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109-722: Utah Lake is a natural shallow fresh water lake in its center. All rivers in the valley flow into Utah Lake, which itself empties into the Jordan River to the north. That river flows into the Salt Lake Valley through the Jordan Narrows, a gap in the Traverse Mountains . Geographic borders of the Utah Valley are the following; The Traverse Mountains and West Traverse Mountains to the north,

218-597: A stockade , Fort Utah , arming it with a twelve-pound cannon . They built several log houses, surrounded by a 14-foot (4.3 m) palisade 20 by 40 rods long (330 by 660 feet [100 by 200 m]) with gates at the east and west ends and a middle deck for the cannon. The fort, built on the sacred grounds of the annual fish festival, was very close to the main Timpanogos village on the Provo River. The settlers fenced off pastures, and their cattle ate (or trampled)

327-417: A total maximum daily load (TMDL) for pollutants that a body of water can assimilate without causing the water body to exceed the water quality standards. Utah Lake was originally put on Utah's 2000 and 2004 303d list for phosphorus and total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeding recommend values. High levels of phosphorus can cause high levels of nuisance algae growth, low dissolved oxygen, and eleTDS tells about

436-542: A "royal line" of Indian chiefs, and they had hereditary leadership through their clan. Parley P. Pratt explored the Utah Valley and Utah Lake. The first battle between settlers and Indians, known by the Americans as the Battle Creek massacre , occurred in early March 1849 at present-day Pleasant Grove, Utah . A company of 40 Mormon men went to the Utah Valley to persuade the Timpanogos to stop stealing cattle from

545-530: A band of Sho-sho-nes, with some of their principal men, called on me ... The territory claimed by them includes Salt lake, Bear river, Weber river and Cache valley ... About the 22nd day of December last, I was visited at Camp Scott, by White-eye and San-Pitch, Utah chiefs, with several of their bands ... These Indians belong to one of the principal tribes of this Territory. There is but one other large tribe (the Snakes), as I am informed. The best land belonging to

654-757: A band of the Utahs under Chief Arapeen, a brother of San-Pitch ... I have heretofore spoken of a large tribe of Indians known as the Snakes. They claim a large tract of country lying in the eastern part of this Territory, but are scarcely ever found upon their own land. They generally inhabit the Wind river country, in Oregon and Nebraska Territories and they sometimes range as far east as Fort Laramie ... This tribe numbers about twelve hundred souls, all under one principal chief, Wash-a-kee. He has perfect command over them, and

763-710: A body of freshwater that he saw and sized, and the Great Salt Lake, which he did not see or name but was described to him as a river "communicates with others much larger." The next recorded European visitor was Étienne Provost , a French-Canadian trapper who visited Utah Lake in October 1824. The city of Provo and the Provo River are named after him. The settlement of Utah by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began in July 1847, when pioneers entered

872-496: A camp along the Spanish Fork river that had 35 lodges with about 175 people. Franciscan missionary Silvestre Vélez de Escalante , while on his expedition in late summer and early autumn of 1776, was trying to find a land route from Santa Fe , New Mexico to Monterey , California . Two Timpanogots from Utah Valley acted as guides for his party. On September 23, 1776, the party traveled down Spanish Fork Canyon and entered

981-672: A common genetic, cultural, and linguistic heritage as part of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. In some accounts they were called the Timpiavat, Timpanogot, Timpanogotzi, Timpannah, Tempenny, and other names. The Timpanogos probably entered Utah as part of the southern Numic expansion around 1000 CE (including the Ute ) or in the subsequent central Numic Shoshonean expansion north and west from their Numic homelands in

1090-468: A decline in native fish populations by severely altering the ecosystem. Pollution has also caused problems with the lake's ecosystem. Raw sewage was dumped into the lake as late as 1967. Pollution problems still remain; the lake's phosphorus and mineral salt levels are in violation of the Clean Water Act . In recent years, the lake has been prone to harmful algal blooms or HABs. Utah Lake

1199-564: A hunter states, "There was a bounty paid on cranes and heron in 1895. Two men could make as high as $ 66 a day. Wading into the rookeries with their pants off they would crack the heron over the head. When the bounty was paid on pelican we would use a fish float tide to a wad of rushes. Gulls were also caught. There has been 10,000 slaughtered. At the Big Channel gidls have been shot and there are four or five hundred pelicans which have been shot. In 1928 I killed 1,240 mudhens [coot]. We would eat

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1308-473: A sacred meeting place for the Timpanogos, Ute, and Shoshone tribes. The first known Europeans to enter this area were a Spanish expedition of Franciscan missionaries led by Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante . The Dominguez–Escalante Expedition of 1776 was trying to find a land route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Monterey, California . Two or three Timpanogos from the Utah Valley were guides for

1417-541: A service. The ability of the developer to maintain the alterations to the lake after the completion of the project has also been brought into question. In October 2022, permitting for the Utah Lake Restoration project was put on hold, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , because of a lack of documentation required to win federal permits under the Clean Water Act . On October 27, 2022, Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands rejected

1526-587: Is a species of fish endemic to Utah Lake and its tributaries. The June Sucker is a key indicator species for the overall health of the ecosystem. Though listed as endangered in 1986 after ecosystem degradation and invasive species concentration, thanks to the efforts of the JSRIP, the June Sucker was downlisted to “threatened” on February 3, 2021. Actions taken to recover the June Sucker include non-native species removal, specifically carp and Northern pike; increasing

