Their exploration party passed near Zion in 1778. A fur trapper named Jedediah Smith also passed nearby in 1826. Mormon pioneers began to settle in Southern Utah in the 1850's, and sent a scout named Nephi Johnson into Zion Canyon. These pioneers grew crops, planted fruit trees, and raised livestock. They lived in dugouts and small log cabins.
Many people today feel the same way.
The beauty of what is now Zion National Park was noted in a report by Leo A. Snow of St. George, Utah, following his 1908 survey of Zion Canyon for the U.S. Geological Survey. By an act of Congress in 1919, it became Zion National Park. In 1956, Kolob Canyons was added to Zion National Park. Today Zion contains about 147,000 acres of land. It is one of 358 National Park Service areas which cover nearly 80 million acres.