BGuthrie Photos: UT -- Arches Natl Park -- Visitor Center

UT -- Arches Natl Park -- Visitor Center:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Slide Show: Want to see the pictures as a slide show? [Slideshow]

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] ARCHVC_160716_004.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[2] ARCHVC_160716_012.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[3] ARCHVC_160716_016.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[4] ARCHVC_160716_019.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[5] ARCHVC_160716_021.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[6] ARCHVC_160716_024.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[7] ARCHVC_160716_027.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[8] ARCHVC_160716_030.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[9] ARCHVC_160716_032.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[10] ARCHVC_160716_035.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[11] ARCHVC_160716_039.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[12] ARCHVC_160716_042.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[13] ARCHVC_160716_049.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[14] ARCHVC_160716_053.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[15] ARCHVC_160716_055.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[16] ARCHVC_160716_058.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[17] ARCHVC_160716_061.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[18] ARCHVC_160716_063.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[19] ARCHVC_160716_069.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[20] ARCHVC_160716_071.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[21] ARCHVC_160716_074.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[22] ARCHVC_160716_076.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[23] ARCHVC_160716_079.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[24] ARCHVC_160716_082.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[25] ARCHVC_160716_085.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[26] ARCHVC_160716_088.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[27] ARCHVC_160716_093.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[28] ARCHVC_160716_095.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[29] ARCHVC_160716_097.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[30] ARCHVC_160716_101.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[31] ARCHVC_160716_104.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[32] ARCHVC_160716_108.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[33] ARCHVC_160716_110.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[34] ARCHVC_160716_120.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[35] ARCHVC_160716_122.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[36] ARCHVC_160716_125.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[37] ARCHVC_160716_128.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[38] ARCHVC_160716_131.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[39] ARCHVC_160716_132.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[40] ARCHVC_160716_134.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[41] ARCHVC_160716_138.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[42] ARCHVC_160716_141.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[43] ARCHVC_160716_146.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[44] ARCHVC_160716_149.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[45] ARCHVC_160716_154.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[46] ARCHVC_160716_158.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[47] ARCHVC_160716_161.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[48] ARCHVC_160716_165.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[49] ARCHVC_160716_167.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[50] ARCHVC_160716_171.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[51] ARCHVC_160716_174.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[52] ARCHVC_160716_177.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[53] ARCHVC_160716_180.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[54] ARCHVC_160716_182.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[55] ARCHVC_160716_186.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[56] ARCHVC_160716_191.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[57] ARCHVC_160716_194.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[58] ARCHVC_160716_197.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[59] ARCHVC_160716_200.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[60] ARCHVC_160716_202.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[61] ARCHVC_160716_206.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[62] ARCHVC_160716_208.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[63] ARCHVC_160716_211.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[64] ARCHVC_160716_218.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[65] ARCHVC_160716_221.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[66] ARCHVC_160716_223.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[67] ARCHVC_160716_227.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[68] ARCHVC_160716_230.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[69] ARCHVC_160716_234.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[70] ARCHVC_160716_235.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[71] ARCHVC_160716_240.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[72] ARCHVC_160716_243.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[73] ARCHVC_160716_244.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[74] ARCHVC_160716_247.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[75] ARCHVC_160716_251.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[76] ARCHVC_160716_254.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[77] ARCHVC_160716_258.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[78] ARCHVC_160716_260.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[79] ARCHVC_160716_266.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[80] ARCHVC_160716_269.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[81] ARCHVC_160716_271.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[82] ARCHVC_160716_276.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[83] ARCHVC_160716_281.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[84] ARCHVC_160716_284.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[85] ARCHVC_160716_287.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[86] ARCHVC_160716_298.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[87] ARCHVC_160716_320.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. ARCHVC_160716_004.JPG: Water: Our Essence During the course of a day, a healthy adult can lose 8 to 10 cups of water -- and that's without hiking in the hot sun. We must keep replenishing our most important nutrient: water. Water makes up about 75% of our muscles, brains, and blood. Though the plants and animals here are well adapted to a life with little moisture, humans react with serious symptoms after losing only 2% of our body's water. Total collapse occurs with only a 7% water loss.
2. ARCHVC_160716_021.JPG: Delicate Arch, c 1959-60 William D. Berry
3. ARCHVC_160716_027.JPG: Arches National Park Quarter
4. ARCHVC_160716_032.JPG: Arches National Park Welcome: As you enjoy these exhibits, contemplate the words of the National Park Service Organic Act which defined the purpose of all National Parks. "... to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." -- National Park Service Organic Act, August 25, 1916
5. ARCHVC_160716_039.JPG: More Than 2000 Arches How were these rocks created? What forces shaped towering sandstone fins, balanced rocks and more than 2000 arches large and small? Many geological clues are hidden in the rocks, the sand and the shape of the land. Geologists continually find new answers -- and more questions! -- to help reveal what happened here. Things have not always been the way we see them now, nor will they remain the same. What you see now is the result of millions of years of gradual change. Some of the changes have been dramatic. Mountains have come and gone. Oceans gave way to deserts. The changes occurred slowly, have not stopped, and will continue, as erosional forces reshape the land.
