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Help us keep Utah Informed
Utah’s population is growing and becoming increasingly diverse. Net migration is contributing to the majority of growth in the fastest growing counties in the state, rather than natural increases derived from births. In 2020, positive net migration contributed the largest annual share of the state’s population growth this decade.
1Utah Project aims to:
- Counter the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation on social media
- Increase voter participation
- Boost civic engagement for Black, Indigenous, People of Color and all disaffected voters in Utah.
Utah’s Blackhawk War, the Timpanogos Migration, and the Buffalo Soldiers

1Utah Project is sponsoring a presentation at the Scandinavian Festival Conference at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 27. Emily Olsen, interim director of 1Utah Project, will discuss Utah’s Blackhawk War (1865-67) and the Timpanogos Migration. The Timpanogos people of the Snake-Shoshone Tribe, with bands in modern-day Weber, Salt Lake, Utah, and Sanpete counties, had been able to live peacefully next to Mormon settlements beginning in 1847, but a series of disputes led ultimately to a separation. Utah’s Black Hawk War, 1865-1867, was as much a political strategy on both sides as it was a physical war that resulted in the migration of Natives to the Uinta-Ouray Reservation in Northeastern Utah, where thousands still live today. The relationship between the Mormon pioneers and the Utes was unique from other white/native interactions in many ways, but ultimately the Timpanogos had the same fate as other Native American tribes throughout the American Southwest.
The topic is frequently swept under the rug as it is an ugly part of Utah’s past, but it is important that we remember the story and that we can find peace about it. 1Utah Project would like to help preserve this important history and continue the conversation toward healing.
At 11 a.m., Fiona Robinson-Hill from Sema Hadithi will provide a presentation about the role of the Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Duchesne, Utah. The U.S. 9th Calvary, African-American troops who the natives called Buffalo Soldiers, were sent to northeastern Utah near the confluence of the Duchesne and Uinta Rivers from 1886-1912. They served as law enforcement officers to assure that the Timpanogos and Northern Ute bands who experienced a forced migration from both Utah and Colorado stayed west of the Colorado border and east of the Great Basin. The Buffalo Soldiers built Fort Duchesne including their homes, farms and gardens. They built some of the early infrastructure in the area, including a road and a telegraph line through Nine-Mile Canyon. The soldiers often hunted alongside the natives and created a new community for the reservation.
Emily Olsen is the interim director of 1Utah Project (1utp.org), an organization dedicated to encouraging people of color and other disenfranchised people to vote. It also works to correct disinformation in the media build bridges and make connections with people of color and Utah communities. In addition, Emily is a part-time staff writer at the Sanpete Messenger. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. She presently lives in Ogden with her husband Paul.
Fiona Robinson-Hill was born and raised in Salt Lake City but is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and loves traveling. With both her parents minoring in History at the University of Utah, naturally, she felt drawn to it herself and is slowly, but surely, working on her major. She currently works for Grimm Ghost Tours as a guide, investigator, and historian, but volunteers as a historical researcher for Sema Hadithi, an organization working to collect, preserve, and tell the stories of African Americans in Utah, and the Fort Douglas Military Museum. She lives in downtown Salt Lake City with her husband and two kids.
You Have the Power to Impact Utah’s Future.
Utah politics are unique. The way Utah selects candidates can be confusing for people who are new to the state or new to politics. That confusion can dissuade civic engagement.
Utah is one of seven states that uses a convention system in deciding its candidates, and the only state that allows candidates from political parties to skip a primary election for statewide or federal offices if candidates receive 60% of delegate votes.
There are approximately 4,000 GOP delegates and 2,000 Democratic delegates. These few people wield great power. They decide who gets put on a primary ballot, and, therefore, they decide who has the power to make laws in our state.
Candidates may circumvent the convention system by gathering a sufficient number of qualified signatures to gain a place on the party’s primary ballot regardless if they received less than 60% or more of the delegate votes. Signature gathering can be a time consuming and costly endeavor. Some candidates choose not to collect signatures and stick with the delegate’s vote.
By deciding to become a delegate, you have the power to influence the future of Utah and reshape Utah’s politics. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a delegate for your community.
Upcoming Events
27
May
Blackhawk War, Timpanogos Migration, and the Buffalo Soldiers Presentation
10-12 noon at the Scandinavian Festival, Noyes Building, Snow College Campus, 150 College Ave., Ephraim, UT 84627
By Emily Olsen and Fiona Robinson Hill in conjunction with Sema Hadithi
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