Cataract Canyon History Fun
Facts:
- River: The Colorado River
- Rapid Rating: Class III-V(depending on Water Levels)
- Put in (Colorado River): Potash Boat Ramp (30 minute drive west
of Moab, Utah)
- Put in (Green River): Mineral Bottom (1 hour drive west of Moab,
Utah)
- Take-out location: Hite Marina on Lake Powell boat ramp (3
½ hours southwest of Moab, Utah)
- River Miles: 96 from Potash, 98 from Mineral Bottom
- Number of rapids: 28
- First to run Cataract Canyon: John Wesley Powell Expedition in
1869
Intro
Cataract Canyon lies in the heart of Canyonlands National Park 65 miles
down the Colorado River from Moab, Utah and 110 miles down the Green River from
the town of Green River, Utah. These two powerful rivers meet at the Confluence
and combine to make some of the most commanding and famous rapids in North
America. Cataract Canyon's rapids caused more damage and created more fear in
early river runners than those of the Grand Canyon. Cataract's rapids are only
part of the amazing story about this section of the Colorado River. Cataract
and Canyonlands also has amazing human, and natural history, along with
classical river running stories and adventures.
Geology
Surrounded by uplifts, canyons, and cliffs, Canyonlands is at the heart
of the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is a vast highland with an
average elevation of 5000 feet, incorporating the four corners states of Utah,
Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Plateau is set between the Great Basin
to the west, the Uinta Mountains to the North and the Rocky Mountains to the
east.
1000-foot cliffs of Wingate and Chinle sandstone are around every
meandering turn. Wingate Sandstone is preserved sand dunes formed in a desert
environment and makes up the predominate cliffs in the Canyonlands area. Chinle
Sandstone is formed from meandering streams and shallow lake bottoms. Petrified
wood and uranium are often found in its layers. Many other layers are visible
in Cataract including Cutler Undivided, White Rim and Cedar Mesa Sandstone,
along with the Elephant Canyon Formation and the Honaker Trail Formation.
Human History
Pre-historic Native Americas (probably Fremont) left 800 year old rock
art and ruins all along the canyon walls. Little is known about the Fremont
culture because they were nomadic, and other than their rock art and small
dwellings left very little behind. Cataract Canyon has an abundance of
granaries and small habitations along many of it's side canyons.
The first European explorers in the area were Franciscan friars
Dominguez and Escalante in 1776. Because of the deep canyon they decided not to
cross. In 1836 a French fur trapper named Denis Julien left his initials in
Cataract Canyon. Very little human activity happened in Cataract Canyon because
of the remote location. In 1869 John Wesley Powell traveled from Green River,
Wyoming to Virgin River, Nevada on the Colorado and Green Rivers. Few river
runners attempted the dangerous rapids of Cataract before the 1950's when
surplus rubber military rafts became available for much cheaper than the
previous wooden boats.
A few of the early River Runners
- Nathanial Galloway does the first solo trip through Cataract Canyon
in 1894
- Emery and Ellsworth Kolb traveled from Green River, Wyoming to the
Sea of Cortez in 1911 on the Green and Colorado Rivers
- Julius Stone Expedition runs cataract in 1909
- "Buzz" Holmstrom makes a solo run of the Green and Colorado Rivers
in 1937
- Norman Nevills runs the first commercial River trip through Cataract
Canyon in 1938
Congress established Canyonlands National Park in 1964 after a long
history of "potential" development in Cataract Canyon. Before 1921 the Colorado
River was know as the Grand River. Congress changed the name under pressure
from the state of Colorado in the Colorado Compact, which also designated water
rights to the sates that border the Colorado River. The Rio Grande Railroad
tried to build a railroad from Denver to LA following the Colorado River in
1889. In the early 1900's steamboats carried mining supplies, fruits, and
cattle between Green River and Moab using the Colorado and Green Rivers. There
was also an attempted dam site at the Confluence in the early 1900's. The
amount of sediment at this location made it nearly impossible to build.
Books about Cataract Canyon and the Moab Area
- Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons ~ John Wesley
Powell
- Cataract Canyon: A Human and Environmental History of the Rivers in
Canyonlands ~ Robert H. Webb
- The Doing of the Thing: The Brief, Brilliant Whitewater Career of
Buzz Holmstrom ~ Vince Welch
- Canyonlands River Guide ~ Bill Belknap
- Desert Solitaire ~ Edward Abbey
- Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: An Archaeological Guide ~ David
Grant Noble, Brad Melton
- Legacy on Stone: Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners
Region ~ Sally J. Cole
- Stone Desert: A Naturalist's Exploration of Canyonlands National
Park ~ Craig Childs