1635-458: Is great abundance here. The explorers named many geographic features in central Utah for the Timpanog tribe, who were then led by Turunianchi. The next recorded European visitor was Étienne Provost , a French-Canadian trapper who visited the Timpanog in October 1824; the city of Provo and the Provo River are named after him. In 1826, American mountain man Jedediah Smith visited a camp along

1744-629: Is managed cooperatively by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands and the Utah Lake Authority. The Division manages public use and issues a permit for commercial users of the lakebed and shoreline while the Commission facilitates development. The lakebed and surrounding shoreline are made up of State Sovereign Lands. Utah Lake is one of three lakes in the state that were deemed "navigable" at statehood and granted to

1853-490: Is one of the finest looking and most intellectual Indians I ever saw ... For several years, an enmity has existed between the Utahs and the Snakes ... Accordingly, on the 13th of May, Wash-a-kee, of the Snakes, White-Eye, Son-a-at, and San-Pitch, of the Utahs, with the sub-chiefs of the different tribes, and also several chiefs of the Ban-acks, assembled in council at Camp Scott, when, after considerable talk and smoking, peace

1962-549: Is overwhelming. The defendants may fervently believe that Ute V drew the wrong boundaries, but that case was resolved nearly twenty years ago, the Supreme Court declined to disturb its judgment, and the time has long since come for the parties to accept it. In 2000 the Timpanogos sued the state of Utah in Timpanogos Tribe v. Conway , seeking continued rights for their members for hunting, fishing, and gathering on

2071-474: Is situated on the western edge of the valley and covers more than 25% of Utah Valley 's floor. Because of its location on the western side of the valley, the eastern shore has a gentle slope and the western shore rises abruptly against the Lake Mountains. Connected to the main body of the lake are two large, shallow bays: the aforementioned Goshen Bay (north Goshen Valley ) to the south and Provo Bay to

2180-537: Is these Indians, who live on the abundant fish of the lake, for which reason the Yutas Sabuaganas call them "Come Pescados" (Fish Eaters). Besides this, they gather in the plain grass seeds from which they make atole , which they supplement by hunting hares, rabbits, and fowl of which there is great abundance here." Escalante named the lake Lake Timpanogos, after the tribe living in the area. Escalante's record clearly distinguishes between this Lake Timpanogos,

2289-459: Is unknown. An 1861 report from J. F. Collins, Utah superintendent of Indian affairs, said that no one had ever 'been able to obtain satisfactory information in regard to their numbers'. Collins estimated ... that there may have been fifteen to twenty thousand Indians (of all tribes) in Utah prior to the arrival of the first Mormon settlers" in 1847. Indian Superintendent Forney's 1859 annual report to

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2398-687: The American Fork river, Current Creek, Dry Creek , Hobble Creek , and Mill Race Creek. Additionally, many hot springs and smaller creeks are flowing into the lake. Utah Lake is drained by the Jordan River , which begins at the lake's north end. The river flows north through Utah, Salt Lake , and Davis counties and then into the southeast portion of the Great Salt Lake. Given the lake's semi-arid climate, large surface area, and shallow average depth, evaporation accounts for 42% of Utah Lake's outflow. After several years of drought, irrigation companies argued over their share of Utah Lake's water from

2507-616: The Black Hawk War (1865–1872) , was a son of San-Pitch. According to a state of Utah historical website, In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order establishing the original Uintah Valley Reservation in the eastern part of the Utah territory ... Congress ratified the order in 1864 ... A council of the Ute people was called at Spanish Fork Reservation on 6 June 1865. The aged leader Chief Sowiette (a brother of Chief Walkara , who had died 10 years before) explained that

2616-696: The Central Utah Water Conservancy District , and three state agencies. Founded in 2007, the Commission seeks to promote multiple public uses of the lake, facilitate orderly planning and development in and around the lake, and enable individual Commission members to govern their own areas. European explorers initially called the lake "Lake Timpanogos" after the Timpanogos band of the Shoshone tribe. An 1827 letter written by American explorer Jedidiah Strong Smith contains

2725-535: The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal ), the Ute bands organized as a unified tribe with a constitution based on the election of a chief and council. Their documents did not mention the Timpanogos, who believe that the 1950s federal termination of Native American status of the Ute tribe's mixed-blood members should have had no effect on them. In Hagen v. Utah (1994), 510 U.S. 399, 421–22,

2834-1082: The Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple in American Fork , the Payson Utah Temple in Payson , the Provo City Center Temple in Provo , the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple in Saratoga Springs , and the Orem Utah Temple in Orem . The final two of which were dedicated in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The population of Utah Valley is estimated at 575,205 by the United States Census Bureau . The growth in

2943-461: The Provo - Orem metropolitan area , Utah Lake is a fairly popular destination. From the 1880s to the 1930s, up to twelve resorts offering boat rentals, picnic facilities, dance halls, swimming pools, and bathhouses served tourists at the lake. Saratoga Springs, on the north shore, was the most popular and longest-lived resort. Saratoga Springs was best known for its natural hot springs but also had waterslides and amusement park rides. It lasted from