6. ARCHVC_160716_042.JPG: Rocks Become Rocks Geologists group rocks into three basic types: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. The rocks found in Arches National Parkare sedimentary. Simply put, sedimentary rocks are recycled rocks. The Power of Water, Wind and Time: The forces of erosion, chemical and mechanical weathering, wear away rocks, breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces, creating sediments. Water and wind carry the sediments downhill or downwind until they are deposited closer to the source and the smaller, lighter sediments are carried further. Over long periods of time, sedimentary deposits can be overlain by more layers. As these upper, younger layers accumulate more and more sediment, their weight compacts older, lower layers. Minerals precipitated from groundwater cement the compacted sediments together, forming new rocks. The rocks and landscapes of Arches today are the result of this process occurring for millions of years in a variety of past environments. The deposition of sediment has not been continuous. There have been long periods when no deposition occurred and periods when previously deposited sediments and sedimentary rocks were eroded away. These gaps, or uncomformities, reveal that nearly as much rock -- and therefore time -- is missing from the rock record as that which remains. The rock column to your left illustrates the sedimentary rock layers that can be seen at Arches.
7. ARCHVC_160716_049.JPG: Pennsylvanian Period: The high Uncompahgre Uplift, part of the Ancestral Rockies, formed just northeast of what is now Arches National Park. A deep trough formed adjacent to the uplift. Known as the Paradox Basin, it was repeatedly flooded by salt water as ocean levels rose and fell. 310 Million Years Ago
8. ARCHVC_160716_055.JPG: Permian Period: During Permian times, the Uncompahgre Uplift rose rapidly and became the source of sediments that completely filled the adjacent Paradox Basin. Streams deposited coarse material closer to the mountains as alluvial fans; finer materials were transported to the south, covering most of what is now southern Utah and northern Arizona. 275 Million Years Ago
9. ARCHVC_160716_063.JPG: Early Triassic Period: The Ancestral Rockies had eroded to low hills. Streams originating in present-day Texas and Mexico carried sediments westward across broad floodplains to coastal mud flats that reached several hundred miles inland from the open sea. The sea eventually retreated to the west. 240 Million Years Ago
10. ARCHVC_160716_074.JPG: Late Triassic Period: Rivers again flowed across this area covering much of the western interior. These major rivers with extensive floodplains originated in mountains to the south and in the remnants of the Appalachian Mountains far to the east. 215 Million Years Ago
11. ARCHVC_160716_076.JPG: Early Jurassic Period: The climate became very arid. A great Sahara-like desert spread across much of the western interior, depositing thick layers of sands that became today's Wingate and Navajo layers. 200 Million Years Ago
12. ARCHVC_160716_082.JPG: Middle Jurassic Period: Shifting continental plates created uplands and mountains in present-day Nevada. The long, narrow Sundance Seaway extended into what is now western Utah from the north. Sand dunes bordered the southeast margin of the seaway and eventually became the Entrada Sandstone, the primary layer exposed in the park today. 175 Million Years Ago
13. ARCHVC_160716_088.JPG: Late Jurassic Period: The Sundance Seaway retreated to the north. An uplift in present-day Nevada created a highland area that reversed the stream direction from west to east across what is now Utah. A very large shallow alkaline lake developed in the current-day Four Corners area. Ash from volcanoes in what is now Nevada fell into the lake to create the blue-green shales of the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation. 150 Million Years Ago
14. ARCHVC_160716_095.JPG: Three Hundred Million Years of Rock: Tropical seas, braided rivers and streams, massive sand dunes, vast floodplains. Many diverse landscapes occurred here during the past 300 million years, each leaving behind a different kind of rock. Using clues in the rocks, geologists have developed maps which show how the ancestral continent and ancient seas changed. Examine the rocks, contemplate the maps, and imagine the environments that once existed here.
15. ARCHVC_160716_097.JPG: Cretaceous Period: This area was once again underwater as one of the greatest seas of all times encroached from the north. The open water of the sea stretched from what is now central Utah to the western Appalachians and from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico. To the west, in present-day Nevada, rose great Andean-style mountains. 90 Million Years Ago
16. ARCHVC_160716_104.JPG: Salt, Sandstone and Arches
17. ARCHVC_160716_108.JPG: Salt, Sandstone and Arches A rare set of events occurred here. Mountains arose forming a basin; a sea left thick layers of salt in the basin; and salts were buried by debris from mountains. Those sediments put pressure on the salt below and forced it to move horizontally. The salt flowed and was forced upward into a dome, which later collapsed. The overlying rocks cracked and eroded into fins, setting the stage for the formation of arches.
18. ARCHVC_160716_120.JPG: Arch Formation: There is no single or simple way that arches form. Like most things in nature, it takes a combination of processes. Cracks in fins and the contact layer between different layers of rock are good places for arches to begin. Both mechanical and chemical forces attack these weaker spots, and begin the processes which form arches.
19. ARCHVC_160716_122.JPG: Mechanical Weathering: Water enters the cracks, freezes and expands, relieving inherent stresses in the rock. Gravity pulls out loosened pieces of rock, enlarging the opening. Chemical Weathering: Slightly acidic rainwater saturates sand that accumulates between fins. The calcium carbonate "glue" that holds sandstone together is dissolved, rocks fall, and fins get thinner. Eventually, an opening forms.
20. ARCHVC_160716_125.JPG: Features and Formations: The scenic wonder of Arches National Park that you see today is but a chapter in a never-ending story of deposition, uplift, collapse and erosion. Like the landscapes that came before, it is destined to change. Arches will fall, balanced rocks will topple, and new landforms will be created.
