The Grave of the Indian
Princess
Who was the Indian Princess?
East of the cache location, you will find a large rock with a
plaque on it. The plaque reads:
“This hallowed ground is the burial site of the
daughter and grandchild of Little Soldier,
a Goshute/Shoshone Chief. Originally dedicated in 1861, the site
was restored and re-dedicated in 1989 as a collaborative effort of
the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society, the United States Forest
Service,
the Shoshone Nation and the Boy Scouts of
America.”
I wanted to find out more about the daughter and her father, but
found that very little information is available about the Native
Americans who lived along the Wasatch Front before the pioneers
arrived and settled in the valleys. I did, however, find this
article from the Deseret News, dated Wednesday, May 8,
1861:
“On Saturday last, a young squaw, daughter of Little
Soldier, died in his camp near the Point of the Mountain, between
G.S.L. City and Lehi. The body was taken north for interment on
some creek or in some ravine in the vicinity of Farmington. The
funeral party passed through this city that evening, with the body
wrapped in a blanket, and lashed on a pony, together with some
provisions and other things that were to be deposited with the body
of the deceased. A fine young pony was also taken along to be
killed by strangulation at the place of interment.”
Although the newspaper article doesn’t mention a baby, and the
plaque doesn’t mention a pony, the dates are a good match and most
likely both refer to the same young woman.
Does Farmington have many Indian
graves?
Early histories of Farmington mention that the city contained
two popular Indian campsites (which were often also burial
grounds): this area here, north of the mouth of Farmington Creek,
and the “Horse Bench”, which is possibly the area to the south of
the mouth of Davis Creek. There are also supposed to be petroglyphs
near the waterfall in Davis Canyon. (If anyone knows the
coordinates for the petroglyphs, please send them to me!) The
various Farmington histories record that a group of Indians who
died of smallpox in 1849 were buried north of the mouth of
Farmington Canyon, and that Indians came to the Horse Bench as late
as 1870 to bury their dead at a site the early settlers called the
Indian Burial Ground.
Who was Chief Little Soldier?
To-tads or Little Soldier, as he preferred to be called, was
born near Red Butte Canyon in about 1821. His father’s name was
To-nights and his mother’s name was Tsome-Pom-Pitch. In 1849, due
to his bravery in combat and leadership skills, he became the
leader of a small band of Indians – some Utes, some Shoshoni,
probably some Goshutes as well – numbering anywhere from 100 to 800
souls, depending on which history you are reading. Chief Little
Soldier was generally considered to be friendly to the whites,
though on one occasion his band caused enough turmoil in Weber
County that Brigham Young sent men to disarm the band and forced
them to live in tents in the whites’ backyards for a time.
Little Soldier’s band generally summered in Ogden Valley and
near Morgan, wintered near the confluence of the Ogden and Weber
Rivers, and spent the spring and fall roaming from Ben Lomond to
the Point of the Mountain. The government-appointed Indian agents
mistakenly believed Little Soldier controlled all Indians in these
areas, and showered food and gifts upon him and his band, making
them very unpopular with all the other bands who roamed the Wasatch
Mountains.
Little Soldier had four wives, only one of whom (Wango-Be-Da)
was still living at the time of his death, and possibly 12
children. Two of his other wives may have been Judy and Negess, who
had a daughter named Mary. Little Soldier died April 22, 1884,
possibly from the shock of having several bullets shot through his
wickiup by two drunken Indians during a quarrel or possibly from
pneumonia, and is buried in the Ogden City Cemetery. A photograph
of the Chief can be seen on a plaque at the Ensign Peak Nature
Plaza.
How do I get to the cache?
From the parking co-ordinates on Bella Vista Circle, follow the
Bonneville Shoreline Trail south past the pump house with the green
roof. Follow the ATV tracks up the hill to the southeast just
before the log fence, where the "no motor vehicles" sign is posted.
Then follow the upper portion of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail
south to the cache location. We were able to get to the cache and
back in less than an hour with three kids (ages 6-10). There are
closer trailheads, but those will require a fairly steep climb to
reach the cache.
For a great loop hike with four caches, start at the parking
coordinates for the Shepherd Canyon Cache (GCF5B5). Hike up to the
cache, then follow the Farmington Upper Terrace trail to the
Farmington Bench cache (GCKE0T). From Farmington Bench, follow the
trail as it switchbacks down towards the creek, then head back
north on the upper Bonneville Shoreline trail to this cache. Then
head north on the same trail to the I'll Take The High Road cache
(GC12FNM) and back to your car. Reversing the route, however, is
not recommended, unless you are a heavy duty hiker.
Congratulations to Lord Mot for his
midnight 
FTF!