Editing Midway, Utah (section)

==History==
The first known European-Americans to visit the area were members of a fur-trapping brigade led by [[Étienne Provost]], a French-Canadian trapper, in 1824. This expedition explored the region, which was then known as Upper Provo, a name derived from the [[Provo River]] that flows through the valley. While these early visitors did not establish permanent settlements, their journey marked the beginning of exploration in the area.

In the mid-1850s, settlers began to push into the Heber Valley, encouraged by reports from loggers in the nearby mountains who noted the fertile land. Settlers of Utah Valley pushed the [[Utah Territory|territorial government]] to create a road up the Provo Canyon, a proposal favored by territorial governor [[Brigham Young]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heberut.gov/229/History |title=History &#124; Heber City, UT }}</ref>  In 1858, the construction of a road through Provo Canyon provided easier access to the valley, allowing for further settlement. Despite early attempts in 1855 and 1857, harsh winters forced settlers to temporarily abandon the area. Permanent settlement was only achieved in 1858-59, when settlers established several small communities in the valley, two of which were west of the Provo River. These were known as the "upper settlement" and "lower settlement" on the Snake Creek River. The upper settlement was also called Mound City, named for the nearby limestone formations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raty |first1=Leslie S. |title=A History of Wasatch County |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6059&context=etd |website=scholarsarchive.byu.edu |publisher=Brigham Young University |access-date=December 2, 2024}}</ref>

In the 1860s, the upper and lower settlement merged to become Midway, so named because it was the site of Fort Midway, halfway between the two. Though local history claims Midway's creation was prompted by the [[Black Hawk War (1865–1872)|Black Hawk War]], a post office named Midway was in operation at least as early as 1864, before the Black Hawk War began.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=UT&county=Wasatch|title=Wasatch County|publisher=Jim Forte Postal History|access-date=18 Oct 2015}}</ref> The site of Fort Midway is now the town square.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Springer |first1=Jerry R. |title=City History |url=https://www.midwaycityut.org/visit/city-history/ |website=The City of Midway, Utah |access-date=December 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sa9SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c38DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2503%2C5092871|title=You name it - there's a town for it|last=Van Atta|first=Dale|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|page=W6|date=22 Jan 1977|access-date=18 Oct 2015|via=[[Google News]]}}</ref>