EuroAmerican Explorers
Language is powerful - and can be destructive.
Quick: Who discovered the Great Salt Lake?
?????
Answer:
Who knows??
We have no idea who “discovered” the Great Salt Lake—because whoever it was lived a long, long time ago—maybe 10,000 years ago. And she (or he) didn’t write about it.
It’s funny, or maybe it’s not funny, that when we say someone discovered a place, what we’re really talking about is the first person of European ancestry to see a place.
A simple phrase can almost make it seem like the indigenous people don’t count, or didn’t even exist!
EuroAmerican explorers made a difference.
The first Euro Americans to visit and describe places did make a difference for the people who followed--when they described the places in journals, maps, or books for others to learn about.
Would you do it?
Why would someone head out into completely unknown territory (no Wal-Marts out there!) with a few companions, a gun, a horse, and a few pack mules maybe?
If you did this, you’d have to deal with:
- fast, deep rivers, rugged mountains, and hot deserts;
- thick vegetation where nobody had made a trail;
- grizzlies and rattlesnakes;
- Native Americans who may or may not appreciate you coming through their land;
- snow, heat, thirst;
- illness and injuries;
- figuring out where you were and where you were going;
- and a lot more.
Some people liked these challenges! They liked solving problems and accomplishing hard things using their skills and wits.
And--lots of people still do like all these things.
The quest: to answer questions.
Before the 1800s, non-indigenous people knew of a vast land north of Santa Fe and between St. Louis and the West Coast. But they didn’t know much about it.
People explored to:
- Find routes (for trading, and later for railroads).
- Find ways to make money (by fur trapping or mining, for instance).
- Get information that would help development and settlement.
- Gather scientific information.
And, sometimes,
- Have adventures.
Get an overview of explorers and trappers in Utah, 1765-1850s.
See these specific stories:
How are people still exploring today?
Not all exploring is about investigating the land. You can explore ideas, ways to make the world better, scientific and social questions, and also history.