spring 04 / 17:1 - Grand Canyon River Guides

Historic Inscriptions At Lees Ferry
Lees Ferry has truly been the crossroads of the
canyon country when taking into account both
river travel up and down the Colorado and overland
travel between Utah and Arizona. It is located at
the mouth of the Paria River where, for a ways, the
confining walls break down and lower between the foot
of Glen Canyon upstream and Marble Gorge downstream.
This has long made it the primary crossing place
of the Colorado River between what is now Moab,
known is the old Lees Ferry fort. Situated facing towards
the river, it is only a few paces north of today’s parking
lot and concrete boat-launch ramp. The one-story, stone
building was constructed in the summer of 1874 by the
Mormon Church to serve as a combination trading store
and fortification for dealings with the Navajo Indians
across the Colorado to the south.
On the face of the large stone lintel above the
eastern door, a discerning eye can make out the weathered
remnant of at least two words, painted on with
what was probably axle grease. The first four letters can
be made out to be “Andr—,” but the remainder is no
longer readable. The possibility exists that it may be the
name “Andrew Gibbons,” one of the leaders of the
fifteen-man Mormon building crew. Also dating to the
construction period is the name “E.W. Stevens,” incised
into one of the building stones on the back of the
trading store-fort. Immediately underneath are the
letters “Jul.” A long one, or a short two days’ journey to
the west, the same name, E.W. Stevens, but this time
Lees Backbone and Echo Cliffs
Utah, some 279 miles above, and what was Pearce Ferry,
almost the same exact distance below. Indeed, the late
P.T. Reilly was able to author a tome of 542 pages
concerning just the Lees Ferry area.
Though utilized by Native Americans for over a
millennium, whites, with our Euro-centric concept of
history, first came to what would one day be called Lees
Ferry in 1776. Today, nearly two-and-a-half centuries
later, it remains the embarkation point for thousands of
whitewater river-runners heading downstream on the
Colorado through the Grand Canyon, while Highway 89
crosses not far to the south. It should not be surprising,
therefore, that at least some of the myriad travelers that
have gone through Lees Ferry over the years have left a
record of their passing in the form of names and dates
on the surrounding rocks.
These inscriptions have been both carved and
painted on the cliffsides, rock boulders, and even into
the stone walls of one of the 19th century buildings still
standing at the site. Some of these signatures are easily
seen and are well known to modern tourists and visitors.
Others are familiar to backpackers and hikers who range
away from today’s boat-launching area. However, there
are some that are only seen by ardent searchers and
enthusiasts.
Of the five separate localities in the Lees Ferry area
where these historic inscriptions can be found, the best
E.W. Stevens inscription, Lees Ferrey trading post
with a complete date of “Jul The 3, 1874,” is carved at
House Rock Spring.
Four other inscriptions carved into the fort walls date
from an 1891 prospecting-river trip. Initiated by Denver
capitalist James S. Best, the plan was to descend the
Green and Colorado Rivers from the railroad town of
Greenriver, Utah, to a silver vein located in the depths
of the Grand Canyon below Lees Ferry. They would also
prospect for other possible mineral resources as they
boated down the rivers. They reached Lees Ferry on
August 14, and it was soon decided to end the river
portion of their expedition here and continue on to
Bright Angel Canyon (near the mouth of which was the
reported silver prospect) over land with packhorses.
While Best and one other member of the expedition
traveled out to Kanab, Utah, to secure horses, the rest
boatman’s quarterly review page 21