Existing comment:
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. |