies were butchered and their flesh dried for consumption. Though
11102-408: The party came across a tattered letter from Hastings. The pieces indicated there were two days and nights of difficult travel ahead without grass or water. The party rested their oxen and prepared for the trip. After 36 hours they set off to traverse a 1,000-foot (300 m) mountain in their path. From its peak they saw ahead a dry, barren plain, perfectly flat and covered with white salt, larger than
11224-531: The party rejoined the Donners, but their hardship continued. Native Americans chased away all of Graves' horses, and another wagon was left behind. With grass in short supply, the cattle spread out more, which allowed the Paiutes to steal 18 more during one evening; several mornings later, they shot another 21. So far, the company had lost nearly 100 oxen and cattle, and their rations were almost completely depleted. With nearly all his cattle gone, Wolfinger stopped at
11346-473: The pass summit, and camped near a cabin that had been built two years earlier by members of the Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party . The Eddys and the Kesebergs joined the Breens, attempting to make it over the pass, but they found 5–10-foot (1.5–3.0 m) snowdrifts and were unable to find the trail. They turned back for Truckee Lake and within a day all the families were camped there except for
11468-405: The racial makeup was 58,199 (80.1%) White , 436 (0.6%) African American , 445 (0.6%) Native American , 511 (0.7%) Asian , 637 (0.9%) Pacific Islander , 282 (0.4%) from other races , and 2,666 (3.7%) from two or more races . 9,522 (13.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 36,687 (50.46%) males and 36,011 (49.54%) females, and the population distribution by age was 23,959 (33.0%) under
11590-444: The rescue party turned back, but seven forged on. On February 18, the seven-man rescue party scaled Frémont Pass (now Donner Pass); as they neared where Eddy told them the cabins would be, they began to shout. A haggard Mrs. Murphy appeared from a hole in the snow, stared at them and asked, "Are you men from California, or do you come from heaven?" The relief party doled out food in small portions, concerned that it might kill them if
11712-401: The river valley, they found only a migrant couple who had been separated from their company and were near starvation. Two guides deserted Reed and McCutchen with some of their horses, but they pressed on farther up the valley to Yuba Bottoms, walking the last mile on foot. Reed and McCutchen stood looking up at Emigrant Gap, only 12 miles (19 km) from the top, blocked by snow, possibly on
11834-471: The same day the Breens attempted to lead one last effort to crest the pass from the east. Despondent, they turned back to Sutter's Fort. Much of the military in California were engaged in the Mexican–American War, and with them the able-bodied men. Throughout the region, roads were blocked, communications compromised and supplies unavailable. Only three men responded to a call for volunteers to rescue
11956-442: The snow. Patrick Breen began keeping a diary on November 20. He concerned himself primarily with the weather, marking the storms and how much snow had fallen, but gradually began to include religious references in his entries. Life at Truckee Lake was miserable. The cabins were cramped and filthy, and it snowed so much that people were unable to go outdoors for days. Diets soon consisted of oxhide, strips of which were boiled to make
12078-400: The snowdrifts, and no one was strong enough to carry them. Margret Reed faced the agonizing predicament of accompanying her two older children to Bear Valley and watching her two frailest be taken back to Truckee Lake without a parent. She made rescuer Aquilla Glover swear on his honor as a Mason that he would return for her children. Patty told her, "Well, mother, if you never see me again, do
12200-567: The south western side of the Oquirrh Mountains. Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University (located in the city of Tooele). Evidence of several indigenous Native American groups has been found in Tooele County, but only the western Shoshone -speaking Goshute tribe claim the desolate lands as their ancestral home. The Goshute's traditional territory includes most of modern Tooele County. The Great Salt Lake Desert, which comprises much of
12322-474: The spring of 1846, almost 500 wagons headed west from Independence. At the rear of the train, a group of nine wagons containing 32 members of the Reed and Donner families and their employees left on May 12. George Donner was about 60 years old and living near Springfield, Illinois . With him were his 44-year-old wife Tamsen , their three daughters Frances (6), Georgia (4) and Eliza (3), and George's daughters from
