ST. TRAVELS

 

In this picture of Ted at the first lookout, the river can only be seen below by walking to the ledge and leaning out a little bit.  Located in Western Colorado, about one hour south of Grand Junction, this canyon was declared a National Park in 1999, and we all agreed it should be on the list.  

The human stories of this incredible canyon are very interesting.  Only its rims, never the gorge, show evidence of human occupation – not even by Ute Indians living in the area since written history began.  

The canyon was first documented in 1873 by Captain Gunnison.  In 1900 John Pelton and Frank Lauzon explored the deep recesses of the canyon to find a spot where a tunnel might be built to bring water to the farmers in the Uncompahgre Valley.  Despite two endeavors, their explorations were unsuccesful as the narrow canyon and rugged rocks destroyed their wooden boats. 

From 1901-1903, Fellows and Torrence explored the jaws of the canyon, literally jumping into cascades to get through places where the canyon walls squeezed to only 40 feet wide, but were successful. A tunnel was dug from 1905-1909 that brought life-giving water to the desert of the Uncompahgre Valley.   

The Rev. Mark Warner preached a gospel of preservation, and convinced the local Lions Club to build the first road to the top of the cliffs so more people could see this marvelous canyon. Then he wrote hundreds of letters to Colorado and U.S. representatives and successfully got Congress to establish it as a protected wilderness area, and it was proclaimed a national monument in 1933 by President Herbert Hoover.  

We’re staying in Grand Junction for the weekend at a home we got through AirB&B. The elevation at this lower altitude is 4,800 feet above sea level and there is an incredible amount of farming here – it’s even a big wine area!  Today, Saturday, is a day off for us, and we feel it’s our duty to explore this wine region!  😉