On July 29, 1776, Fathers Dominguez and Escalante and their party of 10 left Santa Fe, New Mexico, seeking a new route to Monterey, California. After nearly 1000 miles, they and their two native guides reached the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon on Sept. 23, 1776. From a hill they saw the lake and broad valley, bordered by Yuta Timpanogotzis Indian villages, and named it the Valley and Lake of Our Lady of Mercy of the Timpanogotzis. They remained in the valley for four days, meeting with the Indians and teaching them about Christianity and salvation. The hill the padres climbed was dedicated as Dominguez Hill 200 years later in 1976, and a 37 ft. high cross was erected there and dedicated in 1981.