1976 Exhibit Brochure
In 1825 Peter Skene Ogden and his Hudson Bay Fur Brigade trapped over 80 beaver per day in the Huntsville valley which has been known as Ogden’s Hole or Ogden Valley ever since.
2023 Exhibit Guide
Peter Skene Ogden joined the North West Company of fur trapping and trading at 17 years old. Ogden was sent to lead the Snake Country Expedition in 1821, eventually ending up in Utah. He was a well-known trapper and leader whose company expanded to more than 100 people.
His job was to eradicate the west of beaver in order to make it more desirable to settlers. Ogden and his Hudson Bay Fur Brigade trapped over 80 beaver per day in what is now known as Ogden Valley.
Kaysville Area Connection
Some trappers believed the Great Salt Lake was the Pacific Ocean and chose to circumnavigate it to confirm their discovery. Haight’s Creek was the largest creek in Kaysville at that time and huts believed to have been temporary shelters for exploring trappers were discovered nearby.
Beaver are not known to have inhabited the marshland around the lake, but muskrats were once plentiful along the creeks that emptied into the lake. Trappers may have collected these pelts.
Artist
Harrison Groutage (1925-2013)
Harrison Groutage, from Richmond, Utah, was a painter and educator. His studies included Utah State University and Weber State University, but he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Utah.
Groutage taught as a Utah State professor for over 20 years, and was the chair of the art department from 1965 to 1972. He painted mostly watercolors, as well as some acrylic and oil paintings and murals. His work was chosen to represent Utah in the World Book Encyclopedia, and he was selected as Utah’s Artist of the Year in 1998.
Sources
- “Bicentennial Historical Art Collection.” 1976 Exhibition Brochure, Special Collections, Weber State University. Spelling and grammar corrected.
- Eyes Toward the Past. DVD.
- Karras, Marilyn. “N. Utah Changed by Trapper”. The Ogden Standard Examiner, 09 Jan. 1977, Sun., page 21.
Notes
Copyright owned by Weber State University Storytelling Festival. All rights reserved. Painting shown by Kaysville – Fruit Heights Museum with permission. Painting number 24 in the 2023 exhibit guide.
