National Parks and Monuments in Utah

Postcard of the Temple of Sinawava in Zion National Park, 1919-1930.

Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion) were established between 1909-1964 in the red rock desert regions of the state.

Originally, their twofold mission was to a) protect the scenic beauty of these areas from private development, and b) make the scenic wonders accessible for the public to enjoy through tourism. As new thinking about wilderness and ecological science evolved over the twentieth century, these values were incorporated into the parks' guiding philosophy as well. Today, more than 15 million tourists from all over the world visit Utah's national parks, monuments, and historic sites each year.

Utah is also home to eleven more National Park Service sites. These places are significant because of their human histories, geology/geography/fossils, and recreation.

Six National Monuments - Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Rainbow Bridge, Timpanogos Cave
Three National Historic Trails - Mormon Pioneer Trail, Pony Express Trail, Old Spanish Trail
One National Historic Park - Golden Spike
One National Recreation Area - Glen Canyon (Lake Powell)

The images in this collection were created at some of Utah's most popular national parks and monuments between the 1930s and the 1960s.

Color postcard of Cedar Breaks in Southern Utah, 1930s. On the reverse of the card it reads: "The colors change marvelously in response to the sun, and within its yawning labyrinths countless thousands of grotesque and magnificent architectural forms may be viewed."

This photograph of "Hole in the Rock" was taken in 1963 or 1964. It is located in Canyonlands National Park, between Moab and Monticello.

A rock formation known as "The Chessman" along the Peek-A-Boo Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park, 1963-1964.

Utah Writer's Project photograph of a natural bridge at Bryce Canyon National Park, 1930s.

This stretch of the Mt. Carmel Highway at Zion National Park is a mile-long tunnel that provides large window openings, where motorists may pull over and take in the view. Photograph taken by Utah Photo Materials Company for the Chamber of Commerce and Commercial Club, 1930s.

This photograph, taken by the Union Pacific Railroad Company in the 1950s, shows the swimming pool at one of the recreation areas near the main lodge at Zion National Park.

Tourists stop to enjoy the Great White Throne at Zion National Park in this photograph taken between 1920 and 1940.

Dr. A. L. Inglesby (1873-1960) was a dentist who loved to photograph Utah's landscapes. In this image taken between 1939 and 1951, "Doc" Inglesby drives his Ford Model A in Capitol Gorge, Capitol Reef National Monument.

Tourist stagecoach inside Zion National Park. Photograph taken by Al Watkins Morton in the 1950s.

Dinosaur National Monument contains hundreds of paleological sites, and for decades visitors can observe scientists perform excavations. In this image from 1955, Floyd Wilkins excavates dinosaur bones, a task he enjoyed doing for over 30 years.

Before it became a national park in 1971, Capitol Reef was designated as a national monument. Charles Kelly, in this image on the right, was the monument's first superintendent. Here he poses for a photograph with a visitor in 1954.

Analyze

What types of natural landscapes were selected to become national parks in Utah?
What Utah landscapes and ecosystems are not represented in the Mighty Five national parks? Why do you think that is?
What other types of sites does the National Park Service manage in Utah? How are they similar or different from the five national parks?
What do you notice about the ways that tourists experienced the parks? How are they different from today? How are they the same?
How many symbols of the American West can you find in the images? Why do you think these symbols were used in the national parks?
What other cultural symbols can you find?

What Do You Think?

How do you think people got to the national parks?
How did the ability to travel determine who could enjoy the parks?
What do you see in these photos that surprises you the most?
What kind of tourist encounters did the early park managers work to create?
How are the ways people played in and used the parks different from today? How are they the same?

Sources

Alfred Runte, National Parks: The American Experience, Fourth Edition (University of Nebraska Press, 2010).

Richard West Sellars, Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History (Yale University Press, 1997).

National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/state/ut/index.htm, and https://www.nps.gov/state/customcf/bythenumbers/print.cfm?state=ut, accessed July 10, 2020.