Existing comment:
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. |