3052-531: The Provo - Orem metropolitan area . The lake's only river outlet, the Jordan River , is a tributary of the Great Salt Lake . Evaporation accounts for 42% of the lake's outflow, which leaves the lake slightly saline . The elevation of the lake is at 4,489 feet (1,368 m) above sea level. If the lake's water level rises above that, the pumps and gates on the Jordan River are left open. Recently

3161-639: The Sierra Nevada . They were hunter-gatherers , living mostly on fish and wild game caught by the men and cooked and processed by the women and on the seeds and roots of wild plants gathered and prepared by the women. As part of their religion, in the mornings they gathered together and greeted the morning with song to express gratitude to the Creator. They were divided into clans , each with its headman, spiritual leader and warrior. The clans would band together for specific purposes, such as hunting. There

3270-501: The Spanish Fork (river) with 35 lodges and about 175 people. By the time Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the Timpanogos were guided by Turunianchi's grandson, Walkara. Walkara led the tribe with a number of sub-chiefs, most of whom were his brothers: Chief Arapeen, Chief San-Pitch , Chief Kanosh , Chief Sowiette, Chief Tabby-To-Kwanah , Chief Grospean and Chief Amman. Brigham Young once called them

3379-531: The US Supreme Court agreed with the state that a portion of Uintah Reservation had been reduced by Congressional action since 1985. When the state began again to prosecute Ute within the reservation in state courts for offenses, the Appeals Court brought the case back in 1997 to reconcile the boundaries of the different cases, calling it Ute V. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that

Utah Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue

3488-616: The Uintah Valley Reservation . They are not enrolled in the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation . During the mid-19th century, when Mormon pioneers entered Utah territory, the Timpanogos were one of the principal tribes in the region based on population, area occupied, and influence. Linguists have had difficulty identifying (or classifying) their language. Historically, most communication

3597-573: The Wasatch Range to the east, Traverse Mountains to the north, and the Lake Mountains to the west. Mount Nebo reaches an altitude of 11,863-foot (3,616 m), and Mount Timpanogos reaches an altitude of 11,745-foot (3,580 m), nearly 7,250 feet (2,210 m) above the valley floor. Jutting into the south portion of the lake is 6,805-foot (2,074 m) West Mountain , which divides Goshen Bay and Lincoln Beach. Utah Lake

3706-701: The fathead minnow are rarely found. Of the thirteen species of fish native to Utah Lake, one species is extinct (the Utah Lake sculpin ), one is no longer present in the lake and is under review to see if it qualifies for protection under the Endangered Species Act ( least chub ), one is already listed as endangered (the June sucker ), and one is found in relative abundance throughout Utah (the Utah sucker ). All other native fish are no longer extant in

3815-507: The 1860s until the floods of 1984. In the summer, fishing , water skiing , boating , camping , and picnicking are the most popular activities. During the winter, ice fishing , ice hockey , and ice skating are popular on the lake, especially at Utah Lake State Park , and Lincoln Beach. The main marina for Utah Lake is at Utah Lake State Park on the lake's eastern shore. Other marinas are at Saratoga Springs, American Fork , Lindon , and Lincoln Beach. The ownership of lands along

3924-660: The Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Utah Superintendency , the Utah (Timpanogos) appear to have been considered separate from the Snake Indians and the other Shoshone: The tribes and fragments of tribes with whom I had business relations ... are as follows, to wit: on the second day of December last I was visited by San-Pitch, a principal chief of the Utahs, and a few of his men ... On the 10th of December following, Little Soldier, chief, and Benjamin Simons, sub-chief, of

4033-539: The Jordan River. Judge Morse of the Third District Court issued his judgment known as the Morse Decree of 1901. The decree stated that the irrigation companies "are entitled to a decree awarding to them, subject to the limitations hereinafter set forth, the right to the use of all the balance of the waters of the Jordan River, for municipal, irrigation, culinary, and domestic purposes, to the extent of

4142-657: The June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program's efforts to restore Utah Lake to a habitat in which the June sucker can survive. The intent is to cause a crash in the carp population which will allow the ecosystem to begin to rebuild and the June sucker to reestablish dominance in the lake. The Utah Lake Commission has previously stated its goal is to remove 32 million pounds of carp from the lake, and more than 17 million pounds have been removed as of November 2019. Due to its proximity to

4251-492: The June sucker. The common carp was introduced in 1883 as a source of food after native species had been depleted by overfishing . It is now the most prevalent fish found in Utah Lake. Carp makes up about 90% of the lake's biomass , with an adult population numbering around 7.5 million. The average carp in the lake is about 5.3 pounds (2.4 kg), for a total of nearly 40,000,000 pounds (18,000,000 kg) of carp in

4360-584: The Provo River. The settlers built a stockade called Fort Utah and armed it with a twelve-pound cannon to intimidate the Timpanogots. In August, a Timpanogot named Old Bishop was murdered by three settlers over a shirt they wanted from him. Some Timpanogots shot at cattle or stole corn in response. Winter was especially hard, and Timpanogots stole cattle for food. By January 1850, settlers of Fort Utah reported to officials in Salt Lake City that

