M A G A Z AN f - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

The new road isn't feasible yet for ten- playgrounds in the West. Here, Charles
derfoot tourists, but a pilot route has been Kelly describes the 194-mile trip from Capiopened
which eventually will make the tol Reef to Blanding by way of the recently
little-known red rock desert wilderness of installed ferry across the Colorado river at
Southern Utah one of the most popular Cass Hite's old homestead.
Here is an improved section of the new road completed by Art Chaff
A/ew Road Into the
Utah IWi
f] RTHUR Chaffin wiped the sweat
1 f / from his brow, took a long drink
of tepid water,"and moved to the
shade of a big sandstone boulder. Resting
a moment, he looked up and down the
canyon of North Wash, a dry tributary of
Colorado river, surveying his work with
deep satisfaction. With a small crew of
men he was completing the last day's work
on a new road through one of the wildest
sections of Utah, a project he had dreamed
of for 11 years. It was to be officially
opened on September 17, only two weeks
away.
Suddenly Art jumped to his feet as a
faint rumbling came to his ears, an ominous
sound to one who knew what it
meant. After listening a moment he yelled
to his men.
"Hit for the rocks, boys, there's a flood
coming down the wash!"
They didn't need a second warning.
Hardly had they reached the safety of high
ground when a wall of thick red water
swept down the canyon, followed by another
and another until the torrent was 15
feet deep. Traveling with high velocity it
10
soon gouged deep channels in the wash,
undermined the banks and piled boulders
on many sections of the new road. .
This was the biggest flash flood in Art
Chaffin's memory. He surveyed the damage
with sinking heart. Would the official
opening have to be postponed? He and his
crew were marooned in the canyon, but
they had a bulldozer and plenty of gas.
They began cutting down steep banks and
removing boulders in order to get their
own cars- out. By working long hours they
finally repaired all the worst places. They
were grimy and weary when I passed them
on the morning of September 16. But the
road was open.
Art Chaffin, who promoted and built
this new scenic highway, has farmed,
panned for gold, or built boats on the
Colorado most of his life. As a young man
he knew Cass Hite, whose story appeared
in Desert in December, 1940. Hite, hermit
of Glen canyon, first located at Dandy
Crossing, as the place was then known, in
1883. He panned for placer gold and
started a small ranch. A postoffice was established
there during the gold rush of
in.
1898. After his death the camp at Hite
was abandoned.
Eleven years ago, after mining in Nevada,
Art Chaffin decided to move back to
the river. He selected Cass Hite's old
homestead as his permanent home. It was
55 miles from Hanksville, nearest town,
and could be reached only by team and
wagon down the rocky bed of North
Wash. Everyone thought he was crazy; but
he had a definite idea in the back of his
head. Some day, he believed, a road would
be built to Hite and thence east to Natural
Bridges national monument, opening a
vast new scenic wonderland. When that
time came he planned to operate a ferry at
Hite.
Starting from scratch, Art Chaffin and
his wife did a real job of pioneering. First
they built a home, all of native materials.
Then they planted an orchard, beginning
with cuttings from a fig tree, lone survivor
of Hite's old orchard. New ditches had to
be dug, fences built, land cleared of greasewood
and plowed. A huge waterwheel was
constructed from old auto frames to lift
water from the unruly Colorado.
After five years of hard work the Chaffins
had created a beautiful and productive
little oasis in the desert, lacking only
a road to make it perfect. Art persuaded
federal road officials to make a.survey, and
in 1940 funds were set aside to build a
road to Hite. But when everything seemed
rosy the war intervened and the new highway
was forgotten.
Art is a patient man; but after another
five years of waiting he decided to do
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