21. ARCHVC_160716_131.JPG: Features and Formations: The scenic wonder of Arches National Park that you see today is but a chapter in a never ending story of deposition, uplift, collapse and erosion. Like the landscapes that came before, it is destined to change. Arches will fall, balanced rocks will topple, and new landforms will be created.
22. ARCHVC_160716_146.JPG: Pleistocene Poop Preserved packrat poop has provided scientists with clues to past climates here at Arches.
23. ARCHVC_160716_158.JPG: Native People: Paleo-Indian Cultures: The earliest visitors to this area were Paleo-Indians who arrived around 12,000 years ago. These people led a nomadic lifestyle collecting plants and hunting the now-extinct mammoths and mastodons, that lived here at the end of the last Ice Age. Their distinctive Clovis and Folsom points have been found in areas near the park. The Paleo-Indians saw some of the same arches that we see today but the climate was cooler and wetter and the vegetation was quite different. It was easy for these small bands of people to find everything they needed as the followed herds of animals. Then, the climate changed, and the area became warmer and more arid. The large animals and the forests began to disappear. Archaic Cultures: Facing large-scale environmental change, cultural practices changed about 8,000 years ago. Known to archeologists as the Archaic cultures, these later people adapted to a landscape filled with plants and animals similar to today's life. As they exploited the new resources, their technologies became more complex and they made a wider variety of tools. Bone awls, useful for making baskets and nets, grinding stones to process seeds, and other tools appear in the archeologic record. Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan Cultures: About 2,500 years ago, there was another shift in lifestyle as different groups of archaic hunter-gatherers began cultivating plants. Two distinct traditions developed. In the Four Corners area, the ancestral Puebloans were able to take advantage of a dependable summer rainfall to grow corn and other domesticated crops. Eventually, they developed the advanced societies that built the large communal pueblos seen today at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. To the north, the Fremont led a lifestyle characterized by variety and diversity. Some were settled farmers that lived in small villages of semi-subterranean pithouses and grew corn, beans, and squash, Others were nomads that lived in small, highly-mobile family-sized groups, and relied more on collecting wild plants and animals to support themselves. Still others shifted between these lifestyles. After successfully adapting to their environment for over 1,500 years, both groups were affected by change. Climactic changes, including decreased precipitation, made farming more difficult, and pressure from other cultural groups may have increased competition for limited resources. By about AD 1300, they were migrating to other areas. The Hopi and Rio Grande pueblo people, who live in New Mexico and Arizona, are direct descendants of the people who once utilized the resources of what is now Arches National Park. Historic Groups: In more recent times, southeast Utah was occupied by Utes, Paiutes and Navajos, all of whom still live in the area today. Ute Indians were nomadic and subsisted by hunting game and gathering wild plant foods in the mountainous areas of Colorado and Utah. The Utes of eastern Utah adopted the horse into their culture soon after the Spaniards re-introduced that animal to the Americas. On horseback, the Utes became even more mobile and traveled to the plains to hunt bison.
24. ARCHVC_160716_161.JPG: Native People: Paleo-Indian Cultures: The earliest visitors to this area were Paleo-Indians who arrived around 12,000 years ago. These people led a nomadic lifestyle collecting plants and hunting the now-extinct mammoths and mastodons, that lived here at the end of the last Ice Age. Their distinctive Clovis and Folsom points have been found in areas near the park. The Paleo-Indians saw some of the same arches that we see today but the climate was cooler and wetter and the vegetation was quite different. It was easy for these small bands of people to find everything they needed as the followed herds of animals. Then, the climate changed, and the area became warmer and more arid. The large animals and the forests began to disappear. Archaic Cultures: Facing large-scale environmental change, cultural practices changed about 8,000 years ago. Known to archeologists as the Archaic cultures, these later people adapted to a landscape filled with plants and animals similar to today's life. As they exploited the new resources, their technologies became more complex and they made a wider variety of tools. Bone awls, useful for making baskets and nets, grinding stones to process seeds, and other tools appear in the archeologic record. Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan Cultures: About 2,500 years ago, there was another shift in lifestyle as different groups of archaic hunter-gatherers began cultivating plants. Two distinct traditions developed. In the Four Corners area, the ancestral Puebloans were able to take advantage of a dependable summer rainfall to grow corn and other domesticated crops. Eventually, they developed the advanced societies that built the large communal pueblos seen today at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. To the north, the Fremont led a lifestyle characterized by variety and diversity. Some were settled farmers that lived in small villages of semi-subterranean pithouses and grew corn, beans, and squash, Others were nomads that lived in small, highly-mobile family-sized groups, and relied more on collecting wild plants and animals to support themselves. Still others shifted between these lifestyles. After successfully adapting to their environment for over 1,500 years, both groups were affected by change. Climactic changes, including decreased precipitation, made farming more difficult, and pressure from other cultural groups may have increased competition for limited resources. By about AD 1300, they were migrating to other areas. The Hopi and Rio Grande pueblo people, who live in New Mexico and Arizona, are direct descendants of the people who once utilized the resources of what is now Arches National Park. Historic Groups: In more recent times, southeast Utah was occupied by Utes, Paiutes and Navajos, all of whom still live in the area today. Ute Indians were nomadic and subsisted by hunting game and gathering wild plant foods in the mountainous areas of Colorado and Utah. The Utes of eastern Utah adopted the horse into their culture soon after the Spaniards re-introduced that animal to the Americas. On horseback, the Utes became even more mobile and traveled to the plains to hunt bison.
