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Park History |
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Human footsteps have covered Glen Canyon for thousands of years. Beginning with ancient paleo-Indian cultures in archaic times, history has woven a rich and varied tapestry of human experience. In all cases, the land and the people's reaction to it is an integral part of Glen Canyon's cultural landscape. Listed below are just a few of the stories of man in the canyon country. ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS
Prehistoric Indians migrated seasonally through the canyon country, but they left little evidence of their life here at Glen Canyon: a few stone tools, grinding stones, remnants of baskets. Gradually, these ancient Indians learned to farm crops of corn, beans, squash, and cotton, and they built more permanent residences - pithouses - which were dug partially into the ground and roofed with mud-plastered brush. Bows and arrows eventually replaced spears; pottery replaced baskets. The Indians, known today as Ancestral Puebloans (called "Anasazi" by the Navajo, a word loosely translated as "ancient ones"), began to build masonry houses, kivas, and storage rooms. The Ancestral Puebloan culture dominated much of the southwest in the 12th and 13th centuries. Large communities, living in stone-and-masonry pueblos, were supported by agriculture and trade. Finely-made pottery and jewelry were produced. A complex ceremonial religion was developed. But, in the latter part of the 13th century, most cliff dwellings and other communities were abandoned. Perhaps the soil had been depleted and forests cut down for firewood and building. Perhaps climatic changes contributed to the exodus. For whatever reasons, the Anasazi left the mesas and canyons and moved to the south. The Pueblo Indians living along the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico and the Hopi Indians of Arizona are believed to be descendants of the Ancestral Puebloans. DEFIANCE HOUSE The Glen Canyon area was probably on the outskirts of Ancestral Puebloan settlement. No large communities were built in this area, but a few small cliff dwellings and other archeological sites have been found. Defiance House, three miles up the middle fork of Forgotten Canyon, is one of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan dwellings in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Defiance House was discovered in 1959. Exploring the area before Lake Powell was created, University of Utah archeologists followed a dangerous hand-and-toe-hold trail up the sandstone cliff and were delighted to find an Anasazi site where "most of the roofs were still in place, and... two perfect red bowls still had scraps of food in them." They named the site "Defiance House" for the large pictograph (rock painting) of three warriors brandishing clubs and shields.
Defiance House was occupied from about 1250 to 1285 AD. No one knows why the Ancestral Puebloans built in such an inaccessible place. The site is protected from the elements in the winter, and it is shady and cool in the summer. Or perhaps it was a place of refuge, easily defensible high in the cliff. Were the three defiant warriors painted on the cliff wall to warn potential enemies? Perhaps we'll never know. Nor do we know why the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned Defiance House. Drought, food shortages, enemies, or overuse of the land could all have contributed to the exodus. The structures and rock art are very old and are fragile. Please do not sit, lean or stand on walls. Enter buildings only through doorways or by ladder into the kiva. Do not touch or deface rock art, or carve graffiti. THE EXPEDITION
A call to fill the mission was issued by the Mormon Church in 1878 - 1879. A scouting party under the direction of Silas S. Smith left Paragonah, Utah, in April, 1879, to determine a route and search for a suitable place to establish the new colony. A site at the mouth of Montezuma Creek on the San Juan River was selected, but a viable route was still uncertain. If the expedition chose either route used by the scouts, it would mean a trip of nearly 500 miles (800 km). A short-cut, thought to be simpler, was chosen with a rendezvous at Forty-Mile Spring, south of the town of Escalante. The expedition, consisting of 250 men, women, and children, 83 wagons, and over 1000 head of livestock, gathered at the appointed place in November, 1879. DOWN THE HOLE The "short-cut" proved to be deceptive, and the pioneers spent the winter at Forty-Mile Spring. A portion of the group camped at the top of the Hole-in-the-Rock, a narrow crack in the canyon rim 2.5 miles (4 km) downstream from the mouth of the Escalante River. It was through this notch that the party intended to make its way. Throughout the winter, they worked on the crack, enlarging the opening. Work was slow and tedious with only pick axes, shovels, and limited quantities of blasting powder available. The precipitous drop to the river below was nearly 2000 feet (610 m) with an average grade of 25 degrees, although some places were as steep as 45 degrees. At last, on January 26, 1880, the expedition made its way slowly down the precarious road. A ferry built at the river by Charles Hall and others was used to cross the river.SAN JUAN SETTLEMENT Once across the river, the pioneers discovered that their problems had only just begun. Through a rough, perilous, uncharted wilderness the group made its way. Remarkably, no lives were lost. In fact, two babies were born. After long months of hard work and deprivation, the party reached the San Juan River. Though several miles short of their goal, the determined but weary travelers founded their new home at the current site of Bluff, Utah. A journey that was to have taken six weeks took six months instead. The Hole-in-the-Rock Road continued to be used as the primary link between Bluff and the established settlements to the west for several years. It was eventually abandoned in favor of a better route. HOLE-IN-THE-ROCK TODAY Most of the original Hole-in-the-Rock trail is visible today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remains a silent monument to the faith and tenacity of those first Mormon pioneers. Whether you approach it from land or water, much of the original trail is visible, though approximately one-third is now under the waters of Lake Powell. Visitors may hike the passage - one-half mile (.8 km) each way. Carry water and plan on a minimum of one hour for the round trip. The trail is very rocky, so wear sturdy hiking shoes. Time and the elements have sent large boulders and other debris into the passage, making it difficult to identify much of the original road. On the other hand, this may make it easier to appreciate the obstacles and considerable amount of work done to create the road in the first place. LEES FERRY Located 15.3 miles (24.4 km) down the river from Glen
