Show zion park zion national P park irk utah national park has recently received a very valuable addition to the historical exhibit which Is a part of their government mu museum const consisting ting ot of a fine tinted photograph ot of nepal johnson discoverer of zion canyon the me picture was donated by his son nellit johnson jr ot of Cir circleville Circle cleville villo utah it will form the nucleus ot of a pioneer exhibit being planned by the park officials and together with a powder horn which nephi jahnson jr has offered TO donate in a short time will form one of the most outstanding and valuable exhibits in ili the mus eulin it is planned to include with these objects a lull full explanation of the circumstances surrounding the discovery ot of zion canyon as they were related to park officials last aemmer te ummer by medhi johnson jr ile he stated that his fattier father rode into the canyon in november of 1858 spending the entire day ridin riding up the cie canyon as far as the location of ct the spring known today as zion stadium spring ile he was in ili search of sources of irrigation water for the new settlement in dixie ie and had made the trip to the mouth of zion canyon accompanied by several plute indian guides who refused to continue into the canyon itself because of a superstition which they had they believed that an evil sahit in the canyon would enter the bears which then lived there in small numbers and would cause the bears to kill anyone going into the canyon they fully believed that johnson would be killed an and were much surprised when he returned turned to their camp near the junction of the virgin and rivers verv lato late in the evening after his discovery trip previous to the relation of the above incidents by mr air johnson Johns cn jr there had been some contusion to as aa to who was the me first white man mail to enter the canyon and park officials and historians are arc pleased to be able to state the true facts of the case at this time at present a collect collection icia of historical exhibits has been accumulate acau I and Is in ili storage awaiting allotment of funds ifor for building a suitable rou museum seum but there ate aie many gaps in the present collection and many facts still to be learned which it is hoped will be forth forthcoming comin in me near future in order to make the zion historical exhibit into one which will reflect credit upon the entire state and faithfully portray utah pioneer life to the thousands of who annually visit zion national park |