Show early ili stary of little southern utah IF A aery ery rugged arld arid area almost in ml I 1 es s square quare raich lies chiefly in southern utah but includes a small triangle of land in arizona near lees perry ferry la Is described t bed in prof professional ess ional paper ot of the un united cited states geological survey department of the intel lor recently issued the area extends froin bryce canyon national park on tile west to glen canyon of the j colorado river on the east it Is called the region irom from its dorain ant topographic feature the tha Kalpa plateau tle aerion was vos approached appio ached by several of f the early spanish explorers notably by cardenas one of Coron coronados ados lieutenants n who ho in 1540 looked down into one ot of the canyons ot of the colorado from the south rim it tas as not until 1776 that Silves Lre vele de Esc Escil nante rite a spanish priest t traveled from santa re fe by way ot of the la plata and la sal mountains and across the wasatch plateau to utah lake thence south to the virgin river an and east across plateaus and gorges until he found a difficult tord ford across the colorado since known as the crossing ot of the fathers Era escalante lante was the first white whit man mail known 0 wn to ba have e traversed southern utah slid and the only explorer who entered glen canyon before powells memorable voyage of 1869 the history ot of the extension of mormon settlements in southern utah from 1861 1 when st george was settled to 1680 1880 I when the first colonies crossed to the cast side of the colorado river Is full of of examples les of hero heroic lc endeavor endeavor under the most adverse conditions the geographic and geologic description 0 of the region began with powells powell 6 voyage down the colorado in 1869 and was continued by the powell and wheeler surveys between 1870 and 1877 the geologic surveys on which the thea present report Is based were conducted by parties under the d direction of 0 herbert E gregory and raymond C moore irom from 1915 to 1924 and for the first time a comprehensive description Is given ot of geography and geologic aca features the reg regions lons including the mineral resources 1 in c conformity with the object ot of the surveys the report will serve as a guide in determining the use to which this area ot of largely land may be put the five settlements tropic cannon ville Henri henrieville eville escalante and boulder are the only permanent centers ot of population and the roads to them are the only ones that are kept in repair the other roads may be called roads only lor for the want ot of a better name they are in reality trails with alternating stretches ot of sand bare rock and steep inclines over which with lew few mishaps a skillful driver may conduct a strongly built lightly loaded wagon for most ot of the region saddle horses and peck pack trains train are the only practicable means ot of transport the outstanding topographic features of 0 the region which ss as a whole lies at an altitude ot of about feet are terraced plateaus cliff bound mecas becas ridges and straight sided canyons all impressive alike tor for magnitude and ruggedness the canyon walls the faces pt the mecas becas and buttes and expanses 0 of I 1 rock are wind swept and are so BO bare ot of vegetation that green tints and subdued tones resulting from plant covering are rarely present in the landscape the conspicuous colors seen are the colors of the rocks themselves red brown yellow and w white hite intensified by bands ot of dark gray the variety and interest ot of the topographic forms ot of the region some 0 of which are displayed in the bryce canyon national park are not surpassed in this part of the united states over hundreds of square miles the surface consists chiefly of clean bare rock but that the soll soil where present has fertility Is shown by the vigorous natural growth of perennials and annuals where sufficient water Is present unfortunately there is not enough water available without prohibitive cost to irrigate more than a few square miles in the region the most favorably situated lands are already under irrigation the region Is essentially a grazing district perhaps the largest free range in the united states the prosperity of its several communities depends upon the amount availability and value ot of pasturage and as in the communities of the nearby flute and navajo indians the outstanding citizens are those who have knowledge of water holes trails grass and browse shrubs gold has been taken from gravel bars in glen canyon and more can doubtless be recovered but amounts justifying large outlays are unlikely to be found prospecting tor for oil has so far yie yielded ded ri no returns the one known mineral resource of potential value Is the coal of the Kalpa plateau I 1 the report is entitled the region a geographic and geologic reconnaissance of parts of utah and arizona it can be obtained at a c copy 0 py from the superintendent of documents decumen is washington D C |