Rock Tales

Stewart Aitchison Photo: Stewart Aitchison “The monuments are barrels or Navajo water baskets, and the springs found at their bases is proof. Rain God Mesa and Thunderbird Mesa are the homes of thunder and lightning. The entire Monument Valley is a symbolic hogan. Its fireplace is the butte near Goulding’s Trading Post and its door … Continue reading Rock Tales

Stewart Aitchison: Living in the Desert

"There is a treeless place amid the rocks."

From the Archive: Hot Water(fall)

Lake Powell, located in southeastern Utah, drowns a portion of the Colorado River and the lower segment of the San Juan River. And, yes, you read it correctly - there is a major waterfall on the lower San Juan River below the Clay Hills BLM boatramp. While the waterfall has been widely publicized by river-runners, most everyone else has either ignored its presence, or still assumes that the San Juan flows quietly unimpeded into Lake Powell. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Historic Photo Retake: San Juan River near Bluff, 1925

By Brandt Hart This set of photographs was taken just west of Bluff. They clearly illustrate a lesson in changing vegetation and river ecology. In the top 1925 image, the San Juan River flows freely. The river then, for the most part, was unencumbered by dams and diversions upriver which allowed massive floods to routinely … Continue reading Historic Photo Retake: San Juan River near Bluff, 1925

Historic Photo Retake: Valley of the San Juan, 1895

In a completely unplanned and odd astronomical coincidence, February 7, the date of Jay’s retake photo, is exactly the same number of days away from winter solstice as is November 4th, the date of the original photo. Therefore, the sun’s angle and the important shadows it casts are identical.

Historic Photo: Entering Bluff, June 1957

An interview with Melvin Gaines. Melvin has been a resident of Bluff since about 1932 when, at the age of one, he was brought to Bluff in the back of his father’s mule drawn wagon.