25. ARCHVC_160716_167.JPG: Explorers: Spaniards in the Southwest: After the conquest of Mexico, Spain claimed much of what is now the western U.S. Except for a few unofficial trading expeditions, this area was left unexplored by the Spanish until the late 1700s, when Spain began to expand its empire to thwart British and Russian colonial interests in the West. Earlier explorers had determined that it was not possible to cross the Rio de Tizon, today's Colorado River, in the area around the Grand Canyon. With this knowledge, they sent expeditions northward to discover a route from Santa Fe to California which avoided the rugged canyon country. These routes formed part of the Old Spanish Trail through this part of Utah. Juan Maria Antonia Rivera: In 1765, Juan Maria Antonio Rivera explored this part of the Southwest to locate the place where the Indians crossed the Colorado River, what they called Rio de Tizon. Led by Indian guides, Rivera and a small party of Spaniards traveled north from Abiquiu, New Mexico, through southern Colorado along trails used by previous Spanish and Ute traders. They crossed into unknown territory near here between the modern communities of Monticello and Moab, Utah. Rivera's party is believed to have reached the Colorado River via nearby Spanish Valley, south of the park, or by Castle Valley, a few miles upstream. Warned by their guides about hostile people on the other side, they did not cross the river but they did find the Indian ford and pioneered the route later used as the eastern leg of the Old Spanish Trail. Fur Trappers: British and American fur trappers and traders traversed this area in the early 1800s. Most of their names are unknown but one, Denis Julien, left his name on rocks in a number of places in the canyon country. Born in the 1770s, Julien spent the first 50 years of his life near St. Louis, Missouri, before moving west about 1827. He was more than 60 years old when he was exploring the canyons of southeast Utah. Old Spanish Trail: The Old Spanish Trail was a horse and burro pack route that connected Sante Fe with California when much of the Southwest was Mexican territory. Beginning in 1829, bustling trade developed between Santa Fe and the missions of southern California. Trade caravans traveled fairly regularly over the Old Spanish Trail, taking woolen goods west and returning from California with horses and mules. Several branches of the trail developed as travelers sought routes which were easier and shorter with water and grazing for their animals. Many of these routes followed earlier trails that were developed by the native people. By 1848, commercial travel over this segment of the trail had ceased.
26. ARCHVC_160716_174.JPG: Spaniards in the Southwest: After the conquest of Mexico, Spain claimed much of what is now the western U.S. Except for a few unofficial trading expeditions, this area was left unexplored by the Spanish until the late 1700s, when Spain began to expand its empire to thwart British and Russian colonial interests in the West. Earlier explorers had determined that it was not possible to cross the Rio de Tizon, today's Colorado River, in the area around the Grand Canyon. With this knowledge, they sent expeditions northward to discover a route from Santa Fe to California which avoided the rugged canyon country. These routes formed part of the Old Spanish Trail through this part of Utah.
27. ARCHVC_160716_177.JPG: Fur Trappers: British and American fur trappers and traders traversed this area in the early 1800s. Most of their names are unknown but one, Denis Julien, left his name on rocks in a number of places in the canyon country. Born in the 1770s, Julien spent the first 50 years of his life near St. Louis, Missouri, before moving west about 1827. He was more than 60 years old when he was exploring the canyons of southeast Utah.
28. ARCHVC_160716_180.JPG: Juan Maria Antonia Rivera: In 1765, Juan Maria Antonio Rivera explored this part of the Southwest to locate the place where the Indians crossed the Colorado River, what they called Rio de Tizon. Led by Indian guides, Rivera and a small party of Spaniards traveled north from Abiquiu, New Mexico, through southern Colorado along trails used by previous Spanish and Ute traders. They crossed into unknown territory near here between the modern communities of Monticello and Moab, Utah. Rivera's party is believed to have reached the Colorado River via nearby Spanish Valley, south of the park, or by Castle Valley, a few miles upstream. Warned by their guides about hostile people on the other side, they did not cross the river but they did find the Indian ford and pioneered the route later used as the eastern leg of the Old Spanish Trail.
29. ARCHVC_160716_182.JPG: Old Spanish Trail: The Old Spanish Trail was a horse and burro pack route that connected Sante Fe with California when much of the Southwest was Mexican territory. Beginning in 1829, bustling trade developed between Santa Fe and the missions of southern California. Trade caravans traveled fairly regularly over the Old Spanish Trail, taking woolen goods west and returning from California with horses and mules. Several branches of the trail developed as travelers sought routes which were easier and shorter with water and grazing for their animals. Many of these routes followed earlier trails that were developed by the native people. By 1848, commercial travel over this segment of the trail had ceased.