4469-477: The Salt Lake Valley. Under the direction of Parley P. Pratt , an exploration of Utah Valley was conducted. The party brought a small boat in which they explored Utah Lake and caught fish with their nets. The first battle between settlers and Indians occurred in early March 1849. A company of forty men was sent into Utah Valley to stop the stealing of cattle from the Salt Lake Valley. The company met in

Utah Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue

4578-473: The Salt Lake Valley; both peoples were competing for resources. Brigham Young ordered the Mormons "to take such measures as would put a final end to their depredations in future". On March 10, 1849, Brigham Young ordered 30 families to colonize Utah Valley, with John S. Higbee president and Dimick B. Huntington and Isaac Higbee counselors. The group of about 150 people headed for Timpanogos territory, and

4687-518: The State of Utah owned the land beneath Utah Lake. In January 2018, the Utah Department of Natural Resources received a project proposal as a potential solution to the lake's nutrient pollution, invasive species, and murky water. The project proposal involved dredging the lake bottom of all nutrient-loaded sediment, replacing invasive plant and animal species with native species, and restoring

4796-545: The State of Utah. Sovereign lands are managed under the public trust doctrine. The Utah State Legislature has designated the Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands as the executive authority for the management of sovereign lands and the state's mineral estates on lands other than school and institutional trust lands. Sovereign lands are defined by the Utah State Legislature as "those lands lying below

4905-423: The Timpanogos viewed this as an invasion of their territory and sacred land. As the colonizers entered the valley, they were blocked by a group of Timpanogos led by An-kar-tewets and warned that trespassers would be killed. Huntington raised his hand and swore by the sun god that they would not try to drive the Timpanogos off their lands or take away their rights. The Timpanogos let them enter. The settlers built

5014-685: The Timpanogos, arguing that the latter was part of the Ute Tribe and not independent. Historically, several independent bands of Utes had lived in the territory of Colorado and Eastern Utah. But their relocation by an act of Congress to the existing Uintah Valley Reservation in the 1880s had the legal effect of a treaty recognizing them as a tribe, as noted by the courts. In 2009, the Timpanogos Tribe, Snake Band of Shoshone Indians of Utah Territory, based in Fort Duchesne, Utah , filed

5123-515: The Uintah Valley Reservation remained. They were to move into it within one year, and be paid $ 25,000 a year for ten years, $ 20,000 for the next twenty years, and $ 15,000 for the last thirty years. (This was payment of about 62.5 cents per acre for all land in Utah and Sanpete counties.) However, Congress did not ratify the treaty; therefore, the government did not pay the promised annuity. Nevertheless, in succeeding years most of

5232-400: The Uintah Valley Reservation within the boundaries established by the case known as Ute V ( Ute Tribe v. Utah , 1997). They sought an injunction against state prosecution within the reservation and acknowledgment by the state as the "Indians of Utah" referred to in the 1861 executive order and 1864 act of Congress establishing the reservation. The Ute Indian Tribe filed with the state against

5341-505: The United States Forest Service, 249,329 acres (1,009 km ) (11%) are managed by other government entities, and the majority of the rest, 1,263,696 acres (5,114 km ) (51%), are privately owned. Two major tributaries account for nearly 60% of inflow by streams or rivers into Utah Lake. The Provo River accounts for 36% of the inflow, and the Spanish Fork river accounts for 24%. Other tributaries include

5450-706: The Utah Ute people were removed to the Uintah Reservation. By 1872 all the Timpanogos had moved to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation , but some occasionally returned to fish on Utah Lake into the 1920s. In 1847, at the time of the Mormon pioneers' arrival, the Timpanogo population has been estimated at about 70,000; their numbers had been dwindling because of competing bands of Shoshone raiders since

5559-464: The Utah Valley. From Escalante's journal, he describes Utah Lake: "The lake, which must be six leagues wide and fifteen leagues long, extends as far as one of these valleys. It runs northwest through a narrow passage, and according to what they told us, it communicates with others much larger. This lake of Timpanogotzis abounds in several kinds of good fish, geese, beaver, and other amphibious animals which did not have an opportunity to see. Round about it

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5668-462: The Utahs is situated in Utah valley ... Much has been done and is doing for this tribe, (the Utahs) ... Strenuous efforts will be made to induce this tribe (the Utahs) to locate permanently ... I visited San-Pete creek farm [reservation] last month, (August,) which is situated in the west end of San-Pete valley and county. This farm was opened about two years ago, under the directions of Agent Hurt, for

5777-697: The Ute Indians in historical documents. Although many historians refer to Sowiette, San-Pitch and their people as Utes, at the time of the Uinta treaty they were known as the Utah Indians or Timpanogos. According to some of their descendants, they became known as the Ute only after moving to the Uintah Reservation and joining other Ute there. In Timpanogos Tribe vs Conway, (2002), U.S. Appeals Court Judge Tena Campbell ruled: "Plaintiff asks

5886-439: The Ute people did not want to sell their land and go away, asking why the groups couldn't live on the land together. Chief Sanpitch (another brother of Walkara) also spoke against the treaty. However, advised by Brigham Young that these were the best terms they could get, the leaders signed. The treaty provided that the Utes give up their lands in central Utah, including the Corn Creek, Spanish Fork, and San Pete Reservations. Only

