Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District includes the ranch homesteaded by Mormon
pioneer John D. Lee
at Lee's Ferry
, Arizona
, and now in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
. It is notable for its association with Lee, the ferry and the ranch's extensive irrigation facilities. The district was originally designated the Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978, but was expanded to include Lee's Ferry in 1997.
Lee's Ferry occupies an area on either side of the Colorado River
, while Lonely Dell Ranch nearby on the west bank of Paria Canyon, leaving a space of fertile bottomland available for cultivation. The peiod of significance for the district extends from the 1871 arrival of the Lees to the last run of the ferry in 1928, superseded by the new Navajo Bridge
.
, whose lands were being occupied by the settlers, resulting in the construction of the Lee's Ferry Fort at the crossing in 1874. No conflict arose at the ferry, so the fort became a trading post, then a residence. In 1877 Lee was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre
. In 1879, the LDS Church bought the ferry rights from Emma Lee
, granting the ferry service to Warren Marshall Johnson and his families. A number of structures remain in the district from the polygamist period of the Lee and Johnson families.
, the "Charles H. Spencer
", named for the company's founder, to transport coal mined farther up the river to the company's amalgamation operation at Lee's Ferry. The boat, in use for one year, was docked and finally sank in a 1921 flood. Its remains are visible in the river, and it is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1922 the office building was re-occupied as the Lee's Ferry Post Office, but was abandoned in 1924. Another brief use came in 1931.
in January 1872 and by March irrigated his first crop. By April this first dam washed out. Lee soon replaced the dam reinforced with a large base log packed with brush, rocks, and dirt. The dam was subsequently washed out and rebuilt many times over the coming years. In 1883, in order to bring water to an upper field, Warren Johnson constructed a dam on a second site higher up the Paria. By 1900, the dams were replaced with new ones made of logs and sandbags. In 1905, Irving Pierce constructed a tunnel-and-flume delivery system to replace the ditches bringing water from the upper dam to the fields. By the time Leo Weaver bought the ranch in 1935, several more dams had been washed out. Weaver's attempt to replace the dams also failed. Gus and Warren Griffin made improvements upon the system, including a stone lined ditch. Most of what exists today is related to the Griffin improvements In 1965, the consortium that owned the ranch created two holding ponds for irrigation water against the west wall of Paria canyon. In 1977, the National Park Service
pumped water from the Colorado River
instead of the Paria. The Park Service constructed a new holding tank near the south end of the site, at the same time removing remains of the flume system and valve platform for a trail. This system remains in use as of 1999.
and George A. Smith
of ordering the Mountain Meadows Massacre, for which Lee was convicted and sentenced to die. Despite some evidence suggesting this is a forgery, historian Will Bagley
claims it fits with the historical context and Lee's writing style. He wrote, "If the scroll is a fake, it is a good one--so good that only a few people could have pulled it off." Forensic investigator George Throckmorton, who helped crack the Mark Hofmann
forgeries, examined the plate in 2003 and took samples for chemical analysis in 2007.
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
pioneer John D. Lee
John D. Lee
John Doyle Lee was a prominent early Latter-day Saint who was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre.-Early Mormon leader:...
at Lee's Ferry
Lee's Ferry
Lee's Ferry is a site on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, about 7.5 miles southwest of the town of Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam, and about 9 mi south of the Utah-Arizona border. It is the former location of a ferry established by John D. Lee, a Mormon...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and now in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is a recreation and conservation unit of the National Park Service that encompasses the area around Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon in Utah and Arizona, covering 1,254,429 acres of mostly desert...
. It is notable for its association with Lee, the ferry and the ranch's extensive irrigation facilities. The district was originally designated the Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978, but was expanded to include Lee's Ferry in 1997.
Lee's Ferry occupies an area on either side of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, while Lonely Dell Ranch nearby on the west bank of Paria Canyon, leaving a space of fertile bottomland available for cultivation. The peiod of significance for the district extends from the 1871 arrival of the Lees to the last run of the ferry in 1928, superseded by the new Navajo Bridge
Navajo Bridge
Navajo Bridge crosses the Colorado River's Marble Canyon near Lee's Ferry in the US state of Arizona. Apart from the Glen Canyon Bridge a few miles upstream at Page, Arizona, it is the only roadway crossing of the river and the Grand Canyon for nearly...