12444-525: The steep incline from Alder Creek to Truckee Lake, later writing "such pain and misery as I endured that day is beyond description". George Donner's arm was so gangrenous he could not move. Twenty-three people were chosen to go with the rescue party, leaving 21 in the cabins at Truckee Lake and twelve at Alder Creek. The rescuers concealed the fate of the snowshoe party, informing the rescued migrants only that they did not return because they were frostbitten . Patty and Tommy Reed were soon too weak to cross
12566-480: The territorial legislature allowed the county to select a new seat, and Tooele was selected. In 1859 Robert B. Jarvis, a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs representative, convinced some of the nomadic bands to congregate at a farm reservation called Deep Creek. The results looked promising, but Jarvis' resignation in 1860 led support to disappear and the farm to be abandoned. Jarvis' replacement, Benjamin Davies, noted
12688-418: The traditional trail, follow the tracks left by the Harlan–Young Party through the difficult terrain of Weber Canyon or forge their own trail in the direction that Hastings had recommended. At Reed's urging, the group chose the new Hastings route. Their progress slowed to about one and a half miles (2.4 km) a day. All able-bodied men were required to clear brush, fell trees and heave rocks to make room for
12810-513: The trail, close to Alder Creek , the Donner families hastily constructed tents to house 21 people, including Mrs. Wolfinger, her child and the Donners' drivers: six men, three women and twelve children in all. It began to snow again on the evening of November 4—the beginning of an eight-day storm. By the time the party made camp, very little food remained from the supplies that Stanton had brought back from Sutter's Fort. The oxen began to die, and their carcasses were frozen and stacked. Truckee Lake
12932-486: The wagons. As the Donner Party made its way across the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains , the Graves family, who had set off to find them, reached them. They consisted of Franklin Ward Graves (57), his wife Elizabeth (45), their children Mary (20), William (18), Eleanor (15), Lovina (13), Nancy (9), Jonathan (7), Franklin, Jr. (5), Elizabeth (1) and married daughter Sarah (22), plus son-in-law Jay Fosdick (23) and
13054-448: The way, although a couple of days crossing a 30–40-mile (48–64 km) dry lake bed would be necessary. Reed was very impressed with this information and advocated for the Hastings Cutoff. None of the party received Bryant's letters; in his diary account, Bryant states his conviction that Bridger deliberately concealed the letters, a view shared by Reed in his later testimony. At Fort Laramie, Reed met an old friend named James Clyman who
13176-401: The worst air in Utah, according to Federal agencies and environmental groups. The Tooele County Health Department notes that the chemical output of the heavy industry can be particularly dangerous in the winter, because the region's climate and setting create winter inversions, suspending the toxins in the air, and posing "serious health concerns". Due to the history of toxic waste disposal in
13298-532: Was "gloomy, sad, and dispirited" at the thought of turning off the main trail on the advice of Hastings, whom she considered "a selfish adventurer". On July 31, 1846, the Donner Party left Blacks Fork after four days of rest and wagon repairs, eleven days behind the leading Harlan–Young group. Donner hired a replacement driver, and the company was joined by the McCutchen family, consisting of William (30), his wife Amanda (24), their two-year-old daughter Harriet and
13420-430: Was $ 57,579 and for females $ 40,845. 5.9% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the poverty line . In terms of education attainment, out of the 40,623 people in Tooele County 25 years or older, 3,224 (7.9%) had not completed high school , 12,971 (31.9%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 15,055 (37.1%) had some college or associate degree , 6,091 (15.0%) had a bachelor's degree , and 3,282 (8.1%) had
13542-602: Was accompanied on the journey by his wife Margret (32), stepdaughter Virginia (13), daughter Martha Jane ("Patty", 8), sons James and Thomas (5 and 3) and Sarah Keyes, Margret's mother. Keyes was in the advanced stages of tuberculosis and died at a campsite they named Alcove Springs . She was buried nearby, off to the side of the trail, with a gray rock inscribed, "Mrs. Sarah Keyes, Died May 29, 1846; Aged 70". In addition to leaving financial worries behind, Reed hoped that California's climate would help Margret, who had long suffered from ill health. The Reeds hired three men to drive
13664-476: Was born on the trail. Two young single men named Spitzer and Reinhardt traveled with another German couple, the Wolfingers, who were rumored to be wealthy; they also had a hired driver, "Dutch Charley" Burger. An older man named Hardkoop rode with them. Luke Halloran, a young man with tuberculosis, could no longer ride horseback; the families he had been traveling with no longer had resources to care for him. He
