| Show r.- r. o r. Fragile Landscape Arch in The ArchesS Arches S National Monument Area Grand County Or c. r t Ir f s f V a a Lf r is r r 9 f tr ti c I I We made the trip to this spot by byi I pack train and saddle horses The packer of the train said when this thin arch came into view If a horse dorse fly lit on that thing tiling it would bust aust it down and no seemingly truer statement could be made For it has a span of oC the enormous width width of feet and the slender arch is is feet Ceet in the clear from the ground to its highest throw So far as is know this arch has hashe the he widest span of any others in Utah and its thinness may be seen by comparing the width of ol the shadow cast below it against the height of that stunted tree in the center arising just on the edge of the shadow It looks fragile So slender a shaft of rock connects abutment to abutment that it seems impossible impossible impossible sible the arch can hold together Notice a crack beginning in the arch from near the left abutment to beyond the center center- Who can predict in how many or in how few ew years that crack will weaken the arch in the most vulnerable spot n and d with a resounding crash down may it come This interesting object was called called called call call- ed Landscape Arch because it has las the appearance of a big span under which on a theatre drop a lan landscape sc pe of trees r shrubs s and d rocKs had been Deen painted The me somber somber somber som som- ber greens of the cedars interspersed interspersed interspersed inter inter- with reddish salmon colored colored colored col col- ored sandstone rocks fallen off the arch in times past the shadow of the arch thrown by the sun from I abutment to abutment the sky seen between the arch and the tops ops of the rock mass in the background background background back back- ground ground- all this adds up to simulated simulated sim- sim artificiality artificiality- a painted landscape The photo was taken in 1934 when the writer was in Moab for three months as director of a small archeological party in the Arches National Monument area A paucity paucity paucity pau pau- city of Indian evidences and instructions instructions in- in from higher authorities in n the project to limit all activities activities ties ies strictly to the Arches area only and not overstep p its bound bound- aries resulted that the project ct was diverted into photographing scenic I values for tor the development of the j I area as a tourist attraction The pack train outfit left our camp in the early morning and slowly proceeded across Salt Valley Val- Val ley Iley and up the slopes of the Devils Devil's Devils Devil's Devils Devil's Dev Dev- ils il's Garden area We had to twist and wind around crags and bluffs picking out a route to the north northside northside northside side or back of the bluffs of rock on the top and there we found several arches some very short others larger some in the process of maJ making ng Continuing we we finally saw this arch in the dis dis- tance The packer rode up into i it and the rest of the party temporarily temporarily temper scattered for advantageous positions later they all assembled under the arch and back of it The bluff at the back is the top of the ridge of the Devils Devil's Garden thais that tha thatis is we were practically on the top of the mountain No water but bu excellent feed for the animals Of course in that high part o othe of the mountains there were no springs The packer rode off to one side on the trail as we went up disappeared behind a wall of rock and came back grinning saying Water in that pot hole if we need it I stumbled onto that by watching watching wat wat- watching ching cattle trail in and out some years ago when I rode range hereSo here So we cant can't come to grief for tor lack of water That pot hole was about a about about a- a bout two miles from the arch Buas But Bu Butas Butas as it was in December that we took to trip our party got along nicely nicely nicely nice nice- ly on the water bags slung onto the packs on the animals so did die not have to visit the pot hole supPly sup sup- p Ply Ply- On almost every spur SpUl of the bluffs a bridge of some sort was found There were many of them I One was only about 20 feet span but very massive Another was no not wholly cut through yet requiring additional time for erosion to bite lout out the slight amount of material the removal of which would lei let I Pa- Pa PaS S e n daylight l under r the arch Arches es I were abundant I The rock walls were thin slabs t of sandstone set on edge rising vertically hence each slab was split spIlt apart from its neighbor and spans were easily made in these thin slabs So far as the packer knew and he was a cattle man I there were no springs in the area stock could get water only from pot holes and when these dried I the stock must go elsewhere The whole area is extremely arid j I When the Arches National MonI Mon- Mon I was first set aside for the public it did not embrace the Devils Devil's Devils Devil's Dev Dev- Devils Devil's ils il's Garden area nor nOt Klondike Bluffs Those were added later One very striking ng sight appears appearson on the eastern tip of the Devils Devil's Garden where the thin slabs of stone weathered into jagged pieces serrated saw toothed sharp mas mas- ses This is called Hells Corner Northeast of the Devils Devil's Garden is the Yellow Cat Mining District where dinosaur bones were abundant ant |