30. ARCHVC_160716_186.JPG: Settlers: Ranching: Cowboys, along with Basque and Hispanic sheepherders, began roaming this area when stockmen, drawn by the grasslands, moved their herds into the region in the late 1870s. Grazing was typically seasonal, with the animals using summer pastures in the higher elevations of the Book Cliffs or the La Sal Mountains. Grazing inside the park is no longer allowed but ranching continues in nearby areas. The cowboys and sheepherders knew the area well but left little evidence of their time spent here other than the stumps of junipers cut for firewood and a few rusty tin cans discarded near their camps. Wolfe Family: By 1898, Civil War veteran John Wesley Wolfe and his son, Fred, had settled more permanently than other ranchers, in a cabin on the bank of the Salt Wash. Wolfe found enough water and forage to raise a few cattle. Building a small dam across Salt Wash, they were able to grow a garden. The first cabin was fairly primitive and when John's daughter, Flora Stanley, and her family arrived in 1906, she convinced her father to build a new cabin, this time with a wooden floor! The first cabin washed away in a flood but the 1906 cabin can still be seen today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mining: Prospectors explored this area as early as the 1890s. Although no exploitable deposits were developed, many mining claims were staked in the surrounding area. The importance of mining to the local economy reached its zenith during the 1950s when Moab became the "Uranium Capitol of the World." In 1952, Charlie Steen discovered a multi-million dollar deposit of uranium ore south of Moab that triggered a uranium boom. Steen and his partners built a mill on the banks of the Colorado River to refine ore from the surrounding area. The boom ended in the 1970s and the mill closed in 1984, but not before drawing attention to southeast Utah and changing Moab from a hamlet into a small city. Cordova Family: In 1919, Epimineo and Emmer Cordova established a small ranch in what is now known as Cordova Canyon on the northeastern edge of the park. They hauled lumber from Thompson, Utah, and built a house of several rooms. The original house burned in 1932 and a smaller house was built to replace it. The oldest Cordova son, Beveline, and his wife Bonita Keel raised their children at the ranch. The ranch was abandoned in the 1930s and is slowly returning to nature. The walls of one room still stand as a testament to the family's determination to make this beautiful part of canon country their home.
31. ARCHVC_160716_191.JPG: Ranching: Cowboys, along with Basque and Hispanic sheepherders, began roaming this area when stockmen, drawn by the grasslands, moved their herds into the region in the late 1870s. Grazing was typically seasonal, with the animals using summer pastures in the higher elevations of the Book Cliffs or the La Sal Mountains. Grazing inside the park is no longer allowed but ranching continues in nearby areas. The cowboys and sheepherders knew the area well but left little evidence of their time spent here other than the stumps of junipers cut for firewood and a few rusty tin cans discarded near their camps.
32. ARCHVC_160716_194.JPG: Mining: Prospectors explored this area as early as the 1890s. Although no exploitable deposits were developed, many mining claims were staked in the surrounding area. The importance of mining to the local economy reached its zenith during the 1950s when Moab became the "Uranium Capitol of the World." In 1952, Charlie Steen discovered a multi-million dollar deposit of uranium ore south of Moab that triggered a uranium boom. Steen and his partners built a mill on the banks of the Colorado River to refine ore from the surrounding area. The boom ended in the 1970s and the mill closed in 1984, but not before drawing attention to southeast Utah and changing Moab from a hamlet into a small city.
33. ARCHVC_160716_197.JPG: Wolfe Family: By 1898, Civil War veteran John Wesley Wolfe and his son, Fred, had settled more permanently than other ranchers, in a cabin on the bank of the Salt Wash. Wolfe found enough water and forage to raise a few cattle. Building a small dam across Salt Wash, they were able to grow a garden. The first cabin was fairly primitive and when John's daughter, Flora Stanley, and her family arrived in 1906, she convinced her father to build a new cabin, this time with a wooden floor! The first cabin washed away in a flood but the 1906 cabin can still be seen today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
34. ARCHVC_160716_200.JPG: Cordova Family: In 1919, Epimineo and Emmer Cordova established a small ranch in what is now known as Cordova Canyon on the northeastern edge of the park. They hauled lumber from Thompson, Utah, and built a house of several rooms. The original house burned in 1932 and a smaller house was built to replace it. The oldest Cordova son, Beveline, and his wife Bonita Keel raised their children at the ranch. The ranch was abandoned in the 1930s and is slowly returning to nature. The walls of one room still stand as a testament to the family's determination to make this beautiful part of canon country their home.
35. ARCHVC_160716_208.JPG: Park Establishment: Alexander Ringhoffer: Alexander Ringhoffer was prospecting in the Klondike Bluffs area in 1922 when he stumbled upon magnificent Tower Arch and the Marching Men. Ringhoffer contacted F.A. Wadleigh of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in the hope that they might build a tourist line to the area. Wadleigh wrote Stephen T. Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service, about the area. At Mather's request, several survey paries were sent to investigate. Dr. Frank Oastler, geologist G.M. Gould and others also visited the area and recommended monument establishment. Frank Pinkley: Arches was named by Frank Pinkley, then Superintendent of Southwestern National Monuments. "The Boss," as he was affectionately known, visited the Windows in 1925 to evaluate the area for inclusion in the National Park system. With the support of many others, the Monument was established in 1929, and the new monument fell under his administration. At the time of his death in 1940, Pinkley was in charge of 27 park areas, including Arches, in four states. While many of the monuments under his care were "one-man outfits," watched by a part-time custodian, some monuments had no one assigned to them. Pinkley was frustrated by the fact that support for monuments lagged behind the funding for units designated as national parks and he continually pushed for funding to properly staff the monuments. Moab Lions Club: When Arches National Monument was first established, it consisted of two small separate sections, 1,920 acres in the Windows and 2,600 acres in the Devils Garden. There were no roads and access was difficult. It soon became apparent that such a monument would be difficult to manage and Moab community leaders began actively promoting efforts to enlarge the monument. In particular, .... members of the Moab Lions Club were ardent supporters of the monument and were instrumental in getting the monument enlarged in 1938. Boundary Changes: Arches National Monument was established by Herbert Hoover's Presidential Proclamation on April 12, 1929, and originally consisted of two separate units totaling 4,520 acres. Since it was established, Arches had undergone numerous boundary adjustments. Franklin D. Roosevelt enlarged the monument to well over 34,000 acres, and Dwight D. Eisenhower later reduced it by 240 acres. Lyndon B. Johnson more than doubled park acreage in 1968, and Congress made it a National Park in 1971. In 1998, more than 3,000 acres near Lost Spring Canyon were added by Congress, resulting in a park of approximately 76,000 acres.
