RBC | In the aftermath of the 1879 Ute uprising, U. M. Curtis was involved with the 1880 Congressional investigation and the 1880 Ute treaty which created two Ute Agencies to distribute goods and educate the bands. Curtis was once again listed on the document as interpreter and signed as a witness. At the time, Curtis was living in Douglas County on a homestead with his wife and children. Active at both the White River Agency and the Los Pinos Agency in southwest Colorado, he had traveled extensively. He became familiar with the mining country now available to miners. By 1881 U.M. Curtis was running for sheriff of Gunnison County. U. M. Curtis of Irwin, CO was appointed Brigadier-General of the Colorado Militia. He had left the government service. In July 1882, U. M. Curtis was named as the owner of a gold and silver mine near Lake City, CO ? Later, Curtis was also called in to interpret in 1887 when Garfield sheriff Kendall and others almost precipitated a second Ute War.
How U.M. Curtis came to Utah, where he learned the Ute language is a story. As a boy of 15 years, Uriah Martin Curtis traveled the long trail to Utah. His father, Uriah is listed in the 1850 Iowa Census as “LDS preacher”. Many Morman groups assembled to travel Utah begin anew. According to the Morman Trail records, Uriah Curtis (the father) was elected captain of a group leaving Kanesville, Iowa on June 28, 1852. The Captain Uriah Curtis Company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley October 1, 1852. I believe it was the 16th company to do so. Uriah’s company was comprised of 365 members (50 families)s in 51 wagons. It was also known as the “Scotch Company”. Uriah had four wives by the time he arrived in Utah. His first wife, Phoebe Martin was U.M. Curtis’ mother. One of the sources of Morman persecution was the practice multiple wives. It was that persecution, often violent, that inspired to migration to the Utah Territory. It was their intent to be separated. The Curtis family settled in Springville, Utah. U.M. Curtis helped his father build a stockade around the community.
Not much is detailed about the interaction of the Morman immigrants and the resident Ute bands. U. M. Curtis obviously had close contact with members long enough to learn the language. The July 21, 1892, Vernal Express announced the marriage of ex-U.S. Marshal Uriah Martin Curtis of Ft. Duchesne to Mrs. Sophia Johnson. Uriah’s first wife died in 1890. U.M. Curtis died July 2, 1894, at Ft. Duchesne, Utah at the age of 57 having lived a very full life. I would describe him as a peacemaker during very turbulent times.
Sources: 1850 Federal Census; Coloradohistoricnewspapers.org; University of Utah library digital archives; The Utes, a forgotten people by Wilson Rockwell; Familysearch.org; Wyomingnewspapers.org.
