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PARLEY'S HOLLOW 
Gateway to the Great Salt Lake Valley
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(Click Cover for full image)
Florence C. Youngberg
List Price: $16.00
Soft Cover 6 x 9 150p 60 Photos
ISBN 1888106131 Aug 1998
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Stories and over 60 photos explore the rich and
changing history of this Hollow associated with Salt Lake City's early days-from
first settlement in 1848, of people, business, industry, agriculture, parks,
prisons, wildlife, plants, and much more. Parley Pratt, prominent LDS early
leader, discovered this entrance into the Salt Lake Valley. Indexed.
Awards
About the Author
Stories from the Book
Table of Contents
Illustrations Pictures & Index
Visit the Sons of Utah Pioneers Library in Salt Lake City for more history and
photos: 3301 East 2940 South. Call 801 484-4441. Director of the library is
historian Florence Youngberg, who will be glad to show you around and answer
questions. She has produced a 16 page color booklet called Parley's Historic
Nature Park with 31 photos, and it sells for only $8.00.
Click photo for full image
Parley Pratt.
AWARDS
Utah State Historical Society has awarded Florence
Youngberg, author of Parley's Hollow, the 1999 Utah
Heritage Award for excellence in history.
Florence C. Youngberg, resident of Utah, is director of
the Sons of Utah Pioneers Family Research Library, and is the Editor of their
1999 four-volume, 3000 page, Conquerors Of The West: Stalwart Mormon
Pioneers. She also wrote the history of the Granite Education Association.
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Stories from the Book.
PARLEY’S HOLLOW
On the morning of July 22, 1847, two groups of Pioneers entered the valley
which lay east of the great salty lake and west of the Rocky Mountains. The
first ones to enter that day were Pratt, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, and
seven other horsemen. The purpose of their expedition was to make a
reconnaissance of the valley and determine the best place to locate and start
planting seed, etc.
The second group to enter the valley was the Willard B.
Richard’s Company. Starting at 8:30 a.m. from their camp up Emigration Canyon,
they soon caught up with and joined the Orson Pratt Company. They spent about
four hours helping to cut away shrubbery etc. to make the passage easier for the
following wagons. At the end of this time, they took a southwest course.
Early Transportation.
Click photo for full image
William Clayton recorded: "At half past five, we formed
our encampment on a creek supposed to be Brown’s Creek (later known as
Parley’s Creek). We are now five and a quarter miles (southwest) from the
mouth of this canyon."
Parley’s Creek or Canyon, as it is known today, was named
Brown’s Creek by William Clayton and others when the pioneers, on July 20th,
passed over Big Mountain and came in view of Parley’s Canyon. In John
Brown’s Autobiography of a Pioneer, p. 78, he wrote:
"On the 20th (July, 1847) we passed over Big Mountain
onto another Creek which we called Brown’s Creek (now known as Parley’s
Creek) and the gap in the mountain was called Pratt’s Pass."
Parley’s Pass is in Emigration Canyon and Parley’s Creek starts in that
area.
At a meeting of the Pioneers held in the bowery on what is now known as
Temple Square, on August 22, 1847 at 2:00 p.m., on the motion of President
Brigham Young, it was agreed that the northernmost Creek emanating from Wasatch
Mountains be called City Creek. Progressing southward, the streams should be
known as Red Butte Creek and Big Kanyon Creek. Red Butte Creek retained
its name while Kanyon Creek became Emigration Canyon Creek, Big Mountain Creek,
also known as Brown’s Creek, became, in due course of time, Parley’s Canyon
Creek.
It is this Creek and its passage from above the mouth of the
canyon west to about 11th East and the surrounding area, which is the object of
our study.
It is important to establish the fact that Brown’s Creek
and Parley’s Creek are one and the same because in both Thomas Bullock’s
journal and in William Clayton’s journal it is definitely stated that the
first Mormon Pioneer wagon group to enter the valley on July 22, 1847, camped on
"Brown’s Creek" or "Kanyon Creek" and that in order to
reach this encampment on Brown’s Creek (Parley’s Creek), the Company
traveled five and a quarter miles southwesterly. In Thomas Bullock’s journal,
he wrote:
"As we progressed down the valley, small clumps of dwarf oak and
willows appeared; –the grass grown six or seven feet high; many different
kinds of grass appeared, some being ten or twelve feet high. After wading
through thick grass for some distance, we found a place bare enough for a
camping ground, the grass being only knee deep but very thick. We camped on
the bank of a very beautiful stream–Kanyon Creek (Parley’s
Creek)–skirted by very tall grass."
Orson Pratt’s journal entry of July 22, 1847, helps to more clearly
establish this point.
"After riding about 15 miles around the valley on our reconnaissance
mission, we returned and found our wagons encamped in the valley about five
and a quarter miles from where they left the canyon."
He further wrote the next day, July 23, 1847:
"This morning we dispatched two persons ( John Pack and Joseph Mathews)
to President (Brigham) Young, and the wagons which were still behind, informing
them of our discoveries and explorations. The camp moved its position two miles
to the north, where we camped near the bank of a beautiful creek of pure cold
water (City Creek)."
Erastus Snow, another member of the nine horsemen who rode into the valley
July 22, 1847, states in his journal:
"Finding no place equal to that east of the Utah outlet (Jordan
River), we returned to the camp (the Brown’s Creek Camp) that night and the
next day, Friday 23rd, 1847, we moved north to a Creek (City Creek), about
four miles, where we commenced preparations for putting in seed."
His statement of "four miles" is closer to the actual move from the
first camp to the final camp than is Orson Pratt’s statement of "two
miles." It should be noted that some of the Pioneers camped at different
sites between the two places as they came into the valley.
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PARLEY’S CREEK
Suicide Rock
Click photo for full image
Parley’s Creek, as it would become known and as we will hereafter refer to
it, was the largest of the streams of water which flowed from the Wasatch
Mountains.
Parley’s Creek was originally known as " Obit-Ko-Ke-Che
CreekObit-Ko-Ke-Che Creek" by the Indians that frequented the area.
This creek had its beginning high in the Wasatch Mountains to the north near
what is known as Pratt’s Pass near Lookout Peak. It ran through the pass
near Little Mountain Summit and over into Parley’s Canyon.
It was joined by several smaller streams as it came. By the
time it reached the canyon known as Lamb’s Canyon where it was joined by
another stream, it was becoming a good size stream. Other streams from Mountaire
Canyon and other tributaries joined it until it reached the mouth of the Canyon.
After leaving Parley’s Canyon, the stream flowed down
through the hollow, generally working its way in a northwesterly direction where
it was joined by other creeks including Mill Creek, or, as the Indians called
it, Ombit-O-PahOmbit-O-Pah. From here it flowed to the Jordan River where
it joined with that river in the area of 5th South.
The first Pioneers soon gave it the name of Big Kanyon Creek
and it was known as that until Parley P. Pratt surveyed the canyon for a road,
at which time it was given the name of Parley’s Creek, by which it is still
known.
Parley’s Creek, being the largest of the streams close to
Salt Lake City, would now have to go to work to help support the Pioneers who
were coming into the valley in ever increasing numbers. It has been said that as
many as 20 mills were, at various times, located along its banks. All of these
mills required the water from Parley’s Creek to run them.
At the same time, families were moving into the upper canyon
area and establishing ranches and homes. A church, schools, and several inns,
plus other businesses were soon established along its banks or near the area,
all of which required a portion of the water.
See more stories and photos.
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