Canyon Dam, Lees Ferry is a meeting of the old and the new. Lees Ferry is the only place visitors can drive to
the A natural corridor between
The Lees Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District offers a glimpse of the old western life from the pioneers in the late 1800’s, through the miners at the turn of the century, to the ranchers of the 1940’s. Two self-guided walking tours interpret two different parts of the district: the Ferry and the Ranch. Lees Ferry continues to be a center of modern
activity. Here at the very start of the
Lees Ferry is 42 miles (61 km) from Page via Hwy 89
and Hwy 89A. It is 85 miles (125 km) from the North Rim of the Start your visit to Lees Ferry at the
Lees Ferry Historic Site: Just upstream from the Lees Ferry Launch Ramp is the ferry-crossing site and several historic buildings. A “Walking Tour Guide” may be purchased at the entrance to the area. It tells the story of the different ferryboats and the pioneers, miners, Indians, and tourists who crossed here from 1872 until 1928. Of special interest is Charles H. Spencer’s attempt to extract gold from the clay hills here in 1910. Two of the stone buildings, a steam boiler, and the remains of a sunken paddlewheel steamboat remain from his efforts. The complete tour is about a 1-mile (1.6-km) roundtrip. Take drinking water with you. Lonely Dell Ranch Historic Site:
This historic ranch, near the mouth of the
In the 1870’s and 1880’s, the place was so isolated that the families working at the crossing needed to be self-sufficient, growing food for themselves and their animals. Hard labor changed the barren desert into a green oasis. The main ranch buildings are about 700 feet (213 m) up the dirt road from the parking area. A “Walking Tour Guide” may be purchased at the entrance to the ranch. The complete tour of the orchard, log cabins, stone ranch house, and pioneer cemetery is about a 1-mile (1.6-km) round trip. There are picnic tables and shade trees at the ranch. Take drinking water with you. Hiking at Lees Ferry:
River Trail - This trail starts at the launch ramp
and follows the old wagon road past the fort to the upper ferry-crossing
site. A “Walking Tour Guide” is available. The two-mile round-trip
walk takes about an hour. Fishermen’s trails continue upstream another
half a mile, but there is no access into lower Paria Canyon Trail – This trail starts at the Lonely
Dell Ranch parking area and continues 45 miles upstream to Hwy 89 in
HALLS CROSSING MARINA Halls Crossing was a place well-known on the Colorado River long before the creation of Lake Powell. It was the site of a popular river crossing for many years. Today, Halls Crossing Marina, located on the eastern shores of Lake Powell across from the Bullfrog Marina, offers many services to visitors. Charles Hall
Charles Hall was one of the first pioneers to settle in southern Utah. A skilled carpenter and one of the founders of Escalante, Utah, Hall built the boat at the Hole-in-the-Rock which ferried the pioneer company across the Colorado River in 1870.Hall continued operating the ferry with his two sons at that location, but the route was very arduous. In 1880, he found an easier crossing 35 miles (56km) upstream, the present site of Halls Crossing. The ferryboat that Hall built here was constructed of materials hauled from Escalante, 50 miles distant. Cross planks about 10 feet (3m) long were nailed top and bottom to two 30 foot-long (9m) pine logs. The crude boat was tapered at each end and sealed with pitch. There was no cable or rope to guide the craft and it was steered using only man-powered oars and the river's current, an extremely labor-intensive and chancy endeavor. Hall began operating the ferry in 1881. Ferry charges were about $5 per wagon and 75 cents for each horse. The approach roads here were much better than at Hole-in-the-Rock. With the completion of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad across central Utah, the rough trek across the canyons became a trip to be avoided. In 1884, the ferry was lost when it either broke its moorings or was cut loose by cattlemen to prevent its use by rustlers. It was not replaced and the Hall family left the area.
After termination of the ferry service, Halls Crossing continued to be used as a gateway into Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon gold rush was beginning and the site was often mentioned in mining location notices. An extensive register of names on a cliff face near mile 199, now covered by Lake Powell, chronicled this activity. Halls Crossing Today Today Halls Crossing is the site of a marina on Lake Powell, about 95 (153km) miles upstream from Glen Canyon Dam. The National Park Service maintains a ranger station at Halls Crossing. It also provides a launch ramp and free boat pump-out station. ARAMARK, the park concessioner, provides many visitor services, including: housekeeping units, grocery store, 2 campgrounds (one with hook-ups), laundry, showers, service station, boat rental, and boat repair. Cal Black Memorial Airport is located approximately 10 miles (16km) east of Halls Crossing. The State of Utah maintains a regularly scheduled ferry, capable of carrying cars, trucks, rv's and trailers, which runs between Halls Crossing and Bullfrog . This is a fee service and is available on a first come, first served basis. The ferry is occasionally out of service for repairs. If ferry service is crucial to your trip, we recommend you call ahead to verify that it is in service. |
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