5995-617: The Wasatch mountains to the east, Juab Pass to the south, and Goshen Pass, West Mountain, Utah Lake, the Lake Mountains, and Cedar Pass to the west. The geography of Utah Valley combined with the prevalence of fossil fuel burning vehicles leads to poor air quality in Utah . The north part of Utah Valley is considered the center of Silicon Slopes and includes headquarters and regional offices of many prominent technology companies including Adobe , Ancestry , Entrata, Intel / Micron joint venture IM Flash , Microsoft , Oracle , SanDisk , Qualtrics , Vivint , Workfront , Xactware and housing

6104-424: The ancestors to the Ute , Paiute , and Northwestern Shoshone moved into the area. As a result, the Fremont people left the area. The third group inhabited the area was the Utes of central Utah and eastern Colorado. The Timpanogot (also called Timpanogos , Timpanogotzi, Timpannah, and Tempenny) band of the Utes inhabited Utah Valley. They were the most dominant band of Utes due to the relative ease of gathering

6213-473: The area has been significant. In 1970, 1980, 1994, 2009 the population was 125,005; 204,102; 277,179; and 555,551 respectively. The most populous city is Provo , with a population count of 114,801 inhabitants. This article about a location in Utah is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Utah Lake Utah Lake is a shallow freshwater lake in the center of Utah County , Utah , United States. It lies in Utah Valley , surrounded by

6322-486: The bottom of the lake, which is already a problem due to the lake's shallowness, resulting in greater turbidity and less sunlight reaching the remaining vegetation. Without cover for their young, native fish, such as the June sucker, become easy prey for white bass, walleye, and other predators. Efforts are underway to reduce the population of carp in Utah Lake by employing local commercial fishermen, led by Bill Loy, Jr., to remove 5 million pounds of carp each year as part of

6431-419: The boundary issue was resolved. Afterward, the state began again to prosecute Ute for offenses in Indian country, apparently to challenge the court ruling. In 2015 the Appeals Court heard testimony from the Ute Indian Tribe plaintiffs and ruled that this disruptive behavior by the state and county officials had to stop, saying that the issues had been settled for nearly 20 years. And the case for finality here

6540-399: The capacity of their several canals, and the right to impound and store all of the waters of said river in Utah Lake." In response to the drought, a pumping plant was installed at the outlet of the Jordan River from Utah Lake. It was the largest pumping plant in the United States at the time. The plant contained seven pumps with a total capacity of 700 cubic feet (20 m ) per second. After

6649-401: The concentration of mineral salts in the water, which can cause problems to agriculture and culinary water supplies. Excess levels of phosphorus come from multiple sources, but namely the wastewater treatment plants, are extremely concerning when it comes to Utah Lake management because high levels can trigger harmful algal blooms and eutrophication There is some discussion as to how much of

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6758-409: The court to make unreasonable inferences and leap to the conclusion that because Mr. Montes and his ancestors are not Ute, the (Timpanogos Tribe), whose members include Mr. Montes, is a Shoshone tribe in existence since aboriginal times and for whom the reservation was set aside. The court will not make that leap, nor will it allow a jury to do so." According to the September 6, 1858 Annual Report of

6867-456: The decree was released, Utah Lake essentially became an irrigation reservoir, and the Jordan River's flow was highly regulated. As a result of the 1983–1984 flooding, a lawsuit was filed for compensation due to flooding based upon breach of contract of the previous compromise level. In 1985, a new compromise level was reached, which governed the maximum level of the lake. The new level was chosen to be 4,489 feet (1,368 m) above sea level. When

6976-399: The development of hydraulic pressure as the ground water slopes toward the middle of the lake. The lake contains a small island called Bird Island , about 2.25 miles (3.62 km) north of the Lincoln Beach boat ramp, near its south end. The island has a few trees and is somewhat visible from Lincoln Beach. During high-water years, the island may be completely submerged, the trees being

7085-465: The earliest known reference to "Utah" as the name of the lake. The precise origin of the name "Utah Lake" is unknown. One possible explanation is that it was named for the abundant reeds in and around the lake, called "Eu-tah". Another explanation is that it was incorrectly named after the Ute Tribe (Timpanogos are often incorrectly referred to as Ute). Utah Lake is within Utah Valley in north-central Utah. Mountains surround Utah Valley on three sides:

7194-416: The early 19th century. Many died from smallpox and other infectious diseases introduced by American settlers, and an early-1850s measles epidemic was particularly devastating. Many Native American tribes had their numbers reduced by more than 90 percent as a result of disease introduced by Europeans. The number of Timpanogos may have been less. "The exact number of all the Indians who lived in Utah Territory

7303-434: The east. Major cities such as Provo and Orem are located between the lake's eastern shore and the Wasatch Range. Utah Lake is a remnant of a much larger pleistocene lake called Lake Bonneville , which existed from 75,000 to 8,000 years ago. At its peak 30,000 years ago, Lake Bonneville reached an elevation of 5,090 feet (1,550 m) above sea level and had a surface area of 19,800 square miles (51,000 km ), which

7412-495: The ensuing years, fewer and fewer Timpanogots lived in Utah Valley, and by 1872, all Timpanogots had moved to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation . However, some Timpanogots occasionally returned to fish on Utah Lake into the 1920s. Captain Howard Stansbury of the United States Army's Corps of Topographical Engineers was ordered to map, survey, and explore Utah and Salt Lake Valleys. In 1850, Captain Stansbury explored Utah Lake and Utah Valley, surveyed and made observation of

