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Navajo
Bridge - Natural Barriers to Exploration and Transportation
Location
of sign - Navajo Bridge on US 89 in Arizona
Photo
taken- July 2008
Close
up view of sign
Wide
view of sign
Text
of sign:
Natural
Barriers to Exploration and Transportation
Native
People...
For
centuries, the Colorado River and its deep canyons have been
formidable natural barriers to travel, but for hundreds of
miles
the
preferred crossing of the river has always been here, near Marble
Canyon. Archeological evidence and oral tradition indicate
that
native people frequently forded the Colorado River in this vicinity
when natural river flows were low enough to make crossing
possible.
Explorers...
In
1776 to Franciscan priests, Fray Francisco Antanasio Dominguez and
Fray Silvestre Velez de Escalante, led an expedition
across
this area in search of an overland route to California.
Because they anticipated being followed by soldiers, priests, and
settlers,
the Dominguez-Escalante expedition provided the first written record
of this region.
Almost
100 years later, in 1869, the Colorado River gained fame from the
writings of Major John Wesley Powell, who conducted
by
boat the first scientific exploration of the Colorado River.
Powell led a second expedition in 1871-72. His purpose was to
determine
if the river was navigable, map the river's canyons, and record
geologic formations.
Settlers...
A
ferry crossing of the Colorado River began operating at the mouth of
the Paria River in 1871. The crossing is widely known as
Lee's
Ferry, after its first operator, John Doyle Lee. During the
19th century, thousands of pioneers crossed the Colorado River at
Lee's
Ferry. The wagon route became known as the "Honeymoon
Trail" because recently married Mormons from new settlements
in
Arizona traveled this route to St. George, Utah to have their
marriages sanctioned in the Mormon Temple.
and
Modern Travelers...
In
1929, the historic Navajo Bridge replaced Lee's Ferry river
crossing. The bridge was so significant to this remote and
rugged
region
that more than 5,000 people attended the dedication ceremony.
Since then, travelers enroute to and through some of this
country's
most magnificent landscapes, have crossed the Colorado River in
relative comfort and convenience by automobile.
"Nowhere
in North America, and in very few localities in the world, are there
any such barriers to road building as the Grand
Canyon
of the Colorado" - W.G. Lubertivre State Engineer 1926
Graphics on the Sign
In
addition to the text there are historical photos of transportation
on the river.
Please
help us out by submitting
a photo!
You
can find more information about the state of Arizona here.
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