John Williams Gunnison
| John Williams Gunnison | |
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| Born |
November 11, 1812 Goshen, New Hampshire |
| Died | October 26, 1853 (aged 40) Millard County near Delta, Utah |
| Cause of death | Murder by Pahvant Indians |
| Resting place | 39°16′51″N 112°46′41″W / 39.280789°N 112.778008°W |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy at West Point, New York |
| Occupation | Captain in the Corps of Topographical Engineers - Surveyor |
| Employer | United States Army |
| Known for | Exploration and surveying of Florida, the Great Lakes and the Western United States |
| Spouse(s) | Martha A. Delony (m. 1841–53) |
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Gunnison Massacre Site
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| Nearest city | Hinckley, Utah |
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| Coordinates | 39°16′45.7″N 112°46′43.7″W / 39.279361°N 112.778806°WCoordinates: 39°16′45.7″N 112°46′43.7″W / 39.279361°N 112.778806°W |
| Area | 81 acres (33 ha) |
| Built | 1853 |
| NRHP Reference # | 76001819 |
| Added to NRHP | April 30, 1976 |
John Williams Gunnison (November 11, 1812 – October 26, 1853) was an American military officer and explorer.
Gunnison was born in Goshen, New Hampshire in 1812 and attended Hopkinton Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1837, second in his class of fifty cadets. His military career began as an artillery officer in Florida, where he spent a year in the campaign against the Seminoles. Due to his poor health he was reassigned to the Corps of Topographical Engineers the next year. Initially he explored unknown areas of Florida, searching for provision routes. However, his health soon forced him out of Florida entirely.
From 1841-1849 Gunnison explored the area around the Great Lakes. He surveyed the border between Wisconsin and Michigan, the Western coast of Lake Michigan, and the coast of Lake Erie. On May 9, 1846 he was promoted to First Lieutenant.
In the spring of 1849 Gunnison was assigned as second in command of the Howard Stansbury Expedition to explore and survey the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. That winter was particularly heavy and the expedition was unable to leave the valley. Gunnison took the opportunity to befriend some Mormons and study The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he finally returned to Washington, DC, he wrote a book titled The Mormons or Latter-Day Saints, in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake: A History of Their Rise and Progress, Peculiar Doctrines, Present Condition.
Gunnison returned to the Great Lakes from 1851–1853, mapping the Green Bay area, and was promoted to Captain on March 3, 1853.
On May 3, 1853 he received orders to take charge of an expedition to survey a route for a Pacific railroad between the 38th and 39th parallels. The surveying party left St. Louis, Missouri in June 1853 and arrived by mid-October in Manti, Utah Territory. In Utah Territory, with Lieutenant E. G. Beckwith as assistant commander, Gunnison began the survey of a possible route, surveying areas across the Rocky Mountains via the Herfano River, through Cochetopa Pass, and by way of the present Gunnison and Green rivers to the Sevier River. His journey took him through the Tomichi Valley in Colorado, where the town of Gunnison is named in his honor. After crossing the Tomichi Valley, the survey team encountered the Black Canyon, carved by the Gunnison River which was also named in his honor. The team was forced to turn South to get around the canyon.
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