OCR Text |
Show SeuHi Cenbwt IMi Supplement To: Gunnison Valley News The Satina Sun Garfield County News The Richfield Reaper i VOLUME NUMBER 22 2 THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1981 Historians Probe Hall's Crossing In Capitol Reef CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK National Park Service personnel at Capitol Reef want to know more about a little known historic resource in a remote section of the 378 square mile the Halls crossing national park Pioneer Trail. In stark desert terrain with place names like Muley Twist Canyon, remnants of the old trail remind historians of settlement of the termountain West. In- The Halls Crossing Pioneer Trail led Mormon settlers from Escalante across the ancient rock barrier upthrust of the Waterpocket Fold (at a point about 40 miles south of present day Highway 24) and down Halls creek to the Colorado River. The goal settlement of what is now San Juan Colorado County. About half of the old route lies within Capitol Reef National Park, created by Congress in 1971. to at is well-know- n many Utahns. In the 1950s, Utah historian David Miller finished a widely-rea- d and appreciated book on the expedition. The settlement of San Juan County began as a colonizing mission of the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints (LDS Church) in 1879. The sage of the first pioneer company to struggle through the almost unexplored canyons south of Escalante and across the The descent from the river rim to the Colorado through notch was incredibly difficult for even wagons, animals and people after superhuman engineering feats. Tradition records that ferryman Charles Hall and sons sought out a better river crossing point and trail approach from Escalante. From 1881 to 1884, this second trail bore the enterprising ferrymans name and led settlers southeastward to the San Juan Mission. easier than the Trail? Halls route eliminated the steep canyon approaches to the Colorado but Dr. C. Gregory Crampton, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Utah, says it was rough enough. Dr. Crampton, the author of and an Standing Up Country Was it authority of South Utah history, is helping the NPS clearly locate some of the more obscure sections of the trail route. LDS stake histories. He is also interested in seeing copies of letters and diaries that may still be in Juan and Parowan private hands among the descendants of San Juan County pioneers. He plans area soon. a trip to the According to park Supt. Derek 0. Hambly, fact gathering on the Halls Crossing Trail is being coordinated by a Davidson said that diaries and letters Chief Interpreter staff assistantg often provide fascinating human inGeorge E. Davidson, a park historian. terest material and that seemingly Hambly also said that Thomas F. in such references unimportant Townley, who patrols the huge south documents can sometimes help pin district of the park stretching more down a trail route variation or favorite than 50 miles from Capitol Gorge to Were hopeful about is working closely with campsite. Hall Divide names and copies of gathering family Davidson. documents, he said. It looks like a This is a relatively new national substantial number of pioneers used that route in a three year period." park and resource study is ongoing, When we gather Hambly noted. enough facts about trail experiences The NPS wants people to contact and the route, well be able to decide if them who have knowledge or material research study should be a that might shed more light on the Halls programmed. Crossing Trail and the pioneers who Davidson has contacted LDS officials used it. The address is Superintendent, and is planning an early trip to Salt Capitol. Reef National Park, Torfrey, Lake City to review 19th century Utah 84775. Researcher Davidson can Church records, especially the San be reached at (801) lo full-sca- le 425-387- 1. Mothers Arms Not Safest Place For Kids in Autos When two automobiles collide at 20 miles an hour, a infant riding unrestrained will fly through the car d with the force of a missile. , : j upthrust of rock was forniidible barrier "to f 9th century travelers. Cliffs like these faced pioneers crossing the Waterpocket Fold on their way This 100-mi- le long from Escalante to the San Juan Mission via Halls Cross- ing of the Colorado River. Much of the Fold is located within Capitol Reef National park. This fact shatters one of the msot Motor vehicle accidents kill more widely held beliefs about auto ac-- 1 children than any illness or disease, she cidents. Children are not safer in their says. mothers arms, says Diane M. Parfitt, During the last eight years in Utah, University of Utah assistant professor of 1 f medicine, asserts Parfitt, who is a member of Project Car Seat, a coalition of nearly a dozen Utah agencies and volunteer organizations. move into this lane, between the solid and broken yellow lines, store there to y to vehicle No. 2 and yield of the lane. when safe to clear, complete the left You cannot use this lane when turn off the highway from the position turning left onto the roadway or for within the yellow lines with left turn passing, the patrol warns. signal still flashing, the patrol explained. to to left turn A vehicle intending move off the highway should signal and Storing in this special left turn lane, information to help the general motorist in the proper and efficient use 1978 and 1979, infant Proper use of carriers and child safety seats could crash-teste- d reduce fatalities up to 90 percent. Surveys show that many parents use seat belts, but do not properly restrain their children in car seats. children under age four have been The professor says other serious d killed in accidents. Nearly misconceptions must also be dispelled: 1,400 children in that age group suf- - it is not safer to be thrown clear of the car in accidents; city travel is not safer than freeway driving; and children are not safer in the front seat. auto-relate- Car seats are the best preventive should eliminate the rear-en- d collision potential, the patrol stated. right-of-wa- Vehicle No. 3, which had been following you, can continue on without The biggest problem Vehicles driving on this type of high- interruption. Either maneuver, or a way, when conditions permit, should stop or slowing and moving right to drive the posted speed limit so as not to iumpede traffic behind them which pass, are eliminated. may cause an impatient driver to atThe patrol pointed out that you must tempt an illegal, unsafe pass. move your vehicle completely into this When entering this highway, a vehicle cannot drive in this "special lane for any distance before moving It should be clear to observe that into the travel lane needed for through-traffi- c you cannot pass another vehicle using designation. You must enter the the patrol this special turn lane, and in a normal maneuver, highway said. You would be in violation of move directly into the throughout-trave- l improper lane travel and improper lane. passing, and there would be the hazard These same rules apply regarding of a possible head-ocrash should a vehicle from the opposite direction the special left turn lane on either a e or four-lan- e move into this special lane for the highway n is educating parents about car seats, according to Parfitt. A few years ago she began teaching junior-levpediatric nursing students to become patient advocates, el purpose of a left turn, at the same time you are using this same lane in your illegal passing., special lane, leaving both through lanes unobstructed. as well as knowledgeable consumers. The best time to reach parents with information about car seats is at their first visit to a prenatal clinic, she notes. Not all car seats are safe, she advises. Infant beds, car seats with mock steering wheels and flimsy seats for home use are not acceptable in cars, because they have not been designed for crash protection. Parfitt, who has used car seats for her own children, describes what to look for: Recommended car seats have been dynamically tested under crash conditions. Since car seats must be adjusted as the childs weight and height change, most families will have two-lan- m DRIVEWAY m she 71 nursing. Traffic Lane' Flowing Keeps 'Storing The store lane, reserved for vehicles who are making left turns, is a s relatively new innovation on Utah streets and highways. Because of the many problems which have become associated with this lane, and the violations which are observed and citations issued in conjunction with it, the Utah Higthway Patrol has issued fered injuries in says. (Continued on Page 8) |