7521-478: The federal commissioner of Indian affairs provided estimates of tribal numbers: This gives a total of 18,500 Native Americans estimated to live in Utah in 1859, listing all tribes and bands by names commonly used at the time. Three major groups of Ute Indian bands were placed by the federal government in the Uinta Valley Reservation during the 1880s. Afterward, the Utah Indians (or Timpanogos) became conflated with — and were often considered to have merged with —

7630-401: The fishery. The winter of 1885–1886 caused much of the livestock to die. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints elders sent members in the Salt Lake Valley to Utah Lake to obtain fish; an estimated 96,000 pounds (44,000 kg) of fish were brought back. The first commercial fishery also started the same year. At the 1870 General Conference of the LDS Church, a committee

7739-886: The hearts and gizzards, take the feathers and oil and discard the rest." The Utah Lake wetland ecosystem is an important breeding area and stopover for migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway. Today, about 226 species of birds use the lake as their permanent home or as a stopover on their migration. The Utah Lake Wetland Preserve has been established at the south end of Utah Lake. It contains two units, one at Goshen bay with more than 21,750 acres (88.0 km ) of land preserved, and another unit at Benjamin Slough. Birds seen at Utah Lake include sandhill crane , double-crested cormorant , great horned owl , turkey vulture , golden eagle , cinnamon teal duck, and mallard duck . Parley P. Pratt visited Fort Utah in June 1849 and saw thousands of fish caught by settlers and Timpanogots. He estimated that 5000 barrels of fish could be secured annually from

7848-410: The improvement without conducting scientific measurements. There are several cyanobacteria species that are especially common when phosphorus levels and temperature, among other unknown criteria, are favorable for harmful algal blooms. These are Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Dolichospermum flosaquae species, both of which produce cyanotoxins . If levels are high enough for either species and others,

7957-432: The interest of the state, and authorized "the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands to dispose of state land in exchange for the execution of a project for the comprehensive restoration of Utah Lake," an act which would otherwise be prohibited. On March 21, 2018, Governor Gary Herbert signed HB 272 into law. Critics of the project include ecologists and other scientists raising hydrologic and ecological concerns with

8066-468: The lake has been at a lower level because of a drought. The first European to see Utah Lake was Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante in 1776. He stayed with the Timpanogots band of Ute Tribe for three days. Mormon settlers later settled near the lake beginning in 1849, with the Timpanogots becoming mostly displaced from the area by 1872. The native fish species of the lake were overharvested by

8175-840: The lake is closed to the public. The first inhabitants of the area were nomadic hunter-gatherers of the Desert Archaic Culture . An archeology site, called the Soo'nkahni Village, has been explored next to the Jordan River in Draper . The site dates back 3,000 years, and over 30,000 artifacts have been found. The next recorded inhabitants were the Fremont people who lived in the Utah Lake area from about 400 AD to about 1350 AD. They consisted of small villages of hunters and farmers. They farmed corn, squash, and beans. When climatic conditions changed, they caused trouble for farming. Also,

8284-451: The lake levels, allowing much of the lake to freeze, overcrowding fish in unfrozen portions of the lake. This overcrowding and pollution from agricultural runoff are probable causes of the fish's extinction. The Bonneville redside shiner , mottled sculpin , leatherside chub , Utah chub , speckled dace , longnose dace , mountain whitefish and mountain sucker are no longer in the lake, but still exist in tributaries. The June sucker

8393-468: The lake's bottom, contributing to the turbidity or the impression of pollution seen in Utah Lake's water. Three faults run under Utah Lake. One of the faults, the Bird Island fault, runs under the eastern edge of the lake and helps give rise to hot springs near Lincoln Beach. The other major hot spring is on the northern shore and is called Saratoga Springs . The hot springs mostly result from

8502-461: The lake. As early as 1901, fish and wildlife representatives noted that carp were causing the trout population in the lake to collapse. Due to their habit of grubbing through bottom sediments for food, carp stir up sediments and increase the turbidity of the water. In addition, they destroy submerged vegetation that holds sediments in place and provides shelter for native fish populations. Without vegetation, winds can more easily stir up sediment from

8611-423: The lake. The Bonneville cutthroat trout was historically the top predator fish in the ecosystem but is now restricted to tributary streams. A review in 2008 indicates that viable populations are distributed throughout its historic range and do not merit listing as a threatened or endangered species. The Utah Lake sculpin was last found in 1928 and likely became extinct in the 1930s after severe drought lowered

8720-496: The largest NSA data center . Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University are located in Orem and Provo respectively. They are two of the largest universities in the state and represent approximately 78,000 students. Many inhabitants of Utah Valley are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which operates six temples in the valley. These include the Provo Utah Temple in Provo ,

8829-420: The local wildlife. Historically, there have been four species of amphibia , twelve species of reptiles, thirteen species of fish, 152 species of birds, and forty-two species of mammals found in the environs of Utah Lake. The dumping of raw sewage, destruction of natural habit, hunting, and the introduction of non-native fish species have taken a toll on the native species in and around the lake. Some of

