Little Emigration Canyon

I hiked the length of Little Emigration Canyon a few days ago. Despite me living in Salt Lake for the past 30 years, I had no idea that there was a Little Emigration Canyon on the east side of Big Mountain until I stumbled across it on Google Earth the day before. I also had no idea that this canyon was the route the Donner Party and the Mormon pioneers took to get over Big Mountain.

I would have had a half dozen ancestors who hauled their carts and wagons through that canyon some 150-60 years ago. The little canyon hasn't really changed much in all that time, and there are still good traces of the trail, fortifications and ponds that the immigrants built. I thought I knew nearly every nook and cranny in the state, so it's nice to find that I can still be pleasantly surprised through my ignorance.

Pete wrote:

I hiked the length of Little Emigration Canyon a few days ago. Despite me living in Salt Lake for the past 30 years, I had no idea that there was a Little Emigration Canyon on the east side of Big Mountain until I stumbled across it on Google Earth the day before. I also had no idea that this canyon was the route the Donner Party and the Mormon pioneers took to get over Big Mountain.

I would have had a half dozen ancestors who hauled their carts and wagons through that canyon some 150-60 years ago. The little canyon hasn't really changed much in all that time, and there are still good traces of the trail, fortifications and ponds that the immigrants built. I thought I knew nearly every nook and cranny in the state, so it's nice to find that I can still be pleasantly surprised through my ignorance.

Got any pics Petey?

That sounds like it would be a really cool place to check out. I have been wondering where a good place would be in that area to see traces of the mormon trail and signs of camps. Might be a cool place to take a metal detector. I just looked at google maps and don't see it labled but there are 2 small canyons that run from the ridge just north of big mtn to the east. Is it one of those?

My 4th great grandfather, James E Davenport was a blacksmith in the advanced mormon pioneer company and I have always thought it would be really cool to wander around the trails that brought him to the Salt Lake valley.

Okay I found it on the map (I was way off). Looks like it is off the jeremy ranch road at the Mormon Flat historic marker.

I'll have to check it out next time I fish Little Dell.

Yes, the canyon heads down from Big Mountain to the Jeremy Ranch Road along East Canyon Creek. There are pioneer fortifications built on the hillside on both sides of the entrance to the canyon. These were built to defend against Johnston's Army. Further up the canyon, about halfway to the top, there are a series of small beaver dams and a small earth-dammed pond that was built as a resting/camping point for the wagon trains.

Here's a Google Earth KMZ file that shows the position of the canyon entrance fortifications: http://utahwildlife.net/Pete/fortifications.kmz