Source: Maxx Austin, October 21st, 2024
According to Utah History to go, Fremont’s namesake, John C. Fremonts “Greatest achievement was in exploring the West and making it known through his lively, readable reports, and his maps.”
Fremont was born on January 21st, 1813 and died on July 13th, 1890. He lived in Savannah, Georgia and California, but lived in a few other places for a short amount of time. He was a prolific explorer and map maker, mainly exploring the West with an American frontiersman: Kit Carson.
He undertook an 1843 – 1845 exploration in Utah and reported on many things including soil, rivers, and maps of the Great Salt Lake. Known as a pathmaker of a number of geographic concepts, such as the exploration of relationships and connections between people and both natural and cultural environments.
Fremont is a very influential person today, and he accomplished many things for Utah, but one of his biggest accomplishments occurred in his 1845 exploration where he traced the Jordan River to the Great Salt Lake. He then mapped the Great Salt Lake, traded goods with Utes, and started a trail across the Great Salt Lake Desert.
Hal Marcovitz (historian and author of Pathfinder of the West) claimed, “One of the great points of the exploration is Great Salt Lake” from the book: John C. Fremont (Pathfinder of the West).
Kit Carson explored with John C. Fremont and was a Mountain Man and a trapper, exploring the West, achieving national fame as a guide for John C. Fremont.
Fremont had and still has an enormous influence and impact with the surrounding areas of Utah. There are even places out of Utah where John C. Fremont had a lot of influence like Fremont Street in Las Vegas: Named after John C. Fremont.
Fremont High School is named after John C. Fremont because of his influence in the surrounding areas and due to Fremont High School’s proximity to the Great Salt Lake, which is one of Fremont’s greatest works.
Fremont has so much impact that people felt pride when they thought about him and learned about his contributions to Utah.
Alicia Mitchell (principal of Fremont High School) expressed, “I love the name sake of our school and I think its fitting because of the history and impact John C. Fremont had, and Fremont stands for adventure, exploration, dare to dream, and don’t be afraid to follow where a path may not have been yet.”
