“Enterprising Young Men”

The canyon to your right and the river that flows through it are named for John H. Weber, a former Danish sea captain who came to America in 1810. Following paths established by native Ute and Shoshone, Weber arrived here in 1824, leading a group of trappers employed by the Ashley-Henry fur trading enterprise of St. Louis, Missouri. They came to the Rocky Mountains in search of adventure and quick profits. They found the Wasatch country teeming with beaver and carried back tales of lush valleys where land could be had for the taking.

The St. Louis based beaver fur trade reached its peak in the 1830s. By 1840, most beaver had been trapped out, and the fashion world was calling for silk instead of beaver to make men’s top hats. With the decline of the western beaver fur trade, many former trappers and mountain men took to guiding travelers and land hungry settlers west.

Top hats made of beaver felt were in great demand by fashionable dandies in Europe and the eastern seaboard of the United States in the early 1800s.

Trappers usually wore buckskins, Indian made and often gaily decorated. A flint striker, traps, rifle, powder, lead, and skinning knife were all the equipment they needed.

This historic marker is located in Echo, Utah