The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-11-27
-
10 al

49, ference over amendment.
tsiift'rniuns-Ri,xays the best of boosters-have
..ng acsnteiillec that Yosemite valley Is the SUI
pitne expression OF scenic lOyeuuess. They hold
that there Is nothing like II earth To them II is
the valley whose compelling beauty the world
acknowledges as supreme" But Utnh 'enthus
lasts believe that when ZIon's beauty is known tp
the public Yosemite will be put In the second
rnnk'f OF course the new Zion National pnrk will
huriiy rank with Yosemite a nutiona park
fur the latter contains 1902 acres. while the
former will have only 7Gs0O acres But the con-
tsm in Ioveliiiess between Yosemite valley und
Z'pn canon Is likely to he close nnd Interesting
Yellowstone National park in Wyoming Mon
tuI'a and Idaho. as everybody knows the first
nrtionai park To be established (lS72) In the
w'rl'l. II is our oldest mud largest and most
fainous scenic natural purk. Its geysers and hears
i'se made Its mime II worldwide household word.
Yosemite In California. established In 1850 is
scarcely less famous: all the world knows of Its
waterfalls and its big trees-ths oldest and
iargest living things In the world. And Yosemite
valley, Its greatest beauty. is familiar every.
through pictures. 1t is visited yearly by tho,,
sends; this season the. attendance 1854
The proposed Z.on National T,nrx lies In south.
etn Utah, about 30 miles south Of Salt Lake
City The state has made 1t accessible to the
tourist by building 100 miles Of automobile high.
way from Lund ON the Salt Lake route The Ar
rowhead trail from Salt Lake City In also avail
nble President Taft In 1000 created the Mum
Auntuweap nafionn, monument OF 1880 acres to
'ranen. u the Rtp Virgin. In recent years. other
scenic canuns We're discovered. and In 1918 PresI-
dent Wikon enlarged the national monument to
I8.SOO acres and changed Its num.e to Zion.' In
the debate over the Zion National park bill In the
house Representative weiiing Of Utah said In
part:
This region obtained It's name Zion he
of the devout of the Mormon
pioneers who settled upon the Virgin river
tl,in 6o years ago Its perpendicular walls pre-
spnfptl tmDQSS;bp barrier q hostile tribes q
Indians who infested these regions. and these
people looked upon Zion canon convenient
and -hnspitnble refuge when threatened by at
tack from these troublesome Indian tribes. Zion
canon Is an extraordinary gorge from bril-
Iantly colored selimentnry rocks by the north
fork Of the Virgin. river It's proportions
about equal 10 those of Yosemite valley. In Yo-
semitic National park: the walls are several hun
dr'd feet lower and the canon is considerably
narrower. In the cutting of the gorge. however.
the torrential stream and wind and rain have
curved dome's. spires. towers. and other curious
forms TINT sfrikingly resemble mnny Of the fea-
lures of Yosemite valley.
'More Interesting than the carving OF ZiOn's
cliffs is their exquisite coloring. Red predomi-
mates as II does in the Grand canon in Arizona
hui there are Amazing combinations of brown
black. and white coors with the red and with
each nther. White sandstone Is superimpOsed
the rcd strata. and other layers of the red rock
lie in tnrn upon the white The action of water
upon the exposed surfaces of these rocks has
produced symphony of color that gives the
cRnOn its greatest charm The finishing touches
given by the forests of the valley floor an.
the trees the rim and in the inches of the
nearly perpendicular canon walls"
Until srecenty Zion has been practically mac
cesssible. and scarcely tens have seen 1t where
thousands have Yosemite. But ZOn's visi-
tors have paid eloquent tribute. The Indians
called II Munkuntuweap-Lan Of God-becuuse
1t so beautiful The fierce Mormon zeniot
nnmeti il Little Zion" becnuse Of its heav-
enIy.t b+aafy. : Away back In the seventies
John Wssiey Powell of Grand canon fnme
wasA sAten,rtet far ont Of his way by the exceeding
In,Iutysof n temple of rock lifting Its opaescent
shoulders. agrinst the eastern sky" 1t the
vermion body and shining white dome of the
West Temple OF the Virgin Mt the entrance to
Munkuntuweap. f.fA-+ -ft-
Again we are impressed with the marvellous
bp:,uty Of outline. the infinite complication Of
these titanic huttes. II Is doubtful II In this re-
spect the valley has Its equal. Not even the
Grand canon offers more varied spectacle: yet
all liz welded together In superb ensemble" F.
s. Ieilenbuu,h. topographer of the Powell party
wrote this on his second visit
Nothing can exceed the w0ndrous beauiy Of
lion canon" wrote C. f. Dutton. I'm Its propor-
tIons 1t Is about equal to Yosemite. but in the
inability and beauty OF It's sculptures there is no
c,ur,artson. 1t is Hyperion to q Satyr