Ninemile Canyon (Utah)
39°46′35″N 110°30′0″W / 39.77639°N 110.50000°W
Nine Mile Canyon is a canyon, approximately 40 miles (60 km) long, located in the eastern Utah counties of Carbon and Duchesne. Nicknamed "the world’s longest art gallery," the canyon is known for its extensive rock art, most of it created by the Fremont culture and the Ute people.
Archaeology
It has been conservatively estimated that there are at least 1,000 rock art sites in the canyon, containing a total of more than 10,000 individual images.[1] Researchers have also identified hundreds of ancient dwellings, pit-houses and granaries, although only a limited amount of actual excavation has been carried out to date. Many of these structures are located high above the canyon floor on cliff ledges, pinnacles, and mesas.
History
There is some evidence that American fur trappers may have entered the canyon in the early 19th century, but the first unequivocal sign of a white presence is an inscription on the canyon wall reading "S. Groesbeck August 19 1867". John Wesley Powell's second Colorado River expedition camped at the mouth of the canyon in 1871, and the earliest appearance of the name Nine Mile Canyon is in records of the expedition.
Nine Mile Road was constructed through the canyon in 1886 by the Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. 9th Cavalry Regiment, linking Fort Duchesne to the railroad through the city of Price. Use of the road surged in 1888 with the discovery of gilsonite in the Uintah Basin. This was the main transportation route in eastern Utah until well into the 20th century; most of the stagecoach, mail, freight, and telegraph traffic into the Uintah Basin passed through Nine Mile.
The freight trade led to the settlement of the canyon itself. One of the main stagecoach stops developed into a town of sorts. Called Harper, it included a hotel, store, school, and an unofficial post office. It lacked a formal town site, simply taking in a long stretch of scattered ranches and buildings. The community grew gradually from the 1880s until it was officially established as the town of Harper in 1905. The Harper precinct as a whole had a population of 130 at its peak in 1910,[2] but in the early 1920s Harper became a ghost town.[3]
Current issues
Since 2002, the Bill Barrett Corporation has been pursuing a natural gas exploration project on the West Tavaputs Plateau in and around the canyon. In 2004, due to concerns about energy development and increased tourism, Nine Mile Canyon was named on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of America's Most Endangered Places.[4]
References
- ^ Spangler, Jerry D. (November 2003). Horned Snakes and Axle Grease: A Roadside Guide to the Archaeology, History and Rock Art of Nine Mile Canyon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Uinta Publishing. pp. p.141. ISBN 0-9746090-0-5.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Barton, John D. (1998). A History of Duchesne County. Utah Centennial County History Series. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society. pp. pp.81–82. ISBN 0-913738-41-7.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Carr, Stephen L. (1986) [1972]. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns (3rd edition ed.). Salt Lake City, Utah: Western Epics. pp. p.168. ISBN 0-914740-30-X.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help);|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ "11 Most Endangered Places at National Trust for Historic Preservation - Nine Mile Canyon". 2004. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
External links
- Nine Mile Canyon Guide and Information
- Rock art images of Nine Mile Canyon
- Nine Mile Canyon Coalition, a group dedicated to the preservation of Nine Mile Canyon