Dance Hall rock
Another piece of history. Spirits were high when a tough group of Mormon pioneers were camped about a mile from this rock at a place known as forty mile springs. It was 1878 and they were on their way (families in wagons) to hopefully cross the Colorado River and homestead in the San Juan River region.
They held dances in this rock amphitheater - and if you close your eyes you can almost hear the fiddle music echoing off the rock and the clapping of hands in time with the music.
But when their scouts returned with the news of the steep cliffs and seemingly impossible way forward, the mood quickly changed.
With strong leadership and a dedicated group on a "mission" they all made it and lowered wagons, kids, horses, and livestock down the Hole In the Rock. After crossing the Colorado they had tremendous challenges getting the wagons through the next portion of their route. They made it to present day Bluff, Utah where they settle before a flood drove many of them elsewhere. For some excellent historic photos and a narrative on their story read: "The Incredible Mission" by Lamont Crabtree.
I left my Ecalante, Utah motel room (The circle D) at 5 am (Washington time) and made it the 52 miles of bone jarring miles on the Hole In The Rock road by around 7:45 am.
At 8 am, parked below fiftymile point, I shouldered my day pack and heaed N.E. cross country well back from the side canyons of Davis Gulch (to avoid contant detours).
I followed rock outcroppings to the cairn marking the way down into Davis Gulch. There is brush and beaver dams along the floor of Davis Gulch and I decided it would take me too long to hike down into the canyon; up to Bements arch; then retrace my route.
So, I decide to take a leisurely hike along the west rim of Davis Gulch and view and photograph it from the canyon rim. The slickrock hiking was a pure pleasure compared to the soft sand hiking I had done on the way in.
My motivation for this hike was historic as much as a desire for scenic desert beauty in a remote location.
The stories of Buzz Holmstrom; the disappearance in the Grand Canyon of Bessie and Glenn Hyde on a sweep boat trip down the Colorado River in 1928; and the disappearance of a young romantic and artist named Everett Ruess in November of 1934 in Davis Gulch - - have always fascinated me. I wanted to see where their stories took place.
The hike along the rim was wonderful and when I got back to my pickup truck below fiftymile point it was actually a warm day for November. I had an ice chest full of cold IBC root beer waiting for me at the truck.
I didn't look forward to the 52 mile rough washboard road route back out, but I took it slow.
Then over halfway back I ran into a young couple from Holland who had buried their rental vehicle in the soft sand of the Spooky canyon road.
Working hard together we were able to free their rental pickup truck in about an hour of hard work. They were a really nice young couple and it felt good to be able to help them out.
I made it back to my motel room a little after dark, quite tired and content. The next day I left before sunrise and made it back to my wife and home in Eastern Washington by 9:30 Sunday night. OMT
Here are three books that I highly recommend if you want a sense of the fascinating history of the Colorado and Escalante River area:
THE DOING OF THE THING by Welch, Conley and Dimock.
SUNK WITHOUT A SOUND by Brad Dimock
EVERETT RUESS by W.L Rusho
Comments and faves
Starlisa added this photo to her favorites. (43 months ago)
Starlisa (43 months ago | reply)
this one really stikes home, as many of my early family were among the early Mormon settlers and handcart companies. Great Grandpa Black built the early grain mill in GLendale, Utah I think... dad used to help him run the mill. Gr Gr Grandpa did lots of the early setting of southern Utah.
so wonderful reading over your adventure nad how you tie it all in to the history... thank you!@ Great shot, too... the lighting was awesome.
oldmantravels (43 months ago | reply)
Darlisa - - it honestly makes me feel good when a photograph or narrative brings a memory or special meaning to someone. An old dilipitated barn I photographed this year near Shaniko, Oregon - - turned out to have been built by somebody's great uncle. I got a nice note on that one (It is now properly labeled the "Leslie Payne" barn). www.flickr.com/photos/12150532@N04/2982511932 /in/set-7215...
Near the Sweetwater River in Wyoming I visited the place where around 100 "hand cart" LDS had died one winter while trying to complete their trek to Utah. I have nothing but high respect for each and every pioneer that came west. Read about the Willie and Martin hand cart companies of 1856. It is an amazing story.
We tend to brag it up these days if we hike 20 miles in one day with a light nylon day pack on our back, when men, women, and children walked all the way from Missouri to Oregon on their treks west (no Jetboil stoves or freeze dried foods - - just buffalo chips and from scratch soup).. They were truly an admirable hearty group. OMT
Gumpher (Adam Christensen) (38 months ago | reply)
I love this place! You go up on top of it and it has all those pot holes. They glow in the magic hour of light. I didn't have my dslr at the time when I went and I want to run down again.
oldmantravels (38 months ago | reply)
Adam - - Once you "pay the price" of driving the washboard road (a.k.a.. The Hole in the Rock road) - - the hiking and photo opportunities and almost endless. OMT
Look. and Bob Spomer added this photo to their favorites.
GEO M I (28 months ago | reply)
the gaping maw!!
oldmantravels (28 months ago | reply)
Venice - - I could honestly hear the fiddles playing and the toes a tapping, and could only imagine the hardships those folks that took wagons, mules, cow, and kids all the way to Bluff, Utah from Escalante, and built the route as they went. OMT
This photo was invited and added to the Rockforms group.