In 1776, Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez left
Santa Fe, New Mexico attempting to find a route to the missions of California.
During their journey, usually referred to as the
Dominguez-Escalante Expedition, Escalante and his companions travelled
through western Colorado, circled around southern Utah and passed by the north
rim of the Grand Canyon on their return to Santa Fe having never reached
California.
In 1866, Captain James Andrus led members of the Southern Utah militia
through the Escalante area during the Black Hawk Indian
