Wednesday-Part 1 of Kanab and Beyond

Wednesday morning dawned beautiful and mild.   We ventured out for our first overnight excursion.   The small town of Kanab, Utah is about 90 minutes away from St. George.   In order to get there, you need to drive into Arizona and then back up into Utah.   Along the strip of Arizona lies Pipe Spring National Monument.   We had never heard of it until some neighbors here in our condo complex told us about it.   We really had no idea what it was all about.   Wow, so interesting!   It is actually and area very important to three groups:  The Paiute Indians, the native people who lived in the area, the Mormon settlers, and the federal government.     To make a long story short:   The Paiute settled here because of the water source-Pipe Spring.   They lived happily in the fertile valley until the Mormons and the government began to invade the area.   The area which had at one time been covered with lush grass was overgrazed by the cattle and sheep of Mormons and others.   The Mormons actually built what they called Winsor Castle right over the spring!   These pictures show the pond created by the spring, and the trough which carried the spring water right through the house. 

Eventually the complex became a haven for the multiple wives of polygamist Mormon men who were trying to evade the federal edict which eventually banned the practice.   In the middle of all of this the Paiute just got lost and displaced.   Finally when polygamy became illegal, the complex was abandoned and in 1923 it became a national monument.  In an amazing turn of events, the Paiute people were actually given back a small reservation there which is their ancestral homeland.  Also, the control over the monument is shared by the National Park service, the Mormon people and the Paiute people.   Quite amazing in light of the centuries of struggle and conflict.   Our tour was actually given by a Paiute man.   Very enjoyable.

We continued on into Kanab and beyond to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.   Who knew there would be a place that looks like the Sahara desert !   The dunes were huge and far reaching.   We had a nice picnic lunch there and then began a drive north and a bit west to Bryce Canyon National Park.


The story of our day continues.....