Introduction to Zion National Park
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Archaeologists have discovered that Zion National Park’s human use can be traced as far back as 6,000 B.C. John Wesley Powell explored the region in 1872 as part of western surveys conducted under the U.S.G.S. By 1847, Brigham Young led members of the Mormons to Utah Territory, and established settlements in the Great Salt Lake Valley. The turn of the century and the decade following heralded a new appreciation for the scenic qualities (and thus tourism) of southern Utah. On July 31, 1909 a presidential Executive Order designated Mukuntuweap National Monument in Zion Canyon. Due to national monuments’ being able to be placed without congressional approval, many early national parks, including Zion, began as national monuments. The monument was largely symbolic, however the largest problem the park experienced was its location in a remote region where there weren’t many good roads, so few people visited it. The park remained this way until the Utah State Commission constructed the state highway system. This drastically improved access to the southern half of the state. On November 19, 1919, a Congressional bill designated the region Zion National Park. Visitors to the park increased, particularly after the Union Pacific Railroad extended a spur line to Cedar City. “By the mid-1920s, curiosity was peaked about the sublime beauty of the Southwest and the promotion of travel to America’s National Parks was in full swing. Union Pacific Railroad travel brochures raved of a place ‘…where everything is on a gigantic scale and color has been splashed around so extravagantly that artists despair of ever catching the brilliance of such flashing colors. No process yet devised by man can faithfully bring to you the beauty of these supreme achievements of Nature. You must see them for yourself!’ [And] They did.”