By Steve Slade

Upper Allen Canyon looking south. The southern end of Allen Canyon was where the Utes spent their summer months. (Janet Wilcox photo)


 "The Utes have been a part of Allen Canyon since the beginning," says Stan Bronson , a member of the Ute History Council. Allen Canyon is a traditional home of the Ute Indians in San Juan County and an important part of their past.

The Indians in Allen Canyon

The history in Allen Canyon dates back to the Basketmaker Anasazi. There are ancient Anasazi roads that pass through Allen Canyon, and Indians have been living there ever since then. There was even an Anasazi city built there by the roads that may connect it to the Anasazi Chaco Canyon. (Bronson)

Mancos Jim, chief of the Avikan Utes and friend of Posey. (San Juan Historical Commission photo)


 The Indians who lived there lived on wild game, livestock that they raised, and crops that they grew in gardens. Some of the wild animals they hunted included bighorn sheep, elk, deer, rabbits, and mourning doves. They hunted mainly with bows and arrows. They had gardens where they grew corn, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkins. (Mike)

Some of the leaders in the last century were Charlie Ketchum, Hansen White, JessePosey, Gene White, Maikach, or Mancos Jim, and Posey. Posey was the leader who started the last Indian uprising in 1923. He was chased but never caught, but the Utes believe that he died when he found some flour that had been poisoned and left for him by the white settlers. (Mike.)

The stream flowing through Allen Canyon provided water for orchards and crops planted in by the Utes at the time of the Posey War. (Janet Wilcox photo)


Allen Canyon is an important part of Ute history in the area. It has a sort of spiritual importance to the Ute Indians in that it has been their home for hundreds or even thousands of years. (Bronson) It is where many of their ancestors have died and been buried. When they go there, they can feel the influence of their ancestors. It has historical importance because it is where they have made their home for many generations. The Ute name of Allen Canyon is Avikan, which means "the home or place where I can rest." (Bronson.) It has very rich soil, lots of good livestock feed, and a good source of water. It was also one of the headquarters of the Utes in this area and many of their leaders lived there. (Bronson.)


The Utes in Allen Canyon continued

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Last Updated July 31, 1997 by Janet Wilcox