The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1919-12-05

gress and at this writing Is In con-
ference amendment.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the best of boosters--have~
long commended that Yosemite valley is the SUI
preme expression Of scenic loneliness They hold
that there is nothing like 1t earth To them it is
the valley whose compelling beauty the world
acknowledges as supreme" But Utah enthus-
lasts believe that when lions beauty is known to
Me public Yosemite will be put In the second
rank or course the Zion National park will
hardiy rank with Yosemite national park
for the latter contains 1892 acres, while the
former will have only 76S0O acres But the con-
fest In loneliness between Yosemite valley and
zion canon Is likely to be close and interesting
Yellowstone National park in Wyoming Mon
tana and Idaho, as everybody knows was the first
national park to be established 1S72) in the
world 1t is our Oldest and largest and most
famous scenic natural park It's geysers and bears
have made its name worldwide household word
Yosemite in California established In 1890 10
scarcely less famous; all the world knows of IFS
waterfalls and its big trees-the Oldest and
largest living things in the world And Yosemite
valley Its greatest beauty, Is familiar to eyerv-
one through pictures. 1t is visited yearly by thou-
sands; this season the attendance was So 564
The proposed Zion National park lies In south
ern otah' about 2o0 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 is also avail
able. President Taft in 1909 created the Mum
Kuntuweap national monument of Is $40 acres to
preserve the wonderfully scenic area of the
canon or the Rio Virgin. In recent years other
scenic canons We're discovered and in 1918 Presi-
dent Wilson enlarged the national monument to
7o,SoO acres and changed It's name to Zion. In
the debate over the Zion National park bin in the
house Representative yelling of Utah said in
part
This region obtained its name Zion canon be-
cause of the devout reverence of. the Mormon
q rtV mo
than 60 years ago Its perpendicular walls pre-
scented an impossible barrier to hostile tribes of
Indians, who infested these regions, and these
people looked upon Zion as convenient
and hospitabe refuge when threatened by at
tack from these troublesome Indian tribes. Zion
canon is extraordinary gorge cut from bril-
llantly colored sedimentary rocks by the north
fork OF the Virgin river. Its proportions are
about equal to those of Yosemite valley in Yo-
semitic National park; the walls several hun
dred feet lower and the is considerably
narrower. In the cutting of the gorge, however
the torrentia stream and wind and rain have
carved domes. spires, towers, and other curious
forms that strikingly resemble many of the fea-
lures of Yosemite valley
More interesting than the carving of lions
cliffs Is their exquisite coloring. Red predomi-
mates, as ii does in the Grand canon in Arizona
but there are amazing combinations of brown
black. and white coiors with the red and with
each other. White sandstone is supeiimposed on
tne reu Struth, anu Otner layers or the red rock
lie in turn upon the white. The action of water
upon the exposed surfaces of these rocks has
produced a symphony of color that gives the
canon its greatest charm. The finishing touches
given by the forests of the valley floor and
the trees the rim and In the inches OF the
nearly perpendicular canon walls
Until recently Zion has been practically mac
cessible and scarcely tens have seen it where
thousands have Yosemite But lions vis-
tors have paid eloquent tribute. The Indians
called 1t Munkuntuweap-Lan of God--because
ii beautiful The fierce Mormon zealot
named it Little Zion" because of It's heav-
eny beauty. Away back In the seventies
John Wesley Powell of Grand canon fame
tempted far out Of his way by the exceeding
beauty of temple OF rock lifting It's opalescent
shoulders against the eastern sky" 1t was the
vermilion body and shining white dome of the
West Temple Of the Virgin at the entrance to
Munkuntuweap.
Again impressed with the marvellous
beauty of outline. the infinite complication Of
these titanic buttes 1t is doubtful If In this re-
spect the valley has its equal. Not even the
Grand canon offers more varied spectacle; yet
all is welded together In superb ensemble" f.
s. Dellenbaugh, topographer of the Powell party,
wrote this on his second visit.
Nothing exceed the wondrous beauty of
Zion canon" wrote c. f. Dutton. an its proper
lions 1t is about equal to Yosemite, but In the
nobility and beauty of its sculptures there is 20
comparison. 1t Is Hyperion 20 . Sstyr."