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On Zion's Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape

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For the past several years, I have lived in a place with Mount Timpanogos practically in my backyard and a great view of Utah Lake close by. I have been aware of some of the recent history of American Fork and Provo canyons and Utah Lake as well as the folklore told about Timpanogos Cave. However, like most people in Utah Valley, I have been unaware of where these places really fit in history. This book was written to inform us of the forgotten history - that Utah Lake was once the dominant feature that this valley was known for, and that Mount Timpanogos (often referred to locally as "Timp") is actually a very recent landmark. The book is made up of a long introduction, which gives a good summary of the entire book, followed by three parts that tell different aspects of the same story.

In the first part, the book tells about the Indians that inhabited the valley (not the mountains) and depended on the lake and rivers for trout and other food fish. When the Mormon pioneers came, they coexisted with the Indians in both the Salt Lake and Utah valleys for a time, sharing the hot and warm springs near the Great Salt Lake as well as the fishing places at and near Utah Lake. At that time, the mountains to the east were simply that - "the mountains." The Indians were eventually forced out to reservations, and the settlers continued using Utah Lake until the 20th century when it was polluted and forgotten, except as a shallow lake mostly populated with trash fish, and the site of Geneva Steel.

Part two explains that as the lake vanished from prominence, Mount Timpanogos was turned into a landmark in the 1910s and 20s in a campaign spearheaded by a BYU faculty member, Eugene Roberts, who led hikes to the top and made up the legend of the Indian princess that is still retold to visitors of Timpanogos Cave. The book goes into great detail about how the hike became an institutionalized yearly event which was repeated into the 1960s before being discontinued, although individuals and smaller groups still continue to make it today. It also traces the history of hiking from Europe to the United States to fit the Timp hike into context, as well as giving a brief history of places such as Sundance, Mutual Dell, Aspen Grove, and Timpanogos Cave.

The third part discusses the history of naming places throughout the United States in memory of the original inhabitants, often creating legends to go along with them. It shows that what has happened in Utah is similar to what has happened in the rest of the country - as the Native Americans were forced out of the land, Indian-sounding names and legends were created to commemorate them, so that what we tend to know about them was largely fabricated. Ironically, some of these legends have now been picked up and retold by Indians living today as authentic - including the one that is retold about Timpanogos Cave, even though the particular formation mentioned is in a part of the cave that was not accessible until a passage was made between the original two caves.

I found most of the book to be very interesting, although parts of it were very tedious to get through. In putting everything in perspective in history, it seemed as if the author was continually going off on tangents, although I'm sure others may find these parts more interesting than I did (there were over 45 pages devoted entirely to "Lover's Leaps," for instance). I also found that a dictionary was often a handy accessory.

The author tends to write very long paragraphs with a single footnote at the end, so it is difficult to pin down many of the sources, and for some of the material which should have had sources cited, there were none. Near the beginning of the notes the author states that many secondary sources regarding LDS history aren't cited because there is a great bibliography available for them, but it would have been much more helpful to not leave the reader wondering where some of the information came from.

The history of the LDS Church is recited in varying degrees of detail from its founding to the settlement of Utah, dealings with the Indians (although they were considered to be descendants of the Lamanites, there was limited success in coexisting peacefully), and then up through the present day in relationship with the subject of the book. However, there are some dubious claims made, some exaggerations, and some things that are arguably untrue. In some cases this is a result of using questionable theories from secondary sources and stating them as facts.

For instance, it is stated that "A reluctant pragmatist, Woodruff meant his 1890 edict (popularly known as the Manifesto) to be a delaying tactic. On the basis of a revelation given to Joseph Smith, many Mormons expected the Millennium to begin in 1891." While there is evidence that some members expected the Second Coming to happen at about that time, due largely to a revelation given to Joseph Smith that is contained in Doctrine and Covenants section 130 (at the end of which Joseph notes that he's unsure of the actual meaning), it seems unlikely that the Manifesto would have even been issued if Wilford Woodruff expected it to be that imminent.

Another example is the statement that "In 1981 the Church quietly revised the Book of Mormon passage relating to the promise of the Lamanites: they would become `pure and delightsome' instead of `white and delightsome.'" The implication is that the text was changed to try to make the Book of Mormon less racist. This change was actually made in the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon, but was then forgotten (because later editions were based on the 1837 edition) until it was restored in the 1981 edition, where it is noted that "Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith." It's doubtful that Joseph Smith had racism in mind when the change was made or other similar verses would have been changed as well.

To Farmer's credit, when he discusses the recent studies that show no relationship between the DNA of "contemporary native peoples of Israel and the Palestinian territories and of contemporary native peoples of the Americas," he states that it's possible that the Lamanites were absorbed by other population groups, and that "The science of historical genetics is young; the evidence is sure to change." However, in the footnotes he only cites the works of those that claim the DNA issue to be problematic.

For anyone interested in the history of Utah, the West, Native Americans, place names, hiking, environmentalism, or any of the other topics covered, there should be something of interest in this book. Even the casual reader can read the parts of the book they find to be of most interest and learn some of the history that has largely been forgotten. It seems that the author has met his goal in writing it - I have a new appreciation for and a renewed interest in the landmarks that make up my surroundings, both the lake and the mountain.

I saw this book mentioned on a blog, and thought I would pick it up. I have lived in Utah for 43 years, and have always felt that there is something magical to this area of the world as far as the terrain is considered. What I would give to see Utah and the western region before modern man enveloped it. This book is a terrific history to imagine just that. What it was like before modern man moved westward. I really enjoyed the history, and the way it was written. Never boring, always moving in a direction. Very enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys the Utah region and historical significance.

My husband is enjoying reading the book, On Zion's Mount. This book was on a list of recommended readings for the staff and employees of the Church History Library.

I enjoyed this book very much. I have always loved Mount Timpanogos and appreciated the old and newer folklore and fact about it. Thanks Jared!