Western Still Life

by Marty Fancy

Title

Western Still Life

Artist

Marty Fancy

Medium

Photograph

Description

Antique farming tools located at Fielding Garr Ranch, Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, Utah.
The Fielding Garr Ranch is located at Garr Springs which is one of the strongest and most consistent springs of the 40 known springs on Antelope Island though even this spring has shown some signs of drying up in recent years. The ranch is one of the oldest working ranching operations in the Western United States. The ranch was initially established in 1848, the year after the first Mormon pioneers came into the Salt Lake Valley. Fielding Garr, a widower with nine children, was sent by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to live on Antelope Island and establish a ranch to manage the church's Tithing Herds of cattle and sheep. The first building was an adobe house, built in 1848, and it is still in existence as the oldest building in Utah, built by pioneers of European descent, that still remains on its original foundation. The adobe ranch house was continuously inhabited thereafter until 1981 when the State of Utah prepared to set up Antelope Island as a Utah State Park. At various times other people tried to live on the island, but the harsh conditions, isolation and a lack of fresh water made it very difficult.

The ranch remained under the control of the LDS Church until 1870, when it was purchased by John Dooly, Sr. Dooly lived on the island and set up the Island Improvement Company to provide cattle and sheep ranching. At one point the island supported a population of 10,000 sheep and it was one of the largest sheep ranches in the USA. In 1893, John Dooly and William Glassman imported 12 American Bison to the island. Buffalo (American Bison) were becoming extinct over much of their range at the time, and he felt that their novelty value was high enough that he could ranch them, and charge people to hunt them.

Ranching continued until 1981, when Antelope Island State Park was established. The cattle and sheep were removed and the island park was created to protect the wildlife.

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April 10th, 2015

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