8938-406: The mammals that live around the lake are the big brown bat , the silver-haired bat , mule deer , Botta's pocket gopher , desert woodrat , and striped skunk . There is seventeen known native mollusca to Utah Lake. Only three were reported in the lake ecosystem in 1969, and one species is extinct. The last living example of the thickshell pondsnail ( Stagnicola utahensis ), a freshwater snail,

9047-478: The militia executed them in front of their families and a government surgeon beheaded them after death for research. The militia lost one man and killed 102 Timpanogos. Chief Walkara, also known as Chief Walker , a noted mid-19th-century chief led his people against Mormon settlers in the Walker War . The war included several armed conflicts with settlers and Mormon militiamen . Chief Black Hawk, leader of

9156-465: The only indication it is there. It is a fairly popular destination among fishermen seeking walleye , white bass , and channel catfish . The Utah Lake watershed drains 3,846 square miles (9,960 km ) over mostly mountainous terrain. The watershed's highest point is at 11,765-foot (3,586 m) Bald Mountain in the Uinta Mountains . 782,335 acres (3,166 km ) (32%) are managed by

9265-506: The ordinary high water mark of navigable bodies of water at the date of statehood and owned by the state by virtue of its sovereignty." The Commission was created by State statute in Utah's 2007 General Legislative Session, House Concurrent Resolution 1 , under the authority of the Interlocal Cooperation Act . The Commission is funded and empowered by 17 area governments, including; Utah County and its municipalities,

9374-517: The party. On September 23, 1776, they traveled down Spanish Fork Canyon and entered the Utah Valley . Escalante documented the expedition in his journal, describing the people who lived around Utah Lake: Round about it are these Indians, who live on the abundant fish of the lake, for which reason the Yutas Sabuaganas call them Come Pescados [FishEaters]. Besides this, they gather in the plain grass seeds from which they make atole, which they supplement by hunting hares, rabbits, and fowl of which there

9483-435: The phosphorus is the result of anthropogenic causes and how much is the result of historic phosphorus stored in the lake sediment. Krissy Wilson of Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources stated in 2010 that water quality is now improving, with greater flows of water, among other things, contributing to the improvement. However, the presence and activity of carp, which stir up solids in the water, makes it difficult to appreciate

9592-445: The plentiful local food supply. It was a sacred meeting place for the Timpanogos, Ute and Shoshone tribes. During the spring spawning season, these tribes would meet at Utah Lake for the annual fish festival. At the festival, there was dancing, singing, trading, horse races, gambling, and feasting on the plentiful fish the lake provided. It was also an opportunity to find a mate from another clan. In 1826, Jedediah Smith visited

9701-445: The population through stocking and monitoring; and restoring and maintaining habitat, including the tributaries Hobble Creek and the Provo River. Timpanogos The Timpanogos ( Timpanog , Utahs or Utah Indians ) are a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited a large part of central Utah, in particular, the area from Utah Lake east to the Uinta Mountains and south into present-day Sanpete County . Most Timpanogos live on

9810-450: The project. Specific issues include the fact that the project would likely lead to the creation of anoxic waters due to lake stratification , the destruction of the lake's unique hydrology and biogeochemistry, the release of toxins and nutrients, altering the lake from its natural state, and geology unsuitable for supporting inhabited islands. Other critics disputed the passing of HB272 as an attempt to trade sovereign lands in exchange for

9919-518: The proposal by Lake Restoration Solutions. The division director Jamie Barnes said that the lake bed is sovereign state land and cannot be privatized. In 2008, Utah Lake's carp and channel catfish were found to be contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls , also known as PCB's. After an investigation, no originating source for the PCBs was found. The lake was closed due to contamination from toxic algae in 2016, 2018, and 2019. The June Sucker

10028-405: The roughly 65,000 years that Lake Bonneville existed, sediments built up, creating a lacustrine plain over Utah Valley. As a result, the valley floor and lake bed are relatively flat, which causes the lake to be shallow. The lake has a maximum depth of just under 14 feet (4.3 m) and an average depth of about 10.5 feet (3.2 m). This shallowness allows winds to easily stir up sediments from

10137-498: The seeds and berries which were an important part of the Timpanogos' diet. By fishing with gill nets they took more than they needed, leaving an insufficient amount for the Timpanogos. With their traditional food sources gone, the Timpanogos starved. The settlers also brought measles , endemic to them but an unfamiliar infectious disease to the Timpanogos. Lacking acquired immunity , the natives experienced epidemics with high mortality rates which disrupted their society. They asked

10246-409: The settlers and subsequently restocked with non-native species. Although thirteen species of fish were native to the lake, only the Utah sucker and the critically endangered June sucker remain. The dominant species in the lake is the common carp , introduced in 1883 as an alternative to the overharvested native fish. The carp is now estimated at 90% of the biomass of the lake and contributes to

10355-481: The settlers for medicine to fight the new disease. In August a Timpanogo, Old Bishop, was murdered by Rufus Stoddard, Richard Ivie, and Gerome Zabrisky for his shirt. By January 1850, the settlers at Fort Utah reported the increasing tension to officials in Salt Lake City and requested a military party to attack the Timpanogos. A militia from Salt Lake City engaged the Timpanogos in battle on February 8 and 11. Eleven Timpanogo warriors surrendered on February 14, but

