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Show Town of Kite Shows Unusual Activity . Hite, one of Utah's interest-mg interest-mg but most isolated towns is getting into the news. The on lv town in Mve state to be located directly in the Colorado river gorge, except Moab, Hite has experienced interesting historv in the past 79 years y Cass Hite, from whom the place was named, built a house in this wide spot in the river gorge in 1870. For many years he existed by panning gold on the river. Eventually word got out and a gold rush was started Cold dredges were hauled to the (.olorado where they still lie twisted and rusting. Disappointed Disappoint-ed prospectors tried to find Hite to kill him, however, he hid out unui me trouble blew over and the gold fever subsided. Hite's crossing which he named nam-ed "Dandy Crossing" was consistently con-sistently used by the Indians. It is the best of the four natural crossings of the Colorado in Utah. Today, crossings at Hite are made via automobile ferry guided and made secure by a heavy cable anchored in the rock walls of the gorges. In 1940, Hite had one human occupant, two buildings and some orchards. Today, the uranium ore found in the area is bringing dozens of prospectors into the region and a processing mill to handle the uranium ore taken from White's Canyon nearby is now in operation. Only a few days ago, the new mill was inspected by the President of the Vanadium Corporation of America, Mr. E. D. Bransome of New York City, who was accompanied accom-panied by his vice president and three directors. During the past year the population pop-ulation of Hite swelled to several dozen people and a public school was set into operation to accommodate accom-modate the children of the cou-munity. cou-munity. Hite is the jumping off place for the many boating trips down the 164 miles of river to Lees Ferry, Arizona. Reports from Hite, which is 60 miles south of Hanksvile, indi--ipin '3Iiasiubh jo njnos sotiuj cated that numerous automobiles automo-biles come into the region each week to see the sights and fish in the Colorado The giant 450-fodt-high Hoskinini Monument Monu-ment in White's Canyon and named after a famous Navajo Chief, is a major attraction of the region. The first men to ever set eyes on this wide spot in the Colorado Colo-rado river gorge the climate of which is semi-tropical, was Captain Cap-tain John Wesley Powell and party, Colorado River explorer who passed in 1869 and describes des-cribes the prehistoric Indian fort built of stone which today still remains standing on a high bluff across the river from Hite. |