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Show 1 8 Fall 2000 Discover Dinosauriand Sftep bach initio the WM 53est , .... "S Step back into the wild west as you stroll through the John Jarvie Ranch or float the Green River. You can explore the dugout where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid once hid out. You can visit the ranch's museum, where you'll discover relics from frontier days. You can camp at Bridge Hollow or Indian Crossing campgrounds, and there are several launch points for floating the Greep River. If you're a fisherman, fisher-man, you won't want to miss the blue ribbon rib-bon fishing opportunity. For additional information contact Bureau of Land Management, Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 84078, (435) 781-4400. One of Utah's best kept secrets is the historic his-toric Browns Park on the Green River from the Little Hole boat launch below Flaming Gorge Dam, to the Colorado state line. This quiet section of the river is managed man-aged by the Bureau of Land Management in Vernal. Over the last few years the Bureau has been upgrading campsites and boat ramps and building back country trails. The focus of public interest along this stretch of river has long been the old Jarvie Ranch Historic Site. The Bureau of Land Management has reconstructed this important impor-tant tum-of-the century pioneer community. communi-ty. The ranch contains a general storepost office, undershot water wheel ferry landing, land-ing, blacksmith shop, and other buildings associated with Outlaw Trail history. Four original structures, each over a century old, still exist. But there's much more to see and do in this interesting area. The Green River in Browns Park has been the hub of some of Utah's most fascinating historical activities. activi-ties. The Bureau of Land Management has been recording local traditions in order to interpret them to the general public. Browns Park in Utah is an 11-mile long, mountain-rimmed valley where the Green River meanders between low hills. Browns Park, formerly called "Browns Hole" probably got its name from an early French fur trader. This isolated mountain valley was a favorite winter retreat and rendezvous for mountain men during the early 1800s fur trade. Long before, several Indian tribes were attracted to the valley. Old accounts tell of 2.000 to 3.000 Shoshoni using Browns Park as a winter campground. Upstream from Jan ie Ranch, boaters can see a diagonal, diag-onal, stryight line of rocks spanning the river bed It is called Indian Crossing. The Indians were said to have constructed a ford across the river by placing stones on winter ice. A shallow water trail was the result after the stones sunk in the Spring thaw. Browns Park served as a contact point between native tribes and mountain man fur traders. It became nn important rendezvous ren-dezvous location, visited by Mexican. French. English, and American traders. By 1537, Fort Davy Crockett was being operated oper-ated as an important trading depot. The remains of the old fort were discovered a few years ago along the Green River, just across the state line in Colorado. Many colorful characters of the early west were associated with the fort, including Kit Carson, who was employed as a hunter to keep the traders in provisions. The fur trade, however, was in decline at this time and by 1844, Fort Davy Crockett was abandoned and the place soon forgotten. Other folks soon migrated into Browns Park in search of sudden wealth. The highly high-ly complex geology gave rise to beliefs that gold and other valuable minerals could be discovered. The ' river again became a highway for people escaping the norms of emerging American society. Hardrock miners roamed the hills near the Green River, leaving behind collapsing mine tunnels and tumbled down log cabins as the only remaining evidence of their passing. Jesse Ewing, whom Jesse Ewing Canyon along the Browns Park Road is named, was one of these early prospectors. A violent man, he would entice investors to his mining claims, then when the money ran out, he would chase them away or carve them up with his knife. Eventually, Ewing met his end in a deadly ambush. River boaters can visit Ewing's grave near the Jarvie Ranch. In May 1869, Major John Wesley Powell and his men made the first truly scientific exploration of the Green and Colorado rivers. Powell named the deep, quiet waters of Swallow Canyon; today a favorite stretch of "flat water" floating. The expedition noted incredible amounts and varieties of wildlife, one of today's major attractions along the river. Because of the mild winters in Browns Park, cattle drives sought shelter there. Ranchers and homesteaders eventually settled set-tled into the quiet valley. Visitors today can see many remains of old log cabins, corrals, and wagon roads. By the turn of the century, Jarvie Ranch had replaced old Fort Davy Crockett as the economic and social center of the Browns Park area. The cattle ranching era gave rise to what many people remember most about Browns Park, a hideout for notorious outlaws. Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch heisted banks, dynamited railroad cars, and rustled cattle. Browns Park folks recall him as being a "Robin Hood" of the old West; taking from the rich and redistributing to poor local homesteaders. One of the mysteries along the river is the rock saloon legend. Only the foundation founda-tion of the saloon remains today on the south river bank. So the story goes, the rock saloon had gun slits instead of windows win-dows so that a gun could safely be fired from within. Another murder by Jesse Ewing supposedly happened there in a dispute dis-pute over a card game, and the victim buried nearby. The complete story of the rock saloon will probably never be known. Visitors come'away from a Green River trip with a sense of personal discovery. As an ongoing effort, the Bureau of Land Management continues to interpret the patchwork Browns Park history for the increasing visitors. A river float or a nearby near-by canyon hike is an adventure with the v . -' ... , ' -- ..a ...... - ,. ..... Red Canyon Overtook yields stunning view of Flaming Gorge. colorful lore of the area. Boating and camping along the river gives today's visitors visi-tors the same sense of discovery that the John Wesley Powell expedition had over a century ago. Most boaters use dories or rafts on the river. However, canoeists find a safe, but exhilarating float through several sev-eral riffles from Bridge Hollow Campground to the Lower Swallow Canyon take out ramp. The Bureau of Land Management manages man-ages primitive campsites from the Little Hole Boat Launch to the Colorado state line. Most of these campsites contain iron fire rings, picnic tables, and tent pads and are accessible only by boat In addition, there are two developed campgrounds with boat ramps that will accommodate trailers. Bridge Hollow Campground has been recently upgraded and Indian Crossing Campground is currently being brought up to state-of-the-art standards. The BLM is currently constructing a riverside river-side trail system for hikers and fishermen. For more adventurous hikers, nearby West Cold Springs Wilderness Study Area offers back country challenges and outstanding out-standing vistas of Browns Park. Gateway to Blnosaurland |