Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Promised Land
The early Mormon settlers of Springdale and other Virgin River communities were resourceful and enterprising farmers. Taking advantage of the natural water resources available on the canyon floor, they dug irrigation systems and planted corn, vegetables, fruit, and tobacco. Timber was harvested from atop the plateaus and livestock grazed in the canyons and on the surrounding mesas.
[Blue marker below]
When the settlers first arrived, the high plateaus around Zion were thickly forested with old-growth ponderosa pine. Before this valuable resource could be harvested, a method had to be found for moving timber from the mesa tops down into the valley.
The pioneers first tried rolling logs off the canyon rims, but they shattered to kindling on impact thousands of feet below. Then a local man named David Flanigan devised an ingenious mechanism of pulleys and cables to carry cut boards from a sawmill atop the plateau to the canyon floor. The Zion Cableworks operated for 26 years before being abandoned in 1927.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Environment • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.
Location. 37° 12.011′ N, 112° 59.253′ W. Marker is in Zion National Park, Utah, in Washington County. Marker is under the southernmost open-sided pavilion on the plaza west adjacent to the Zion National Park Visitor Center (near the south park entrance). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Springdale UT 84767, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Westward Expansion (here, next to this marker); Birth of a Park (here, next to this marker); Original Inhabitants / Living Traditions (within shouting distance of this marker); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. ¾ mile away); Discovery of Zion Canyon (approx. one mile away); Zion Mt. Carmel Tunnel and Highway, Utah (approx. 1½ miles away); Rockville Bridge (approx. 4 miles away); Cables from the Rim (approx. 5.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Zion National Park.
Also see . . . Zion National Park. (Submitted on February 21, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 21, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 486 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 21, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.