RAINBOW BRIDGE

Rainbow Bridge, proclaimed a national monument by President Taft, is in Utah, just over the state line. It was first discovered by white man in August, 1909.

A rainbow in the morning is a weather warning, and a rainbow toward night means a weather delight, but a rainbow of stone is a never-to-be-forgotten adventure.

Rainbow Bridge is a natural rainbow, carved by wind and water in such proportion that President Taft proclaimed it a Na tional Monument May 30, 1910. The measurements will describe its proportion (278 feet span, 309 feet above the floor of Bridge Canyon, 40 feet thick and 33 feet wide at the top of the arch) but only a view of the arch itself can justify its symmetry. Words fail also in describing the colors-but why shouldn't it be colorful, located as it is in the red sandstone plateau that bears its name Rainbow Plateau? Here 40% of the surface is without vegetation or top soil, and the red to-salmon-pink layers of the Glen Canyon group of Jurassic sandstones lie exposed to the sun and the eyes of adventure seekers.

The Plateau averages about 3,500 feet above sea-level and its commanding feature is Navajo Mountain which rises to 10,416 feet.

Dutton in 1859, described Navajo Mountain "From whatsoever quarter it is viewed it always presents the same profile. It is soli tary, without even a foothill for society, and its very loneliness is impressive."

And, Bub, it darn sure hasn't changed much since that time. It's just the same, except that now there's a tiny settlement with a Navajo day school and trading post to the southwest of the mountain and on the south ern toe is Rainbow Lodge. That's where you park your car, your city manners, and where you leave your modern comforts behind. Where you straddle a good mule and take off on the 14-mile trail to the bridge.

H. E. Gregory who was no mean traveller through, around and over these parts about 1913 said "The most inaccessible, least known and roughest portion of the Navajo Reserva tion is bounded by Navajo Canyon, the Col orado River and Paiute Canyon." And in the heart of this area lies Rainbow Bridge!

For the traveller by mule much of the hardship has been removed by Bill and Kathryn Wilson who operate the Rainbow Lodge and Echo Camp near the Bridge-Bill keeps the trail in good shape because the rid ers are so busy watching the scenery unfold that no thought can be given to footing. The 2,000-foot drop into Cliff Canyon and the switch back trail are all in sight at the same time and the shade tree on the floor of the Canyon is a grand objective. This modern trail to the Bridge has removed the hazards that befell the earlier visitors who came cross country from Oljato guided by the late John Wetherill.

To clear up a long discussed question as to the discoverer of Rainbow Bridge Neil M. Judd has written "Somewhere in the archives of the Department of the Interior is a report identifying Mr. W. B. Douglass as discoverer of Rainbow Bridge. Zane Grey and others have given this honor to John Wetherill, famed plainsman and guide to desert regions. Such statements are incorrect; they pervert the truth or, unwittingly, omit certain essen tial facts. The first white man ever to have seen Nonnezoshe (Rainbow Bridge) is Dr. Byron Cummings, now President of Arizona State University. That was on August 14, 1909. Without aid of Nashja-begay, the adventure might well have failed; without the aid of John Wetherill, the difficulty of con versing with the Paiute would have handi capped if, indeed, it had not actually pre vented Professor Cummings from carrying out his plans; without aid of Professor Cum mings, Mr. Douglass would have been three days or more behind the Utah party; with out aid of Mrs. John Wetherill neither Cum mings nor Douglass would have learned in 1908, as they did, of the existence of Non nezoshe or, later, of guides that really knew the route.

On a later visit Neil M. Judd also wrote a long-hand account of the discovery party in the National Park Register book at the base of the bridge. Quite a document is this register now, names that have been heard around the world, brief descriptions of the Bridge and their trip by well known authors, J. P. Priest ley, Irvin S. Cobb, pen sketches by Jimmy Swinerton and other well known artists-and cryptic cracks by the tired hikers, such as Ferrell Colton's "too tired to be funny." River expeditions sign in parties (this method of reaching the bridge is heartily recommended for the more intrepid). After the river trip comes a six mile hike up Bridge Canyon and beautiful all the way-Norman Nevilles is still operating boats from his base camp near Mexican Hat and this year for the first time the boys at Marble Canyon Lodge are operat ing powered duralumin boats from Lees Ferry to Bridge CanyonBut no matter how you go to the Rainbow of Stone it's juniper smoke and dutch oven biscuits at Echo Camp and you can't beat it!