13786-433: Was coming from California. Clyman warned Reed not to take the Hastings Cutoff, telling him that wagons would not be able to make it and that Hastings' information was inaccurate. Fellow pioneer Jesse Quinn Thornton traveled part of the way with Donner and Reed, and in his book From Oregon and California in 1848 declared Hastings the " Baron Munchausen of travelers in these countries". Tamsen Donner, according to Thornton,
13908-595: Was created in 1862, the county's borders were impacted, and when the Territory became a state (1864), Tooele County was formally divested of all its Nevada area. Two more boundary adjustments were made in 1870 and 1880, after which it has retained its boundaries to the present. From 1874 to 1879, non-Mormon politicians from the Liberal Party of Utah gained control of Tooele County, the first time any non-Mormons had success in Utah politics. Whimsically, they called
14030-470: Was exceedingly generous to wayward pioneers and could assist them with extra provisions. Charles Stanton and William McCutchen volunteered to undertake the dangerous trip. The remaining serviceable wagons were pulled by mongrel teams of cows, oxen and mules. It was the middle of September, and two young men who went in search of missing oxen reported that another 40 miles (64 km) of desert lay ahead. Their cattle and oxen were now exhausted and lean, but
14152-524: Was not organized at that time, and the area was attached to Salt Lake County for judicial and administrative purposes. It is speculated the name derives from a Native American chief, but controversy exists about whether such a chief lived. Alternate explanations hypothesize that the name comes from " tu-wanda ", the Goshute word for " bear ", or from " tule ", a Spanish word of Aztec origins meaning " bulrush ". The Goshutes did not accept Mormon encroachment on their traditional homeland. The Mormons occupied
14274-407: Was not yet frozen, but the pioneers were unfamiliar with catching lake trout. Eddy, the most experienced hunter, killed a bear, but had little luck after that. The Reed and Eddy families had lost almost everything. Margret Reed promised to pay double when they got to California for the use of three oxen from the Graves and Breen families. Graves charged Eddy $ 25—normally the cost of two healthy oxen—for
14396-575: Was proven right. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the western Oquirrh Mountains and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year. Two new mining towns, Ophir and Lewiston ballooned to over 6000 people each in the 1870s, exceeding the population of Tooele and all the Mormon settlements in the area. Tooele County as originally defined extended into present-day Nevada . The county's borders were adjusted in 1852, in 1854, in 1856, in 1861, and in 1862. When Nevada Territory
14518-561: Was signed in 1863 which included an annuity of goods and US$ 1000 in compensation of killed game in exchange for an end to the hostilities, and use of routes through the natives' territories. The treaty did not cede Goshute control of land, but a follow-up agreement made in June 1865 did. General Connor, who was anti-Mormon , also encouraged his troops to prospect for minerals. Connor believed that mining would bring non-Mormons to Utah Territory . After his men discovered gold , silver , lead , and zinc deposits in Tooele County in 1864 he
14640-498: Was taken in by George Donner at Little Sandy River and rode in their wagon. To promote his new route (the " Hastings Cutoff "), Lansford Hastings sent riders to deliver letters to traveling migrants. On July 12, the Reeds and Donners were given one. Hastings warned the migrants they could expect opposition from the Mexican authorities in California and advised them to band together in large groups. He also claimed to have "worked out
14762-477: Was the first to die; Franklin Graves was the next casualty. As the blizzard progressed, Dolan began to rant deliriously , stripped off his clothes and ran into the woods. He returned shortly afterwards and died a few hours later. Not long after, possibly because Murphy was near death, some of the group began to eat flesh from Dolan's body. Lemuel's sister tried to feed him some, but he died shortly afterwards. Eddy, Salvador and Luis refused to eat. The next morning,
14884-445: Was used as a major grazing ground for Mormon cattle owners from Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. In 1849 the first white settlers established permanent roots in the Tooele Valley. Building a saw mill , the settlement was called E.T. City after LDS leader E.T. Benson . The territorial legislature first designated Tooele County—initially called "Tuilla"—on January 31, 1850, with significantly different boundaries. Its government
#816183