Seth Tanner facts for kids

Seth Benjamin Tanner (March 6, 1828 – December 3, 1918) was an important Mormon pioneer, a miner, and one of the first people to settle in Arizona. A famous path in the Grand Canyon National Park, called the Tanner Trail, is named after him.

Early Life and Adventures

Seth Tanner was born on March 6, 1828, in Bolton Landing, New York. His parents were John Tanner and Elizabeth Beswick. His family, like many early Mormons, had to move often across the United States. When Seth was 20 years old, in 1848, his family finally arrived in Salt Lake City.

Soon after, Seth and his older brother Myron headed to California for the California Gold Rush. They hoped to find gold! In 1851, they joined other family members to help settle a new town called San Bernardino. For a while, Seth and his brothers earned money by training wild horses. They would bring these horses from California to sell in Salt Lake. In 1856, Seth tried a new business in San Diego. He invested in a coal company and looked for coal, but it wasn't very successful.

Family and Moving to Arizona

Seth Tanner married Charlotte Levi in 1858 in Pine Valley, Washington County, Utah. They made their home in North Ogden and had seven children together.

After Charlotte passed away in 1872, Seth moved his family to Payson to be closer to other family members. In 1875, a leader named Brigham Young asked Seth to go on an important trip. Seth and James S. Brown were to explore Arizona and find a good place for people to settle near the Little Colorado River.

Seth later returned to Utah Territory. In 1876, he married Anna Maria Jensen. Then, he moved his family to Arizona. They lived in a quiet cabin near Tuba City, on what is now the Navajo reservation. Many travelers stopped at his cabin because it was on a main route. Anna Maria did not have her own children, but she lovingly raised Seth's children in their remote home.

Helping with Expeditions and Making Friends

Seth also helped with a very difficult journey called the Hole-In-The-Rock expedition. He was a guide for the first group of explorers. He led them to the Bluff area after they reached Moenkopi. If the whole expedition had followed Seth's route, they would have saved a lot of time. His suggested "long way" would have taken about six weeks, but the "short cut" they chose took six months!

Seth Tanner was known for getting along well with both the Navajo and Hopi people. He and his children learned their languages. The Navajo people called him Hastiin Shush, which means "Mr. Bear." His sons were called Shush Yaz, or "Little Bear." Even today, Seth Tanner's family runs trading posts in the Southwest, which are stores that trade goods with Native American communities.

People said Seth was a modest and thoughtful man. When he traveled with others, he was often the one who hunted and fished to provide food for everyone. Seth was a quiet man who loved the desert. He explored a lot of Northern Arizona. He also looked for minerals and tried mining, but he didn't become rich from it. His name is still well-known in northern Arizona, and many natural places are named after him. Seth Benjamin Tanner passed away in Taylor, Arizona when he was 90 years old.