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Crossing the Colorado
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I didn't give it much thought the first time I crossed the Colorado River on Navajo Bridge. I was on my way to my first raft trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. As I reached the middle of the bridge I shot a glance down the canyon to the river 500 feet below and wondered what I had gotten myself into. The bridge itself was a means to an end.
 The next day as we floated down the Colorado, I gained a new perspective on the steel structure far above. The graceful arches connected the sheer cliffs of Marble Canyon nearly three football fields wide. A few years later I was hired by the engineering firm that was evaluating the bridge structure to photograph their team at work. This time I got up close and personal as I crawled around on the superstructure examining every nut and bolt that holds Navajo bridge together. I began to wonder how and why the bridge came to be. Here is some of what I have learned.
As rivers go, the Colorado is formidable. For nearly all of its 600 mile passage through Utah and Arizona, crossing the river is difficult at best. There is one place where the canyon walls slope gently enough to afford the traveler access to the river. As geologist Wayne Ranney notes, "If you were wandering alone out there, you would be funneled into that spot." Here the Echo Cliffs on the east side of the Colorado and the Vermilion Cliffs on the west side converge where the river exits Glen Canyon and enters Marble Canyon. Now known as Lees Ferry, this remote corner of Arizona has been an active transportation corridor for thousands of years.
Archeological evidence indicates that native Americans have used this easily accessible area as a crossing point for many centuries. It is also near a number of sacred sites for the Hopi and Navajo people whose reservations border the Colorado today. In 1777 the Spanish explorers Escalante and Dominques camped here as they sought a northern route between Sante Fe, New Mexico, and Monterey, California.
In 1871, John D. Lee established a ferry crossing financed by the Mormon church. The crossing was vital to what became known affectionately as the Honeymoon Trail connecting the Mormon settlements in the valley of the Little Colorado River and St. George, Utah. Since there was not a Mormon temple in Arizona until 1926, couples who wished to solemnize their wedding vows would endure weeks of hard travel to reach the temple in St. George. The trip back home became their honeymoon. |
Navajo Bridge
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With the establishment of the Federal Highway System in 1926 and the designation of US Route 89 between Spanish Fork, Utah, and Nogales, Arizona, it became apparent that the ferry was no longer adequate. Construction of the original Navajo Bridge began in 1927 and was completed in 1929. It is 834 feet in length with a maximum height of 467 feet above the floor of Marble Canyon. It is 18 feet wide which was considered more than adequate at the time.
Sixty years later the old bridge had begun to show its age. After considering all of the alternatives, it was decided to construct a new bridge just downstream. To preserve the historic nature of the site, the new Navajo Bridge is similar in visual appearance although it is 44 feet in width to accommodate modern traffic flow. The original bridge has been designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Travelers on US Route 89A can stop at the interpretive center and then walk out on the original bridge for spectacular views of Marble Canyon and the surrounding country.
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Heber Jesse Meeks and the Dedication of Navajo Bridge
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One of the things that I love about working on the US Route 89 project is the interesting people I get to meet. After Lee Benson wrote about the US Route 89 Appreciation Society in the Deseret News, I received an email from Norm Jackson who had a story to tell me about his grandfather, Heber Jesse Meeks, and the dedication of Navajo Bridge.
The dedication took place in June of 1929 and was a momentous occasion. The two-day event in this isolated corner of Arizona was attended by over 7,000 people. Some 1200 cars made the journey over rough dirt roads. Speeches were delivered by the governors of four states-Arizona, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico. Bands played, choirs sang and native Americans presented their dances. The bridge was christened with a bottle of ginger ale since it was the era of Prohibition.
 But here is the most interesting event at the dedication as it was related to me by Norm Jackson. Heber Jesse Meeks, a Kanab rancher and the stake president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had just returned from a mission to Alaska. He saw the dedication as an opportunity to link "the beautiful and alluring Southwest and the noble and sturdy Northwest." To symbolize this union, he recruited two young people-Kenneth Judd of Kanab, Utah, and Betty Kastner of Prescott, Arizona-and performed a "marriage" ceremony in the middle of Navajo Bridge.
Recognizing the importance of the connection between Utah and Arizona, Meeks had them hold hands and spoke these words:
"And each of you pledge yourselves to be loyal to your country: to co-operate in advancing the mutual interests of Utah and Arizona; to banish strife, jealousy and envy, to visit one another, to work together to make the relationship between the two sections closer and more cordial; to become better acquainted with the resources and beauties of each; to work on a broader scale to utilize the riches, the strength, and the brain, the brawn and the vision of both the Southwest and the Northwest towards making the union of the two productive and to the mutual advantage of each."
With that, Kenneth was rewarded with a kiss from Betty to end the ceremony. I don't know if they ever saw each other again, but Mr. Northwest and Miss Southwest are forever joined by Navajo Bridge.
By 1934 US Route 89 was completed as a border to border highway not only connecting Arizona and Utah but also Mexico and Canada. Navajo Bridge was and still is the vital link making travel and commerce possible along the West's Most Western Highway.
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Support the "Slow Road" Movement:
Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society
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 You love driving the two-lane highways that keep you close to the edge of the road so you can see the land at a leisurely pace. You think nothing of stopping along the way to admire the view and smell the fresh air. You seek out unique places to eat where the special of the day depends on what's in season at the nearby farm. You already appreciate the opportunities offered by a journey on US Route 89.
You are not alone in your passion for a trip on a "slow road." There are many others like you. Together we can spread the word of the joys of leisurely travel. Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society and you'll receive an official membership certificate and button to attest to your belief in the "slow road" movement.
General Membership: $5
Benefits:
· Membership Certificate
· Membership Badge
· Email Newsletter
· Invitations to all project events
Download the Membership Brochure in pdf format
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