Brigham Young called Lorin Farr in January of 1850 to move to and settle Ogden, Weber County, Utah. Lorin would serve as a temporal and spiritual leader of the Saints for the next twenty years. It was Lorin Farr's duty to have the immediate supervision of the colonization of Weber County. During the early years Lorin Farr had jurisdiction over all religious activities of the Saints as well as the responsibility to influence the economic and political life of the people. President Farr's hand was felt in every important pioneer activity. His influence was so extensive that it is not possible to measure the dominant role he played in Weber County history during the early period.

It would be well to explore the beginnings of the region of Ogden prior to the Saints settling there. One of the earliest descriptions was given by Osborne Russell, a trapper, who wintered there, camped on the Weber River in December of 1840-41. Osborne recorded in his journal December 20 th : "We moved along the borders of the lake about ten miles and encamped on a considerable stream running into it called Weaver's (Weber) River. At this place the valley is about ten miles wide, intersected with numerous springs of salt and fresh trout and cold water, which rise at the foot of the mountain and run through the valley into the river and lake. Weaver's River is well timbered along its banks, principally with cotton-wood and box elder. There are also large groves of sugar maple, pine and some oak growing in the ravines about the mountains. We also found large numbers of elk which had left the mountains to winter among the thickets of wood and brush along the river." A few weeks later he continued in his journal, January 3, 1841: "On the 3 rd we moved camp upstream to the foot of the mountain in a deep narrow cut. The mountain was very high, steep and rugged. Rising abruptly from the plain about the foot of it were small rolling hills abounding with springs of fresh water. The land bordering on the river and along the stream was a rich, black, alluvial deposit, but the high land was gravelly and covered with wild sage, with here and there a growth of scrubby oaks and red cedars."

Utah is divided by a great central highland into two nearly equal sub divisions represented by massive mountains that come from the north and extend several hundred miles to the south. These mountains terminate abruptly in the Colorado Plateau region near the southwestern border of Utah. The Wasatch Mountains comprise the northern section of this central upland. This central highland runs through Weber County. The slopes of this mountain are steep and precipitous and the peaks are sharp and jagged. Some of these peaks are nine and ten thousand feet above sea level, making them average about 4200 feet above the valley floor. One of the most famous and marvelous peaks is named 'Ben Lomond." It received its name from a woman from Scotland who said this striking mountain was much like the Ben Lomond peak of her native country. It reaches 9,985 feet high.

Another unusual mountain in the Wasatch range is Mount Ogden. Its highest point with an altitude of 9,685 feet is called 'Observatory Point,' so given because of the use made of it by the government in using the peak to make astronomical studies. The Wasatch Range is cut in the center of Weber County by Ogden Canyon. This canyon has narrow, steep sides and is very picturesque. The Ogden River is a sparkling stream of mountain water running lazily from boulder to boulder during the summer, but during the flood period of late springtime it becomes a wickedly impressive volume of water cascading down the canyon. From the Weber Canyon at the south end of the valley flows the largest stream of the region - The Weber River. It comes from the faraway Granddaddy Lake region of the Uintah Mountains more than a hundred miles away. Weber County contains 346,240 acres of land, over fifty percent of which lies in mountain and lake regions. The waters of old Lake Bonneville laid wonderful sediments, which made much of the available acreage for planting some of the richest in the state of Utah. Otherwise, there would have been very little land suitable for crops.

Years before the Mormon colonists came to settle Ogden trappers and fur traders came into every nook and cranny of the land, seeking economic success through their endeavors. Most of their adventures and exciting experiences were lost to time. However, a few trappers left recorded impressions. Men such as Osborne Russell, Peter Skene Ogden, James Clayman, Joseph L. Meek, Warren A. Ferris and Jedediah S. Smith left their recorded experiences. To them we are indebted for early recorded history of the Ogden area. We will refer to some of these experiences to understand better the kind of land our pioneer ancestors would discover. Most trapper information came from the American trappers employed by the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The headquarters were located in St. Louis, Missouri. This company was organized by General William Henry Ashley and Major Andrew Henry. From 1822-24 their trappers were working in the Yellowstone area. This area had been trapped by several companies since the beginning of the century so Ashley and Henry were anxious to try a new area.

They had heard that somewhere south of the Missouri River was a pass leading to a new area filled with streams and beaver to trap. Directed by Ashley and Henry, Jedediah S. Smith, led eleven trappers along the Sweetwater for many miles. They turned north and then found to their delight that they had reached the Continental Divide and the rivers were now flowing in the direction of their travels towards the Pacific Ocean. They had crossed the long sought "South Pass." This was the first known crossing and would provide direction for the coming settlement of the West. This was one of the great achievements in western history. It led to American control of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast. From this time forward the trappers held more rendevous at the junction of the Ogden and Weber River than anywhere else. The discovery of South Pass led to a direct course from St. Louis to the Pacific over the only practicable highway for wagon trains through the almost impassable Rocky Mountains. This led to the settlement of Utah and points westward. (Lorin Farr Biography, in possession of David J. Farr - Pages 56-59)

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We will continue installments on the Lorin Farr history I'm working on. The biography will include Lorin's history as well as biographies on his six wives and his children, as we are able to obtain information. So, if you have any interesting information on Lorin and his family that you think should be in this history, please email, call or send me what you have. I'm also looking for pictures on Lorin, his wives and his children to include. Thanks for your help.