.
John D. Lee
Lee was a practicing polygamist who built cabins for two of his families at Lee's Ferry, in what became known as "Lonely Dell". Lee's ferry started service on January 11, 1873, ferrying Mormon settlers across the river. Tensions rose between the settlers and the NavajoNavajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
, whose lands were being occupied by the settlers, resulting in the construction of the Lee's Ferry Fort at the crossing in 1874. No conflict arose at the ferry, so the fort became a trading post, then a residence. In 1877 Lee was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre
Mountain Meadows massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local...
. In 1879, the LDS Church bought the ferry rights from Emma Lee
Emma Lee French
Emma Louise Batchelor Lee French , better known as Emma Lee French, was a British woman, born in Uckfield, East Sussex who travelled to Utah and Arizona, in the United States, where she became well known as a carer for the sick.- Trek :After being converted by the Mormons, Emma Lee arrived in...
, granting the ferry service to Warren Marshall Johnson and his families. A number of structures remain in the district from the polygamist period of the Lee and Johnson families.
American Placer Corporation
The American Placer Corporation office was established at Lee's Ferry in 1910 and abandoned the next year. In that interval, the company constructed a steamboatSteamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
, the "Charles H. Spencer
Charles H. Spencer Hulk
The Charles H. Spencer was a steamboat that was briefly used on the Colorado River to transport coal for gold refining operations at Lee's Ferry, Arizona.In 1910, Charles H. Spencer arrived at Lee's Ferry in search of gold hidden in the Chinle shale...
", named for the company's founder, to transport coal mined farther up the river to the company's amalgamation operation at Lee's Ferry. The boat, in use for one year, was docked and finally sank in a 1921 flood. Its remains are visible in the river, and it is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1922 the office building was re-occupied as the Lee's Ferry Post Office, but was abandoned in 1924. Another brief use came in 1931.
Irrigation
Lee started construction of the first earthen dam on the Paria RiverParia River
The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part of its course....
in January 1872 and by March irrigated his first crop. By April this first dam washed out. Lee soon replaced the dam reinforced with a large base log packed with brush, rocks, and dirt. The dam was subsequently washed out and rebuilt many times over the coming years. In 1883, in order to bring water to an upper field, Warren Johnson constructed a dam on a second site higher up the Paria. By 1900, the dams were replaced with new ones made of logs and sandbags. In 1905, Irving Pierce constructed a tunnel-and-flume delivery system to replace the ditches bringing water from the upper dam to the fields. By the time Leo Weaver bought the ranch in 1935, several more dams had been washed out. Weaver's attempt to replace the dams also failed. Gus and Warren Griffin made improvements upon the system, including a stone lined ditch. Most of what exists today is related to the Griffin improvements In 1965, the consortium that owned the ranch created two holding ponds for irrigation water against the west wall of Paria canyon. In 1977, the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
pumped water from the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
instead of the Paria. The Park Service constructed a new holding tank near the south end of the site, at the same time removing remains of the flume system and valve platform for a trail. This system remains in use as of 1999.
Lead etching
In January 2002 a lead plate, or scroll, was found in the Lee's Ferry Fort with an etching purporting to be by John D. Lee in 1872. It was discovered by a National Parks worker while cleaning up inside the structure, which is restricted from public access. The brief writing accused Mormon leaders Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
and George A. Smith
George A. Smith
George Albert Smith was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the church's First Presidency.-Childhood:Smith was born in Potsdam, St...
of ordering the Mountain Meadows Massacre, for which Lee was convicted and sentenced to die. Despite some evidence suggesting this is a forgery, historian Will Bagley
Will Bagley
Will Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....
claims it fits with the historical context and Lee's writing style. He wrote, "If the scroll is a fake, it is a good one--so good that only a few people could have pulled it off." Forensic investigator George Throckmorton, who helped crack the Mark Hofmann
Mark Hofmann
Mark William Hofmann is an American counterfeiter, forger and convicted murderer. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished forgers in history, Hofmann is especially noted for his creation of documents related to the history of the Latter Day Saint movement...
forgeries, examined the plate in 2003 and took samples for chemical analysis in 2007.
External links
- Lee's Ferry History Glen Canyon National Recreation Area