10464-530: The shoreline of Utah Lake has been in dispute between the State of Utah and farmers for many years. The bed of Utah Lake, along with other natural lakes, was granted to the state upon admission to the Union in 1896. However, due to the lack of an exact definition and significantly fluctuating lake levels, intermittently dry areas, and wetlands, including all of Provo Bay, have been claimed and farmed by surrounding land owners. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that

10573-460: The situation was getting dangerous. They wanted a military party to attack the Timpanogots. A militia was sent from Salt Lake City, and on February 8 and 11, they engaged the Timpanogots in battle. On February 14, eleven Timpanogots surrendered but were later executed while their families watched. A government surgeon went to the execution site and cut off the Timpanogots' heads for later examination. One militia man and 102 Timpanogots were killed. Over

10682-442: The spring spawning season at Utah Lake, the tribes hosted an annual fish festival. Timpanogos, Ute and Shoshone bands would come from 200 miles (320 km) away to gather fish. At the festival there was dancing, singing, trading, horse races, gambling, and feasting. It was an opportunity for young people to find a mate from another clan, since exogamous marriage (outside their clan) was required. The shores of Utah Lake became

10791-473: The village of Little Chief, who told them where the people responsible for the stealing were located. A skirmish took place in which four Timpanogots were killed. The settlers named the site of the skirmish Battle Creek, which was later renamed Pleasant Grove . In April 1849, a group of about thirty families came into Utah Valley and settled on the Provo River, very close to the main Timpanogot village on

10900-482: The water level in Utah Lake exceeds this level, the Jordan River pumps and gates are left open. The new compromise level also meant that the lake's elevation was below Jordan River's stream bed. In 1948, a study showed Utah Lake was being seriously polluted. As a result, Utah County cities decided to plan how and where to build sewage treatment plants instead of dumping raw sewage into the lake. By 1954, many cities had constructed sewage treatment plants, but Provo's

11009-498: The water quality before building and developing housing on arch-shaped islands. The proposal became known as the Utah Lake Restoration project, and had an estimated cost of $ 6.4 billion which would be obtained through private investors. The proposal led to the creation of the House Bill 272 - Utah Lake Amendments (HB 272), which asserted that Utah Lake faced serious challenges, that conservation and restoration were possible, and in

11118-485: Was appointed to develop fish culture because of the declining fish harvest in Utah Lake. By 1904, it became illegal to commercially catch any fish except for non-native species. At least 25 species have been introduced into Utah Lake's waters. Thirteen introductions were unsuccessful. Carp, largemouth bass, white bass , black bullhead , channel catfish , walleye , goldfish , yellow perch , blue gill , and black crappie are found in abundance. The golden shiner and

11227-487: Was carried out in Spanish or English, and many of their leaders spoke several dialects of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. While the Timpanogos are typically classified as Ute people , they are a Shoshone band. Other Shoshone bands occupied parts of Utah, and historian Hubert Howe Bancroft wrote in 1882 that the Timpanogos were one of four sub-bands of the Shoshone . The Shoshone and Ute share

11336-548: Was federally listed as an endangered species in 1986. The lower 5 miles (8.0 km) of the Provo River is the only known spawning location for the species. Biologists have been rearing the June sucker in Red Butte Reservoir and releasing them into Utah Lake to help build the population. During the summer of 2005, over 8,000 June sucker were released into Utah Lake. The June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (JSRIP) coordinates and implements recovery actions for

11445-497: Was made between the two tribes." The Timpanogos relocated to the Uintah Valley Reservation. In court cases, they have been classified both as part of the Ute Indian Tribe and outside it. The Ute tribe consists of bands of Uintah, White River, and Uncompahgre Ute people who were forced to relocate to Utah by the Congressional Act of 1880. They gradually intermarried, and some differences between bands lessened. Under

11554-428: Was nearly as large as Lake Michigan . The weight of the lake depressed sections of the lake bottom by as much as 240 feet (73 m) before the surface rebounded when the lake dried up. About 12,000 years ago, the climate of the region became warmer and drier. As evaporation rates exceeded inflow rates, the lake began to dry up, leaving Utah Lake, the Great Salt Lake , Sevier Lake , and Rush Lake as remnants. Over

11663-493: Was no division of the land, and people were free to travel to different villages. They developed an extensive trading network. The Timpanogos lived in the Wasatch Range around Mount Timpanogos (named after them), along the southern and eastern shores of Utah Lake of the Utah Valley and in Heber Valley, Uinta Basin and Sanpete Valley. The band around Utah Lake became dominant due to the area's food supply. During

11772-481: Was reportedly seen in the early 1930s. Four specimens were sent to the Smithsonian Institution in 1911 and the only known location for the snail was Utah Lake. During the 1800s and the 1930s, killing fish-eating birds were seen as a fish conservation measure. Local government entities gave bounties, and upon presenting evidence of offending dead birds, game officers paid the bounties. A report by

11881-584: Was still under construction. Raw sewage was still getting into the lake by 1967. In the State of Utah, the Utah Division of Water Quality and Utah Division of Drinking Water are responsible for the management and regulation of water quality. Lakes, rivers, and streams that exceed the standard levels are then placed on the DEQ 303d list in accordance with the Clean Water Act . The Act requires states to identify impaired water bodies every two years and develop

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