San Juan County, Utah is part of the Colorado Plateau and was named after the San Juan River. It was not until 1879 that a full-scale settlement of the county took place. Mormon scouts were sent into the area to determine if a road could be built that would provide easy access for future settlers. As a result of their reports, the Mormon Church called approximately 250 Mormon pioneers to leave Escalante, Utah in the fall of 1879 to settle San Juan County. Along the way they engineered the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail which brought them to the bank of the Colorado River and allowed them to continue their journey. They arrived at Bluff in April of 1880.
From the description of Settling of San Juan County, Utah, ca. 1947. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122354206
