San Pitch Utes

Birdseye view of the town of Manti and the Sanpete Valley

The San Pitch Utes (Sahpeech, Sanpeech, Sanpits, San-pitch) were members of a band of Ute people that lived in the Sanpete Valley and Sevier River Valley and along the San Pitch River. They may have originally been Shoshonean, and were generally considered as part of the Timpanogos.[1]

Mormons settled in the Sanpete Valley in the winter of 1849–1850. They brought measles which decimated the San Pitch Utes. Mormons established the town of Manti and the Utes continued to camp, hunt, and fish near there. Those who had horses hunted traveled for hunting grounds. Generally, the band was having difficulty finding sufficient food and Chief Sanpitch and Walkara asked the Mormons to teach them how to farm. There were few band members who were interested in embracing agriculture. More than 100 Utes were baptized in Manti Creek by the Mormons, but many Utes made half-hearted conversions and the band continued their traditional ceremonies. The Utes asked settlers for food, which was upsetting to some of the Mormons. Brigham Young assigned Indian Agents for the Pahvant and Uintah tribe districts.[2]

San Pitch Utes were classified as members of the Uintah tribe by the U.S. government when they were relocated to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation.[3]

## Notable people[edit]

* Chief Aropeen
* Chief Sanpitch, for whom Sanpete County, Utah is named.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Forney, Jacob (September 6, 1858), Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, UTAH SUPERINTENDENCY, September 6, 1858, by Jacob Forney, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, W.T., pp. 209–213
2. ^ Simmons, Virginia McConnell (May 18, 2011). Ute Indians of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. University Press of Colorado. p. PT102. ISBN 978-1-4571-0989-8.
3. ^ Bakken, Gordon Morris; Kindell, Alexandra (February 24, 2006). "Utes". Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West. SAGE. ISBN 978-1-4129-0550-3.

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Ute people

Overview|

* Native Americans in the United States
* Ute dialect
* Ute mythology

Historic bands
within contemporary
groups|

| Northern|

* San Pitch
* Seuvarits
* Timpanogos
* Uncompahgre (Tabeguache)
* Uintah
* White River Utes (Parianuche, Yampa)

|

Southern|

* Capote
* Muache

Ute Mountain|

* Weeminuche

Integrated with
the Paiute|

* Moanunts
* Pahvant

Culture and
religion|

| Ceremonies
and religion|

* Native American Church
* Sun Dance

|

Ancestral lands
and trails|

* Bears Ears National Monument
* Cañon Pintado
* Mineral springs at Manitou Springs
* Old Ute Trail (later Old Spanish Trail)
* Spring Creek Archeological District
* Ute Mountain Ute Mancos Canyon Historic District
* Ute Pass

Notable people|

* Black Hawk (leader during the Black Hawk War)
* Buckskin Charley, also called Sapiah, (Ute chief)
* Chipeta (Ouray's wife and Ute delegate)
* Colorow (Ute chief)
* Chief Ignacio (Weeminuche band chief)
* Chief Jack House (last traditional chief)
* R. Carlos Nakai (flutist)
* Nicaagat (leader during Battle of Milk Creek)
* Chief Ouray (Uncompahgre band leader)
* Polk (Ute-Paiute chief)
* Posey (Ute-Paiute chief)
* Joseph Rael (dancer, author, and spiritualist)
* Sanpitch (Sanpete tribe chief)
* Raoul Trujillo (performer)
* Chief Walkara, also called Chief Walker (leader during the Walker War)

Westward expansion
and conflicts|

* American Indian Wars § West of the Mississippi (1811–1924)
* Ute Wars (1848–1923)
* Walker War (1853)
* Colorado War (1863–1865)
* Black Hawk War (1865–72)
* Meeker Massacre (1879)

Reservations|

* Southern Ute (Southwestern Colorado)
* Uintah and Ouray (Northern Ute Tribe, Utah)
* Ute Mountain Tribe (West-southwest Colorado)

Related articles|

* Indian Reorganization Act
* List of prehistoric sites in Colorado
* Prehistory of Colorado
* Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum
* Ute Indian Museum
* Ute Indian Rights Settlement

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