In the foreground lays Murdoch Mountain, in the near distance is Mount Baldy and peeking up behind that is Reids Peak. This is the backcountry of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
The area got its name from the First Nations Ute word “Wasatch” meaning “a low place in high mountains”, and the French word Cache meaning to hide or stash supplies.
The lands, rivers, and lakes around this area provided ample resources and for perhaps 15,000 years this area was home to First Nations Tribes who made their living by hunting and gathering, with at least one known brief episode of farming and horticulture.
By the time of early pioneer settlement in this area, the ancestors of the first Americans were organized into groups historically known as the Ute, Goshute, and the Northwestern Shoshone.