Marathon Pundit: Four Corners Furtherance: "Hell of a place," Bryce Canyon

Monday, August 30, 2010

Four Corners Furtherance: "Hell of a place," Bryce Canyon

The early Mormon settlers near what is now Bryce Canyon National Park didn't know what to make of the place, until Minnie and Reuben "Ruby" Syrett began ranching nearby.

The canyon is named for Ebenezer Bryce, an 1870s homesteader who dismissed it as "a hell of a place to lose a cow."

The Syretts started their ranch near the canyon in 1916.

"Ruby," in a Ruby's Inn brochure, explains his first encounter with Bryce:

Like so many of the settlers on the plateau, we were unaware of the beauty of the canyon called Bryce Canyon, yet it was only a few miles from our homestead. A visitor from the nearby town of Tropic stopped by and asked us if we had seen Bryce. I said, "No, what is it?" The neighbor said, "Just a hole in the ground, but you should see it."

In 1919 the Syretts pitched a tent to house vistors to the canyon, and the following year they built a lodge. Nine years later Bryce Canyon was designated a national park. Ruby's Inn is now a massive complex in Bryce Canyon City, which includes shops, a hotel, a campground, and RV park, and restaurants. All near a hell of a hole in the ground.

And yes, you should see it.

Earlier posts:

Red Canyon
Cedar Breaks
Taylor Creek Trail
Kolob Canyons