CHAPTER
7
EARLY ENTERPRISES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IP ishing was one of the first industries, along with farming and ranching, in Utah County. 1 In 1847 Parley P. Pratt arrived at Utah Lake to fish, being the first M o r m o n and possibly the first AngloEuropean to do so. Writing of his fishing tales, Pratt commented: "Utah Lake abounds with suckers, salmon trout [native lake trout], and various kinds of fish."2 In 1849 a settlement in Utah C o u n t y (Provo) was approved, with the express purpose of exploiting the rich fishing resources of Utah Lake. George Washington Bean, a member of the first colonizing group, recalled: We soon found out that the Provo River region was the great place of gathering of all Ute tribes of central Utah valleys, too, on account of the wonderful supply of fish moving up the stream from the Lake to their spawning grounds each spring. Indeed, so great was the number of suckers and mullets passing continuously up-stream that often the River would be full from bank to bank as thick as they could swim for hours and sometimes for days. The fish could be taken in all ways and places and the Indians could feast from morning to night for weeks.3 129
