The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-10-19
INTERESTING LETTERS FROM
THE WEST
VISIT TO BRYCE CANYON

formerly of our town, travelled on to
Bryce Canyon. An account of her
two days spent there follows;
Monday morning, July 9th, we
started on our trail through the can
yons. Route SO taking us to Bryces
Canyon, the first of the Rainbow
Canyons.
"These Rainbow Canyons are
sculptured on magnificent scale
through layers and layers of colored
sandstones, red, lavenders, grays,
pinks, whites and even golden tones
The rains of time have trickled down
until their only rivals are the spectra
of the sky-from rainbows.
I'm Bryce Canyon, the Indians
gathered to feast and worship among
the dazzling spires and minarets and
temples. Bryce Canyon is named
after its discoverer, Ebenezer Bryce,
a Mormon pioneer.
Bryce and Zion are the most
spectacular examples of natures
sculpturing, with the exception OF
the incompatible Grand Canyon.
These two canyons are supreme ex-
amples of erosion, just as in the
Grand Canyon, yet each is different
from the other and neither duplicat-
ed anywhere else on earth.
1.-THE rim at Bryce Canyon is S400
feet above sea level. Bryce is not
canyon but an amphitheater, filled
with thousands of strangely formed
monuments of limestone, all rising
silent and still, toward the sky.
What scenic explosion most aptly
fits Bryce Canyon. The fantasy TO
heavenly city is further enhanced by
the reflections of the sunlight on the
rock structure, giving them the ap-
pearance of mystic metropolis
whose Byzantine buildings are
crowded with lighted windows.
eve were called at 4:45 a. m. to
see the sunrise. Fastening to Sun
set Pavilion we were awed by the
wonderful sight before us. AS the
suns rays crept over the rim of
Bryce the ampitheater took on a
glow as of embers, as the top-most
tips caught the new days light. As
the sun rises, the entire galaxy of
spires come to life. Heavy clouds
interviewed and shut off the effect of
disappearing shadows. From hour
to hour during the entire day, the
scene changes before your very eyes,
as new lights and new shadows bring
new visions until just before sunset
there comes the illusion of the softly
Illuminated city.
''In it's daytime colors, constantly
changing this rainbow canyons lean
to pink and coral, broken by vermil-
los, orange, white and yellow. The
shades blend in the delicate and fan
tastic sculpturing of the monuments.
Innumerable familiar figures stand
out with a stretch of ones magma
ton. There is no mistaking Queen
Victoria, or the Organ, or the Queens
Castle of the Tower Bridge. There's
the Pope, Bluebeard's Castle. In
one section known as Fairyland, you
find the old familiar figures of child
hood.
"The rains are slowly washing
away the vast pink cliffs. Each
succeeding group of cliffs is allowed
its con of glory; then they make way
for the plains below and the sage
brush. They have been receding in
this manner for millions of years.
A visitor asked the ranger how much
the rains washed from the monu7
ments of Bryce each year. He con-
sidered carefully and replied, "about
the thickness of a cigarette paper. !"
1.-THE question, What causes these
brilliant colorings?' The color
white, orange, salmon, rcd, pink,
brown and yellow, sedimentary lime
stones laid down millions of years
ago, when Utah mountain ranges lay
beneath an inland sea. AS the earth
slowly rose, the sands turned to
stone.
There are no regular streams in
Bryce Canyon, though the water
rushes through the side canyons in
torrents during transforms.
''Ebenezer Bryce, who settled at
the lower gateway of the canyon in
1875 is credited with it's first discov-
cry He failed to record his enthu-
siasm over the beauties of the rain
bow monuments. Legend has it
that he said of Bryce Canyon that it
was terrible place to lose a cow"
Brother Ebenezer came to Utah from
Scotland. Bryce was set aside as a
National Monument in 1928.
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