Indian Country - Pipe Spring UT

After leaving Monument Valley we start working our way back home to California. We pass the Peabody Coal mine on Navajo lands which has been under fire from both the Navajo and the Hopi tribes for environmental issues.

Road south of Kayenta AZ

Enormous coal hopper for loading railroad cars

Along the road, the landscape is interesting with colored sandstone hoodoos. We are surprised to pass a large coal burning power plant, also on Navajo lands. This particular power plant has the worst emissions record in the United States. No wonder the Navajos and Hopis are not happy with Peabody.

Twisted sandstone hoodoo

Peabody coal power plant

It's beginning to look more like the Grand Canyon country as we near Glen Canyon.

Glen Canyon area

Lake Powell behind the Glen Canyon dam

Bridge over Glen Canyon Dam

Soon after crossing the bridge over Glen Canyon Dam, we enter Utah again. We are skirting Utah's many canyon lands and running alongside Vermillion Cliffs in particular. The scenery is striking and we plan to return next Spring for more explorations.

Utah border sign

Vermillion Cliffs

Utah's canyon lands

Although we hadn't really planned on stopping at Pipe Spring National Monument, we see it about the time we want to stretch our legs. The Kaibab Paiutes have lived around Pipe Springs for hundreds of years. The early Mormon pioneer, Jacob Hamblin,  discovered the springs in 1858. After the Black Hawk War a fort was built at the springs and then a year later was bought by Brigham Young for the use of the LDS church. It was used to produce food to feed the workers building the tabernacle at nearby St George. The main set of buildings is called Winsor Castle after the first family who lived and managed it for the Mormon church. 

The National Park Service purchased the property in 1923 and converted it into a National Monument. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places it stands as a combination of fort, family home, and food processing factory.

Entry to Pipe Springs

Main pond of the springs with resident ducks

Friendly duck with feathered top knot

There's not many people visiting and a ranger let tour of "Winsor Castle" is starting soon, so we decide to take the tour. We start outside the main gates overlooking the stock pens. Mormons regularly give cash or possessions as tithing to their church. In the early pioneer days, cash was scarce, so tithing often consisted of livestock. Pipe Springs was used by the early church as a place to gather these donations. Because of local Indian wars, Winsor Castle is built like an early fort. The gate opens into a courtyard surrounded by high walls.

Pens for livestock tithed to the Mormon church

Our guide at the gate

Inner courtyard to Winsor Castle

It's clear the intended use of these building was as a military fort. The walls are tall and sturdy. The out facing windows are small and high to be used as shooting stations in case of an attack. As it turned out, Pipe Springs was never attacked and the residents lived peacefully with the local Paiutes.

High walls

Tall narrow windows to be used as shooting stations

Bedroom with defensive windows

Other than a family home, Winsor Castle was used to produce and ship food to the work force building the tabernacle in St. George.

Large wood cook stove

Vat for making cheese

Family kitchen table

Outside Winsor Castle is a bunk house for additional laborers who lived and worked at the springs.

Covered wagon

Bunk house

Wagon transport

We are impressed with the industriousness of the early Mormon pioneers. The life they led was not easy. On the way out of the monument, we meet several Paiute youths who live up the hill around the second part of the springs. They are very comfortable with their Mormon neighbors and love growing up in this area. After leaving we drive towards Colorado City AZ/Hillsdale UT home of the break away FLDS (Fundalmentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) who still practice bigamy. That is, each man can marry several wives, but not the other way around (which is a bad deal for women if you ask me). The women dress in pioneer clothes (yes we saw them, but no I didn't want to invade their privacy by taking photos of them) and often have very large families.

The neighboring Centennial Park group broke away from the FLDS sect because of the increasingly notorious behavior of their leader Warren Jeffs. The Centennial Park sect still practices bigamy, but the women choose their husbands (unlike FLDS)... and unlike other Mormons, they drink alcohol.

Both polygamy sects experience shortages of women for multiple wives. Teenage boys have been known to have been run off to Salt Lake City as they started to take an interest in girls. Usually the older men who are church leaders are the main ones with multiple wives.

The HBO series Big Love tells the fictional story of modern day bigamists Utah. Although it's a fictional account, this series does stick fairly close to the truth depicting the lives of this group of people. The Centennial Park sect is depicted in the documentary series  Polygamy, USA on National Geographic.

That evening we stop at the lovely Willow Wind RV Park in Hurricane.  By the way, there's a good reason the town of Hurricane gets its name - the wind blows constantly.  However, the leafy large trees in the park give us protection from the wind. Considering this park is only 9 miles off of I-15 we decide to keep note of it when we return to this region next Spring.

Approaching Colorado City

Colorado City

Campsite in Hurricane