36. ARCHVC_160716_211.JPG: Alexander Ringhoffer: Alexander Ringhoffer was prospecting in the Klondike Bluffs area in 1922 when he stumbled upon magnificent Tower Arch and the Marching Men. Ringhoffer contacted F.A. Wadleigh of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in the hope that they might build a tourist line to the area. Wadleigh wrote Stephen T. Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service, about the area. At Mather's request, several survey paries were sent to investigate. Dr. Frank Oastler, geologist G.M. Gould and others also visited the area and recommended monument establishment.
37. ARCHVC_160716_218.JPG: Frank Pinkley: Arches was named by Frank Pinkley, then Superintendent of Southwestern National Monuments. "The Boss," as he was affectionately known, visited the Windows in 1925 to evaluate the area for inclusion in the National Park system. With the support of many others, the Monument was established in 1929, and the new monument fell under his administration. At the time of his death in 1940, Pinkley was in charge of 27 park areas, including Arches, in four states. While many of the monuments under his care were "one-man outfits," watched by a part-time custodian, some monuments had no one assigned to them. Pinkley was frustrated by the fact that support for monuments lagged behind the funding for units designated as national parks and he continually pushed for funding to properly staff the monuments.
38. ARCHVC_160716_221.JPG: Moab Lions Club: When Arches National Monument was first established, it consisted of two small separate sections, 1,920 acres in the Windows and 2,600 acres in the Devils Garden. There were no roads and access was difficult. It soon became apparent that such a monument would be difficult to manage and Moab community leaders began actively promoting efforts to enlarge the monument. In particular, .... members of the Moab Lions Club were ardent supporters of the monument and were instrumental in getting the monument enlarged in 1938.
39. ARCHVC_160716_223.JPG: Boundary Changes: Arches National Monument was established by Herbert Hoover's Presidential Proclamation on April 12, 1929, and originally consisted of two separate units totaling 4,520 acres. Since it was established, Arches had undergone numerous boundary adjustments. Franklin D. Roosevelt enlarged the monument to well over 34,000 acres, and Dwight D. Eisenhower later reduced it by 240 acres. Lyndon B. Johnson more than doubled park acreage in 1968, and Congress made it a National Park in 1971. In 1998, more than 3,000 acres near Lost Spring Canyon were added by Congress, resulting in a park of approximately 76,000 acres.
40. ARCHVC_160716_227.JPG: First car in Arches National Park, June 15, 1936; Doc Williams, passenger
41. ARCHVC_160716_240.JPG: Park Development: From the early 1930s through the 1960s, Arches was relatively unknown. The work of scientists, a national public works program, writers, and park managers, along with increasing automobile travel and demands of the vacationing public, changed America's view of this and other national parks. Discovery: When newly created, Arches was not well known except by a few local people. The Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition of 1933-1934 was the first effort to map the monument. Frank Asahel Beckwith, head of the expedition, named Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and Tower Arch. In the late 1920s, C.H. Diane, a USGS geologist, mapped the Salt Valley anticline and started unraveling the geologic story of the park. Between 1937 and 1949, four men served as custodian or superintendent of Arches.... Each made new discoveries and increased our knowledge of the park. CCC: In March 1940, a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, consisting mostly of enrollees from the southern states, was established to help develop Arches National Monument. They improved the old entrance road, constructed headquarters buildings and started work on a new entrance road. Work was halted when the U.S. entered World War II. The camp, one of the last in the nation, closed in March of 1942. Today the camp is gone, but the lasting contributions of the CCC can still be seen in the historic red sandstone building near the visitor center. Advertising and Movies: While filming "The Comancheros" in 1961, John Wayne described Moab as the place where "God put the West." Dramatic scenery has made the landscape around Arches National Park and Moab, Utah, a popular location for Hollywood movies. More than twenty motion pictures have been filmed here, including Wagonmaster, Ten Who Dared, Cheyenne Autumn, Against a Crooked Sky, Rio Conches, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Thelma and Louise, and The Hulk. Thousands of hours of footage for television shows and commercials and countless advertising stills have used Arches National Park as a backdrop. Modern film makers and commercial photographers must obtain a permit and observe stringent regulations to protect both the park environment and visitor experience. The fees they pay help cover the expenses of supervising their activities. Bates Wilson: Bates Wilson accepted the position of Custodian of Arches and Natural Bridges National Monuments in 1949, and stayed on the job until his retirement in 1972. When Wilson arrived, Arches National Monument had few developments beyond dirt roads. During his superintendency, Arches doubled in size and was designated a national park. Roads were paved, hiking trails constructed, a campground and a visitor center were built. Known to many for his role in the establishment of the Canyonlands National Park, Bates Wilson also left a grand legacy at Arches, as a small and relatively unknown national monument grew into the National Park we know today.
