The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-06-30
UTAH'S YOSEMITE
BEATS THE WORLD
Artist Culmer Describes a Won
derful Canyon.
ALONG THE RIO VIRGIN
SURPRISES IN GRANDEUR THE
YELLOWSTONE PARK.

Utah possesses the grandest scenery
in the world" said H. L. A. Culmer,
last night. Mr.. Gunner and party
have Just returned from trip through
the temples of the Rio Virgin and Nh
kuntuweap in Washington county. The
party included, besides Mr.. Culmer.
his son Wells, S. T. Whitaker and Sam
whitaker. Before viewing the Wash
ington county scenery, they went into
the Grand canyon of Arizona, but Mr.
Culmer says it cannot be compared to
the Utah views.
THE Washington county canyon is
( known locally as Little Zion Valley,
said Mr.. Gunner, 'and the people down
there are entirely unconscious of the
grandeur Of their surroundings. / have
been in the Yosemite valley IN CalifOr-
MIA, Yellowstone park and the Grand
canyon Of Colorado, but this is far
more beautiful than any Of those in
it's wonderful sculpturing Of rocks, it's
beautiful cOlOriugs, its~pinnacles, tow
ers. monuments, mOnOliths and its pref
~ river.
National Park Scheme.
"The valley IS ten miles long and
never more than FIVE miles wide. There
are great cottonwood trees and ma
pies and wild grape vines Chamber over
the hillsides. There are cosmos by the
half-acre, yucca, yant, Dose and other
flowers in beWildering pTOfusiOn- The
Dose IS one of the shOwiest flowers /
ever saw. We photographed one mag
niicent specimen that stood nine feet
high with a mass of beautiful blooms
that must have been two feet in diam
eter and four feet long.
You can get an idea of the beauty Of
this flower when I tell you that in the
mass l speak of there were hundreds
Of blooms, each absolutely perfect and
as fragrant as a tube rose. Words can
not express the grandeur Of it ALL g.
=. DuttOn of the United States geOlOg-
iCai survey said of this canyon in 1891:
1t IS about the same proportions as
Yosemite valley, but in magnifcence
is beyond comparison with it
Mr.. Gunner brought home with him a
number Of sketches from this valley
which he Will work out later Thus he
viii be able TO show to his friends some
idea Of this wonderful scenery the state
contains. Mr.. Whitaker took a num-
Der of photographs with his big revOiV-
ing camera, an instrument he invented
himself. It's size is so large that films
had TO be made specially for it, and the
supply company that turned them out
wrote Mr.. Whitaker that it had never
manufactured films as big as these.
Speaking of the photographs, Mr. Cui
mer said they were the handsOmest he
had ever seen, every detail of the views
being shown in spite of the haudicaps
attending the taking Of the pictures.
Wonderful Plants.
Mr.. Gunner is very enthusiastic over
a proposition to make this a national or
state park. THE government has spent
enormous sums in securing control of
the Yosemite and Yellowstone park,
but here is q place that can be secured
for $4,000 or less, that is more beau
tiful than either of them said he. 1T
is fully as accessible as Yellowstone
or Yosemite. With proper stage service
it could be reached in twenty-four
hours from Lund, on the Oregon Short
Line, or in thirty-siX hours from Salt
Lake City.
THE trip could easily be made in a
week and those who take it will naver
regret their experience. It must be
seen to be appreciated in all of it's
magnificence. Why, that canyon has
sheer walls that rise 1900 feet straight
up in the air It has beauties that al
most defy the brush of the painter or
the camera Of the photographer
Mr.. CuImer talked interestingly of his
trip into Arizona. One point up there
was named Culmer Point in his honor.
THE views here are so vast that the
mind cannot grasp them said he. Il
must confess I was disappointed, al
though we had an interesting expert
ence. There one looks down into
abysses, CHASTITY in their solitude and
lack of vendure with a sheer. descent of
a mile" Mr.. Gunner and his party
spent a week in the Arizona country.