Tuesday was another day of driving. We drove south to Pipe Spring National Monument and then over to the southern part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
There’s not a whole lot around Pipe Spring National
Monument. However, it was interesting to hear about the conflict between the
Paiutes and the Mormon pioneers. The Mormons built a stone structure, Winsor
Castle, directly over the springs as a stronghold against raiding Indians. They
maintained a cattle ranch and delivered butter, cheese, and cattle to St.
George, Utah. It took four days to travel from the spring to St. George. The
castle was also a hideout for polygamous wives after federal laws were passed
against polygamy. The Paiutes were forced to move from the area after they no
longer had access to the spring and the cattle destroyed the native plants they
depended on for food.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is huge, nearly
1.9 million acres. It consists of cliffs and plateaus of many different colors:
vermillion, white, gray, and pink. The more interesting features of the
park are only accessible by dirt roads; most of which require a high-clearance,
four-wheel drive vehicle. We drove up Johnson Canyon, as it was paved. I didn’t
take many pictures.
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