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Natural
Bridges National Monument
Sipapu Bridge (NPS Photo by Tom Gray)
Natural Bridges protects some of the finest
examples of ancient stone architecture in the southwest. The monument is
located in southeast Utah on a pinyon-juniper covered mesa bisected by
deep canyons of Permian age Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Where meandering streams
cut through the canyon walls, three natural bridges formed: Kachina,
Owachomo and Sipapu.
At an elevation of 6,500 feet above sea
level, the Monument is home to a wide variety of plants and animals.
Plants range from the fragile cryptobiotic soil crusts to remnant stands
of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine. Natural Bridges was established in
1908, making it the oldest National Park Service site in Utah.
Human Prehistory
Repeatedly occupied and
abandoned during prehistoric times, Natural Bridges was first used during
the Archaic period, from 7000 B.C. to A.D. 500. Only the rock art and
stone tools left by hunter-gatherer groups reveal that humans lived here
then. Around AD 700, ancestors of modern Puebloan people moved onto the
mesa tops to dry farm and later left as the natural environment changed.
Around AD 1100, new migrants from across the San Juan River moved into
small, single-family houses near the deepest, best-watered soils
throughout this area. In the 1200's, farmers from Mesa Verde migrated
here, but by the 1300's the ancestral Puebloans migrated south. Navajos
and Paiutes lived in the area during later times, and Navajo oral
tradition holds that their ancestors lived among the early Puebloans.
European History
In 1883, prospector Cass
Hite wandered up White Canyon from his base camp along the Colorado River
in search of gold. What he found instead were three magnificent bridges
water had sculpted from stone. In 1904, National Geographic Magazine
publicized the bridges, and in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt
established Natural Bridges National Monument, creating Utah's first
National Park Service area.
Naming the Bridges
Several names have
been applied to the bridges. First named "President,"
"Senator" and "Congressman" by Cass Hite, the bridges
were renamed "Augusta," "Caroline" and
"Edwin" by later explorer groups. As the park was expanded to
protect nearby Puebloan structures, the General Land Office assigned the
Hopi names "Sipapu," "Kachina" and "Owachomo"
in 1909. Sipapu means "the place of emergence," an entryway by
which the Hopi believe their ancestors came into this world. Kachina is
named for rock art on the bridge that resembles symbols commonly used on
kachina dolls. Owachomo means "rock mound," a feature atop the
bridge's east abutment.
Activities in the
park include camping, auto touring and hiking. Most
visitors spend at least two to three hours exploring Natural Bridges. Plan
on stopping at the visitor center and touring the scenic drive, with stops
at each overlook to view the bridges. Several short hikes allow closer
inspection of these remarkable formations, as well as Horsecollar Ruin.
The 8.6-mile loop trail provides visitors
with more time the opportunity to experience the beauty of White Canyon
while hiking to all three bridges.
Camping in the park in on a first come
first serve basis. For more information on camping click
here.
For more information on the Natural Bridges
National Monument click
here.
Click
Here For Online Hotel Reservations In Blanding Utah, Just 35 Miles
From The Natural Bridges National Monument.
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