New Heber City memorial honors Ute chief who chose peace

A view of Heber City Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

Saturday dedication recognizes a Ute leader who sought coexistence during a period of displacement and broken treaties

HEBER CITY, Utah — A new memorial honoring Ute Chief Tabby-To-Kwanah and his son, Tom Tabby, will be dedicated Saturday, May 2, at Heber City Cemetery, marking a public effort to recognize a significant chapter of Heber Valley’s early history.

The ceremony will mark the installation of a monument, statue, and historical plaque at the cemetery, where Tom Tabby is buried. The event is hosted by the Wasatch Community Foundation and the Sons of Utah Pioneers.

The afternoon program is expected to include Native American singers, a Native American flute performance, historical remarks from Alice Hicken and Mary Murdock Meyer, representatives from local government, and a direct descendant of Chief Tabby, according to the city’s announcement.

Chief Tabby-To-Kwanah, whose name means “Child of the Sun,” was a Ute leader remembered in local history for seeking peace between Native people and settlers during a period of displacement, broken treaties, and violence in Utah Territory. Heber City described him as a leader who “worked tirelessly to protect his people while seeking peaceful coexistence with settlers.”

The memorial also honors Tom Tabby, whose grave is marked by a simple sandstone stone bearing the initials “T.T.” beneath a pine tree at the cemetery. According to Heber City and Utah History to Go, Tom Tabby died in a hunting accident during the Black Hawk War period in the mid-1860s. His father carried his body to Heber City and asked that he be buried according to Mormon customs. Joseph Stacy Murdock agreed to conduct the burial, and Tom was laid to rest among members of the Murdock family.

After the burial, Chief Tabby also honored his son in Ute tradition. A cemetery account cited by Heber City and Utah History to Go says Tabby told those gathered, “My son has been buried in the white man’s custom,” before continuing the rites in his own.

The story has endured in Heber Valley as both a burial account and a symbol of the difficult balance Tabby-To-Kwanah tried to maintain. He led Ute bands who moved through central and eastern Utah, including lands that later became part of the Heber Valley. In the 1860s, as Native people were pushed from their homelands, conflict intensified across the region.

Heber City’s account notes that an 1865 treaty sought to relocate many Ute bands to the Uinta Basin in exchange for payments, supplies, and services, but the treaty was never ratified by Congress, and the promised goods were never delivered. As some bands joined Black Hawk in open conflict with settlers, Tabby-To-Kwanah chose a different path, leading his people to the reservation while continuing to advocate for their survival.

The ceremony will take place Saturday afternoon at Heber City Cemetery. For more information, visit www.heberut.gov.