The Coconino sun., 1925-06-26
Wonders Of Ranbo,0 Bridge
Country Now Easy to Reach


trading post at Cameron, Leupp ane
Kaibito, and in cooperation with his
brother, S. |. Richardson, has opened
up the Navajo Mountain country tC
motor travel, constructing so miles
of road through what had hitherto
been regarded by all as absolutely i'm.
Ipassable country except for pack
trains.
Leaving Cameron after lunch the
third day, with Hubert Richardson as
our host for the next few days, we
passed Tuba City, % miles OUT
| (where an Indian school is maintained,
headquarters for the western Navajo
reservation), and 40 miles out reached
Red Lake, trading post.
Through Rough Country
! Five miles out of Red Lake the
road forks, the right hand one going
to Kayenta and the left hand one,
heading almost due north, being the
60-miles stretch constructed by the
Richardson's, to the site of their pres
ent Rainbow Lodge. This road trav-
erses an extremely rough and cut up
country, but so we'll did the Indian
guides pick way that, though there
are many short, steep grades, none of
them is heavy enough to deter any
make of car in fair running condition.
The fact that one-ton trucks, usually
overloaded, run regularly over tn:s
road should indicate its passability.
The Franklin Camel III, carrying
three persons and great deal of
baggage as we'll as extra gasoline
(gasoline may be obtained at Cam
eron, Tuba, Red Lakes and Rainbow
Lodge, however), made the ia miles
from Cameron to Rainbow Lodge, the
terminus of the Richardson's road, in
six hours.
At the lodge we found main
building, housing dining room and
store, with tent houses for sleeping
quarters, but with several atwood
cabins under course of construction,
two of which are nearly completed
Water is obtained from a steady
flowing spring used by cliff dwellers
in prehistoric times. A few hundred
yards above the lodge are remains of
ancient dwellings and a ceremonial
chamber (Hopi kiva) in good condi-
tion.
The lodge occupies commanding
position on slope at the foot of Ma
vajo Mountain, and it is, of course,
useless to attempt to describe the sun
sets or sunrises or the changing colors
of the great painted desert which lie
spread before one.
Next morning, the fourth day of
our trip, after a hearty breakfast,
Carr and l mounted the sure-footed
mules assigned US and, accompanied
by Hubert Richardson and guided by
Ed Ford, we set out over the 15-mile
trail for Rainbow Natural Bridge, a
short distance from the lodge crossing
what | exclaimed was "some canyon!n
but which, on returning from Bridge
and Cliff canyons, ] had to admit was
"only little ravine"
BY steady progress over a high di-
vide IN Cliff canyon (whose walls |
lowered more than $500
feet above us) and thence by way of
Red Bud Pass, in reality narrow
ravine with 1500-foot walls connect |
ing Cliff and Bridge Canyons, we
reached the latter and then, at $3.50 |
p. m. arrived at the great natural |
bridge itself. The huge sandstone
arch towers 308 feet in the air, with a
span of 274 feet, but because of the
great cliffs hemming it in, nearly /
1000 feet high, the bridge does not
attain its huge proportions in the hui
man eye until one is close to it or di-
rectly under it.
At the base of the arch, sheltered
from storms and preserved from any
rodents infesting the region by
galvanized iron box, is
The roster of those who have visited
Non-ne-zo-sile as the Navajos call
the bridge. The first thing we did,
Of course, was to sign our names, and
| drew No. 368-only 367 white peo-
pie having seen the bridge previously,
according TO this record, which in
cludes such notables as Theodore
Roosevelt and Zane Grey.
Discovery an Issue
The bridge is said to have been
'irst discovered by white men in 1909,
ed there by Piute Indian. Be that
IS it may and with all credit to that
exploring party of 1909, headed by
John Wetherill, the facts are prac-
ically incontrovertible that John
emerson, accompanied by a man now
living, carved his name and the date
1882" on the great arch Early visi-
ors to the bridge mentioned this
lame and date, but we could not find ,
t, but did note that two inscriptions
lad been effaced from the rock, only ,