The “Indian Tree” at 145 Century Drive, near 2nd Street in Ogden, was a campsite landmark used by Indians as late as the 1880s — meat would be hung to dry on the branches

An excerpt from the Autobiography of Sarah Stone Crowther, manuscript, typed 1959 by Macel Stone Montgomery, pg 1. Excerpt printed on history blog History of 2nd Street, Ogden, Utah.

A very large [cottonwood] tree stands on the place [today’s 145 Century Drive in Ogden] and it has been there for fifty years.  It is a monstrous tree today measuring around the trunk, and its outspreading branches are a sight to behold, and I am told it is the largest tree in Weber County.  Many times my brothers have wanted to cut it down but I have always put up such a fight for it that I have won out and the tree still stands.  There used to be another tree like this one in a field below us and many more smaller ones.

When I was a little girl about eight years old (1880) great companies of Indians used to come to this spot and camp for weeks at a time.  This use to please me.  I have always liked the Indians and then they were so peculiar in their mode of living.  I have seen five and six wicki-ups planted in between the trees and they always had lots of horses with them. There were always papooses and I was crazy to see them.  They use to hang their meat in the trees to dry. 

They would beg for everything they saw, and sometimes old bucks would get drunk on whiskey and then we were afraid of them for they would quarrel and shoot at each other and someone would have to get an officer of the law to quiet them.  They would stay for a few weeks and then they would all go again.

[According to the blog linked above, this tree lived until approximately 1997. It was cut down in 2005, and a subdivision now fills the area. The blog has photographs of the tree while it still stood.]

A collection of documents, excerpts, and photographs relevant to the so-called Weber Ute people of Northern Utah. Not a complete history — research aid only.