42. ARCHVC_160716_243.JPG: From the early 1930s through the 1960s, Arches was relatively unknown. The work of scientists, a national public works program, writers, and park managers, along with increasing automobile travel and demands of the vacationing public, changed America's view of this and other national parks.
43. ARCHVC_160716_244.JPG: Discovery: When newly created, Arches was not well known except by a few local people. The Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition of 1933-1934 was the first effort to map the monument. Frank Asahel Beckwith, head of the expedition, named Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and Tower Arch. In the late 1920s, C.H. Diane, a USGS geologist, mapped the Salt Valley anticline and started unraveling the geologic story of the park. Between 1937 and 1949, four men served as custodian or superintendent of Arches.... Each made new discoveries and increased our knowledge of the park.
44. ARCHVC_160716_247.JPG: Advertising and Movies: While filming "The Comancheros" in 1961, John Wayne described Moab as the place where "God put the West." Dramatic scenery has made the landscape around Arches National Park and Moab, Utah, a popular location for Hollywood movies. More than twenty motion pictures have been filmed here, including Wagonmaster, Ten Who Dared, Cheyenne Autumn, Against a Crooked Sky, Rio Conches, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Thelma and Louise, and The Hulk. Thousands of hours of footage for television shows and commercials and countless advertising stills have used Arches National Park as a backdrop. Modern film makers and commercial photographers must obtain a permit and observe stringent regulations to protect both the park environment and visitor experience. The fees they pay help cover the expenses of supervising their activities.
45. ARCHVC_160716_251.JPG: CCC: In March 1940, a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, consisting mostly of enrollees from the southern states, was established to help develop Arches National Monument. They improved the old entrance road, constructed headquarters buildings and started work on a new entrance road. Work was halted when the U.S. entered World War II. The camp, one of the last in the nation, closed in March of 1942. Today the camp is gone, but the lasting contributions of the CCC can still be seen in the historic red sandstone building near the visitor center.
46. ARCHVC_160716_254.JPG: Bates Wilson: Bates Wilson accepted the position of Custodian of Arches and Natural Bridges National Monuments in 1949, and stayed on the job until his retirement in 1972. When Wilson arrived, Arches National Monument had few developments beyond dirt roads. During his superintendency, Arches doubled in size and was designated a national park. Roads were paved, hiking trails constructed, a campground and a visitor center were built. Known to many for his role in the establishment of the Canyonlands National Park, Bates Wilson also left a grand legacy at Arches, as a small and relatively unknown national monument grew into the National Park we know today.
47. ARCHVC_160716_260.JPG: Park Enjoyment: What was once unexplored is now enjoyed by many. As use patterns change, park managers are faced with increasing challenges of preserving an unspoiled desert park. Mission 66: Early travel to the park was difficult. Roads were dirt and often impassable due to deep sand and washouts. Park managers made road improvements one of their top priorities, but little happened until the 1950s when a ten-year plan to upgrade visitor facilities at in National Park Service areas was implemented. Called Mission 66, the program's goal was to increase visitation to NPS areas by accommodating the needs of an increasingly mobile society. By early 1956, the new entrance road was under construction. Most of the trails that we enjoy today are the product of Mission 66. The road to Balanced Rock was completed in 1958 and extended to Devils Garden by 1964. The American Society of Landscape Architects selected the Arches entrance road as one of the three best roads of the Mission 66 program. Visitor Services: Mission 66 funding was not limited to road construction. To replace a leftover CCC building that had been used for years, a visitor center was constructed in 1959. It served the park for more than 40 years. The campground opened in 1964 and is still enjoyed by visitors. Between 1955 and 1975, visitation to Arches increased 550%. After that, international visitors discovered Arches National Park and use steadily increased. What will Arches be like in 20 years? In 50 years? What does the future hold? Only time will tell. If park visitation continues to grow, park managers and park visitors will face new challenges. All of us must continue to plan for the future by looking for innovative solutions that not only protect the park's resources, but also preserve the experiences that we treasure during a visit to a national park. One thing is certain: we are all part of the future history of Arches. What will our legacy be? Arch Hunting: Many of the major arches were known prior to the establishment of Arches National Monument. By 1941, Custodian Henry G. Schmidt had documented 97 arches, but his list has not survived. As late as 1970, official literature states that the park contained "nearly 90 arches." Dale Stevens, a geology professor, conducted the first scientific study of arches in the park beginning in 1973. He and his fellow "arch hunters" standardized the methods of measuring natural arches. His work formed the basis of recording arches in the park and inspired a cadre of arch hunters. Ed McCarrick was an Arches ranger in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and along with Stevens, authored several books on the arches they documented. In the late 1960s, now-retired engineer Doug Travers and his sons began a search for arches, those previously documented as well as unrecorded ones. Travers subsequently developed a database for his own use, which he has graciously shared. Check out the Hunting Arches computer near the indoor arch. Other prominent arch hunters have included Chris Moore, who has documented arches across the United States, Reuben Scolnik, who made helpful suggestions on classification of arches, and Steve Frederick, who located many arches in the inventory. Edward Abbey: Edward Abbey once said there will always "be something worth fighting for an something worth fighting against." In his book, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, Abbey recounts his experiences as a seasonal ranger at Arches in the summers of 1956 and 1957 while living in a "little tin government house trailer" near Balanced Rock. The book has become standing reading for environmental activists and all who enjoy the solitude of the desert. Abbey interspersed eloquent descriptions of the natural history of the park with warnings about "industrial tourism" and personal opposition to the planned development of Arches. Through Desert Solitaire, millions of people get a glimpse of Arches at a time when it was still a little-known monument at the end of the little-used dirt road. The road is paved now and Abbey's trailer is gone, but his spirit lives on in the people who continue to search for the feeling of personal freedom evoked by this desert landscape.
