Fort Utah
(Did you mean a different Fort Utah)
Fort Utah (2) (1849-1858) - A Mormon settler fort established in 1849 in present day Provo, Utah County, Utah. Abandoned as a fortification in 1858. Also known as Fort Sowiette and Fort Provo.
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History of Fort Utah
Established on 12 Mar 1849 on the Provo River by Mormon President John S. Higbee and about 30 families who were sent from Salt Lake City by Brigham Young. The fort was built around a small collection of cabins and surrounded by a 14 foot high log palisade 20 rods by 40 rods (330' x 660'). The fort was armed with a single cannon mounted on a central platform.
The original fort was moved to Sowiette Park in April 1850 and was popularly known as Fort Sowiette, named for Indian Chief Sowiette, the principal war chief of the Ute. Sowiette liked the Mormons and when the fort was threatened by another band of Indians, Sowiette joined the Mormons inside the fort and helped with the defense. The attackers withdrew and the settlers were grateful for Sowiette's help.
Abandoned as a fortification in 1858.
Current Status
Marker and replica fort in Sowiette City Park, reportedly on the site of the second fort. The inside of the replica is bare with no cabins and entry is blocked by a locked iron gate.
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Location: Provo, Utah County, Utah. Lat: 40.23534 Long: -111.69409 Elevation: {{{3}}} ACME, Bing, Google
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See Also:
Sources:
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 794-795.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1444661
Links:
Visited: 5 Jul 2015