Zion National Park
A Century of Sanctuary
Let the Celebration Begin!
Zion Natural History Association, Zion National Park, Springdale, UT 84767
|
Let's Celebrate 100 Years
By Lyman Hafen
Executive Director
One hundred years ago this winter a St. George, Utah, man was working on a report that would change the course of history. His name was Leo A. Snow and he was a United States deputy Surveyor who had been detailed to survey Township 40 South, Range 10 West from Salt Lake City. Within those boundaries in southwestern Utah lay the upper gorge of a place called Zion Canyon. He and his assistants used triangulation to measure the gorge from east to west. When the report and map were submitted, parts of the canyon were described as unsurveyable. The project, which began in the summer of 1908, was completed and the dispatch sent to Washington, D.C. on June 25, 1909. Leo Snow, the native son, might have hoped, but could have never imagined the monumental result of his report -- which included one paragraph of personal opinion. Little more than a month later, the acting Secretary of the Interior placed a proclamation on the desk of President William Howard Taft, declaring Zion Canyon "Mukuntuweap National Monument." The president signed the document the same day. With the stroke of a pen, what would ten years later become Zion National Park, was born. As we celebrate the Centennial of Zion National Park this year we can thank Leo Snow and others like him who envisioned a future that included the preservation of such special places as Zion Canyon. Here are the words of personal opinion he chose to include in his report: "A view can be had of this canyon surpassed only by a similar view of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. At intervals along the west side of the canyon streams of various sizes rush over the edge of the chasm forming water falls from 800 to 2,000 feet high. The stream in the bottom of the canyon appears as a silver ribbon winding its way among the undergrowth and occasionally disappearing from view. In my opinion this canyon should be set apart by the government as a national park." Several wonderful events and activities have been planned to celebrate the Centennial. Check out the listings in this newsletter and on our website and make this special year for Zion a special year for your family vacation. The Centennial opened with the monumental art show at the St. George Art Museum. The main show concluded on January 31, but you can still see a wonderful selection from the show through May 30. If you missed the main show, our ZNHA book entitled: "A Century of Sanctuary: The Art of Zion National Park," is available on our website. The book includes beautiful color images of all the historic and contemporary paintings featured in the show, as well as several essays on the history of art in Zion National Park.
|