48. ARCHVC_160716_266.JPG: Park Enjoyment: What was once unexplored is now enjoyed by many. As use patterns change, park managers are faced with increasing challenges of preserving an unspoiled desert park. Mission 66: Early travel to the park was difficult. Roads were dirt and often impassable due to deep sand and washouts. Park managers made road improvements one of their top priorities, but little happened until the 1950s when a ten-year plan to upgrade visitor facilities at in National Park Service areas was implemented. Called Mission 66, the program's goal was to increase visitation to NPS areas by accommodating the needs of an increasingly mobile society. By early 1956, the new entrance road was under construction. Most of the trails that we enjoy today are the product of Mission 66. The road to Balanced Rock was completed in 1958 and extended to Devils Garden by 1964. The American Society of Landscape Architects selected the Arches entrance road as one of the three best roads of the Mission 66 program.
49. ARCHVC_160716_269.JPG: Visitor Services: Mission 66 funding was not limited to road construction. To replace a leftover CCC building that had been used for years, a visitor center was constructed in 1959. It served the park for more than 40 years. The campground opened in 1964 and is still enjoyed by visitors. Between 1955 and 1975, visitation to Arches increased 550%. After that, international visitors discovered Arches National Park and use steadily increased. What will Arches be like in 20 years? In 50 years? What does the future hold? Only time will tell. If park visitation continues to grow, park managers and park visitors will face new challenges. All of us must continue to plan for the future by looking for innovative solutions that not only protect the park's resources, but also preserve the experiences that we treasure during a visit to a national park. One thing is certain: we are all part of the future history of Arches. What will our legacy be?
50. ARCHVC_160716_271.JPG: Arch Hunting: Many of the major arches were known prior to the establishment of Arches National Monument. By 1941, Custodian Henry G. Schmidt had documented 97 arches, but his list has not survived. As late as 1970, official literature states that the park contained "nearly 90 arches." Dale Stevens, a geology professor, conducted the first scientific study of arches in the park beginning in 1973. He and his fellow "arch hunters" standardized the methods of measuring natural arches. His work formed the basis of recording arches in the park and inspired a cadre of arch hunters. Ed McCarrick was an Arches ranger in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and along with Stevens, authored several books on the arches they documented. In the late 1960s, now-retired engineer Doug Travers and his sons began a search for arches, those previously documented as well as unrecorded ones. Travers subsequently developed a database for his own use, which he has graciously shared. Check out the Hunting Arches computer near the indoor arch. Other prominent arch hunters have included Chris Moore, who has documented arches across the United States, Reuben Scolnik, who made helpful suggestions on classification of arches, and Steve Frederick, who located many arches in the inventory.
51. ARCHVC_160716_276.JPG: Edward Abbey: Edward Abbey once said there will always "be something worth fighting for an something worth fighting against." In his book, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, Abbey recounts his experiences as a seasonal ranger at Arches in the summers of 1956 and 1957 while living in a "little tin government house trailer" near Balanced Rock. The book has become standing reading for environmental activists and all who enjoy the solitude of the desert. Abbey interspersed eloquent descriptions of the natural history of the park with warnings about "industrial tourism" and personal opposition to the planned development of Arches. Through Desert Solitaire, millions of people get a glimpse of Arches at a time when it was still a little-known monument at the end of the little-used dirt road. The road is paved now and Abbey's trailer is gone, but his spirit lives on in the people who continue to search for the feeling of personal freedom evoked by this desert landscape.
52. ARCHVC_160716_284.JPG: United States Flag at Half-Staff Immediately After Sunset on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Nice, France
53. ARCHVC_160716_287.JPG: Half-mast flag for the victims of the Attack in Nice, France
Multi Column: Number of columns of thumbnails to appear per page (normally defaults to 3): [1 col] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (UT -- Arches Natl Park -- Visitor Center) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2006_UT_ArchesVC: UT -- Arches Natl Park -- Visitor Center (11 photos from 2006)
Generally-Related Pages: Other pages with content (UT -- Arches Natl Park) somewhat related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2006_UT_Arches_Petro: UT -- Arches Natl Park -- Petroglyph trail (32 photos from 2006)
- 2016_UT_Arches: UT -- Arches Natl Park (143 photos from 2016)
- 2002_UT_Arches: UT -- Arches Natl Park (41 photos from 2002)
- 2006_UT_Arches: UT -- Arches Natl Park (73 photos from 2006)
- 2003_UT_Arches: UT -- Arches Natl Park (30 photos from 2003)
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [Natural Beauty] [Park (National Park Service)]
2016 photos: Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Seven relatively short trips this year: two Civil War Trust conference (Gettysburg, PA and West Point, NY, with a side-trip to New York City), my 11th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including sites in Utah, Nevada, and California), a quick trip to Michigan for Uncle Wayne's funeral, two additional trips to New York City, and a Civil Rights site trip to Alabama during the November elections. Being in places where people died to preserve the rights of minority voters made the Trumputin election even more depressing. Number of photos taken this year: just over 610,000.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Limiting Text: You can turn off all of this text by clicking this link: [Thumbnails Only]
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].