The Road

The extension of the Millcreek Canyon claim begins about 10 miles from the mouth of the canyon. At this point the paved road ends in a parking lot at the Big Water Trailhead. The extension of the Millcreek claim heads east from this point up and over the ridge dividing Salt Lake and Summit Counties. This claim is an old dirt road that does show signs of having been constructed. In many places the road passes through obvious road cuts. However, there are also signs that this road has not been used by vehicles in quite some time. One such example is a beaver dam that is constructed in the road. This beaver dam is so old that the pond it once formed is no longer there and the dam itself is falling apart. As the claim approaches the saddle between Salt Lake and Summit County, the Canyons Ski Resort can be seen in the distance. The border between the two counties marks the end of this claim. From this point USGS topographical maps show the trail becoming a dirt road that continues down from the ridge into the Canyons Ski Resort.

Criteria*

"The right-of-way for the construction of highways over the public lands not reserved for public uses, is hereby granted."

Construction: "Means an intentional physical act or series of intentional physical acts that were intended to, and that accomplished, preparation of a highway by a durable, observable, physical modification of land for use by highway traffic."

The road cuts that this route follows are evidence of it having been intentionally constructed.

Highway: "Means a thoroughfare that was prior to the latest available date used by the public, without discrimination against any individual or group, for the passage of vehicles carrying people or goods from place to place."

We cannot say for sure why this road was originally constructed. It was most likely built by an individual trying to access additional timber resources or grazing areas in the canyon. At one point the road may have also been used as an alternate route to Summit County.

Unreserved public lands: "lands owned by the United States...that had not yet been set aside, dedicated, withdrawn, reserved, settled, preempted, entered, appropriated, or disposed of, or on which claims had not been located."

If this route was first constructed to access timber resources in the upper reaches of Millcreek Canyon, it was most likely done in the mid to late 1800’s. It is known that Archibald Gardner, who was very active in the canyon at this time, owned a mill in the vicinity of what is now the parking lot at the Big Water Trailhead.
(*Definitions are taken directly from “The Revised Statute (R.S.) 2477 Rights-of-Way Act.”)

History

Little is known about the history behind the route that extends into upper Millcreek Canyon from the end of the paved road. Beyond vague mentions of logging and grazing taking place in the general vicinity of this claim, little can be found with regard to specific activities in the area, or individuals involved. It is known that Archibald Gardner owned and operated a sawmill at the end of what is now the paved road up the canyon. The road extending from here could have been constructed as a supply route for the timber being harvested from the upper reaches of the canyon. Although there is no evidence of any significant mining activity taking place in this part of the canyon; during the mining boom in the early 1900’s the road may have been built by prospectors searching for mineral deposits in the area.

Whether or not the road was initially built with the intentions of going up and over the ridge, it did eventually provide a route into Summit County and the mining towns that were established there. The last continuous use of the road probably facilitated the grazing that was taking place in the canyon into the 1960’s. Because Millcreek was one of the few canyons along the Salt Lake Valley that was not designated as a watershed, it saw significant grazing. The Millcreek Extension claim may have been used at one time to access the herds of cattle and sheep that were grazing in the canyon, or to transport them into and out of the upper reaches of the canyon.

Sources

Keller, Charles L. Lady in the Ore Bucket: A History of Settlement and Industry in the Tri-Canyon Area of the Wasatch Mountains. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: University of Utah Press, 2001. p 57.

Keller, Charles L. From a conversation on October 12, 2005.

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Relevant Documents

Map of the Millcreek Canyon Claim Extension