The
Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River. The river is about 162 miles long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic
river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park..
Its
origin is in Southwestern Utah, at Navajo Lake in the Dixie National Forest, north
of Zion National Park, and is formed by the confluence of the East Fork Virgin
River, that flows through Orderville on the east side of Zion National Park and
Parunaweap Canyon, with the North Fork Virgin River, that flows from Navajo
Lake through Zion Canyon in Zion National Park. The river flows in a
southwesterly direction, passing south of the old townsite of St. George where
the Santa Clara River joins the Virgin at a place the Paiutes called Tonaquint.
The river then flows across the northwestern corner of Arizona through the Virgin
River Gorge. It enters southern Nevada near the town of Mesquite and empties
into the Colorado at the Lake Mead reservoir, approximately 40 miles east of Las
Vegas. The last 30 miles of the Virgin River forms the north arm of Lake Mead.
When we were kids we sometimes played
in the East Fork Virgin River that ran through our hometown and more specifically
along the border of our Little Field where we planted alfalfa, a vegetable
garden and fruit trees. We bragged to
each other that it was the head of the Virgin River. Besides jumping in to cool off after picking
peas from 5 ‘till 8 am, we always ran to the “crick” to watch the flash floods
that put terror in our already rapidly beating hearts from the dash to witness
the phenomenon.
Another summer activity was going out
to the sheep herd with Daddy. To get to "the Oaks", we took the North Fork Road where the North Fork Virgin River
flows from Navajo Lake to meet the East Fork Virgin River originating in
Orderville.
Recently, we spent a week in our house
in SunRiver St. George. As Amy and I
rode our bikes along the partially washed out trail along the Virgin River
between SunRiver and Bloomington, nearly every day we stopped to wade in the
icy cold water of the Virgin River—the river that is a combination of many cherished
childhood memories.
Somewhere stirring
in my soul, I felt a confluence, a joining, a union, a meeting of my life; past
and present. It seemed to wrap things up
for me. The beginning and the end.
Amy's photo. Taken from the bike trail in SunRiver looking towards Pine Mountain.
Told you the Virgin River flooded. This trail was under water for months.
My great grandparents, who heeded the call to settle the Muddy Mission,
had to cross the Virgin River eleven times over the worst roads in the Utah territory
to get their supply wagons (tithing) to St. George.
In March of 1870, Brigham Young visited the Muddy Mission.
He was disappointed and wondered who would advise him
to send families to this "God-forsaken place."
My great grandparents, who heeded the call to settle the Muddy Mission,
had to cross the Virgin River eleven times over the worst roads in the Utah territory
to get their supply wagons (tithing) to St. George.
In March of 1870, Brigham Young visited the Muddy Mission.
He was disappointed and wondered who would advise him
to send families to this "God-forsaken place."
And other things: (Photography by Amy.)
This if a far cry from the original settlers along the Virgin River.
And far from my progenitors settling the Muddy
who, due to lack of timber,
put bundles of cattails on their roofs which kept the sun out
but not the rain or sand.
One woman reported she swept up three bushels of sand from her house.
Summer temperatures 115-125 degrees.
An egg would roast in a short time lying on the sand.
By watering carrots in the morning,
they would be cooked by noon so that the skins
would just slip off as they pulled them.
Someone wrote,
"I've been very much amused to see the children
going home from school at noon.
They would take their bonnets, aprons, or some green brush if they had them
in their hands and run as far as they could,
throw them down and stand on them until their feet cooled off and
then run again." No shoes down there.
And far from my progenitors settling the Muddy
who, due to lack of timber,
put bundles of cattails on their roofs which kept the sun out
but not the rain or sand.
One woman reported she swept up three bushels of sand from her house.
Summer temperatures 115-125 degrees.
An egg would roast in a short time lying on the sand.
By watering carrots in the morning,
they would be cooked by noon so that the skins
would just slip off as they pulled them.
Someone wrote,
"I've been very much amused to see the children
going home from school at noon.
They would take their bonnets, aprons, or some green brush if they had them
in their hands and run as far as they could,
throw them down and stand on them until their feet cooled off and
then run again." No shoes down there.
