Utah's Scenic Byway 12; An All American Road

By Sheryl L. Young

Whether you are planning a trip along Utah's Scenic Byway 12, or you are just reading for sheer pleasure, this book will provide entertaining reading to anyone who wants to learn more about the history, culture, and natural beauty that surrounds Utah's Scenic Byway 12.

Traveling along Utah's Scenic Byway 12 is an adventure within itself. Utah's Scenic Byway 12 is a 124 mile (199.5 km) highway that travels through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Southwest. Utah's Scenic Byway 12 travels through colorful canyons, mesas, plateaus, and over towering cliffs. Utah's Scenic Byway 12 travels through portions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; it is in close proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, the Kodachrome Basin State Park, and the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.

In this book you will learn about the history and culture as well as the scenery and natural beauty that surround Scenic Byway 12. This book contains 200 colorful photographs, taken by the author, that coincide with each chapter, and in each chapter you will find facts and information that are specific to the area. For example; did you know that Bryce Canyon National Park was named after Ebenezer Bryce, a Scottish Immigrant who migrated to Utah in the late 1800's? When asked to describe the place, Bryce is documented as saying, "It's a hell of a place to lose a cow!" You will also learn how many of the towns got their names, how Capitol Reef National Park got its name, locations where the Anasazi and Fremont cultures once inhabited, and how the Grand Staircase which consist of a series of colorful cliffs, known as the Pink Cliffs, White Cliffs, Grey Cliffs, Vermilion Cliffs and Chocolate Cliffs, was identified.

Scenic Byway 12 also has many side roads that will take you to places such as Kodachrome Basin State Park, where you can view sand pipes, which geologist believe were once natural geysers similar to those in Yellowstone National Park that filled with sediments and solidified, or the Devil's Garden were unusual geologic formations of Navaho sandstone are formed into hoodoos, arches and spires.

You will also read about the early pioneers, whom many traveled by wagon train, the locations they settled in, and how they struggled to survive in the rugged and remote wilderness of the southwest; many digging underground shelters to protect themselves against the elements until they could cut timber and establish housing for themselves. You will read how some of the early pioneers, who traveled across an area known as "the Hogsback", maneuvered their wagons, before any roads were built, across the steep cliffs that descend 1500 feet on either side. You will learn about the early pioneers booming cattle industry, in the town of Boulder, and how milk was carried by mule down the rough and rocky trails where it often turned to butter before reaching the cream cellars that were built into the embankments, and much, much more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sheryl L. Young
• Release date: Feb 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983395409

Sheryl L. Young

Sheryl Young graduated from the University of Califonia with her Bachelor's Degree and from California Baptist University with her Master's Degree in Education. She enjoys the outdoors, nature, cooking, photography and writing.

Book preview

On June 13, 2002, the National Scenic Byways Program, which operates under the United States Department of Transportation, recognized Utah’s Scenic Byway 12, as an All American Road, giving the highway the distinctive title Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 – A Journey Through Time.

To become a National Scenic Byway, a road must exhibit one of six unique qualities designated by the Department of Transportation. These qualities are based on Scenery, natural, historic, recreational, archeological or cultural⁷ qualities. The road must also have strong community support to preserve and incorporate improvements to the roadway.⁷

To become an All American Road the Scenic Byway must meet the criteria of a byway and have multiple points of interests that are of national significance. It must also have a distinctive destination and reason for traveling on itself.⁷ An All American Road is the very best of the Scenic Byways.

The astonishing and natural beauty that surrounds Scenic Byway 12 leaves no doubt in travelers minds that it meets the criteria of being an All American Road. Scenic Byway 12 is a 124 mile (199.5 km) long highway, located between Garfield County and Wayne County, in southern Utah. Scenic Byway 12 travels through several towns and through portions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Scenic Byway 12 is also in close proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, and the Anasazi State Park Museum.

National parks are natural land reserves owned by the Federal Government. These land reserves are set aside for human enjoyment, the protection of wildlife, and to preserve the natural environment within the parks. A state park is similar to a national park, except it is smaller, and it is governed by the state rather than the Federal Government.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is the first monument to be designated a national monument by the Bureau of Land Management, rather than the National Park Service. The Bureau of Land Management operates under the United States Department of Interior which manages and maintains the conservation and resources of public lands.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a vast 1.9 million acre (7.689 km²) landmass divided into three regions; the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante. The towering cliffs, canyons, plateaus, and mesas in these regions, make up some of the most rugged and wild wilderness areas in the Southwest.

The chapters of this book are short, but each chapter will bring you to a new destination along Scenic Byway 12 where you will learn about the historical, cultural, and archeological significance of each destination. You will also learn a little bit about the towns, the beautiful and rugged landscape that surrounds them, and the multitude of recreational opportunities that make Scenic Byway 12, an All American Road.

Scenic Byway 12, an All American Road, has two points of entrance; the west entrance begins in Panguitch near the outskirts of town where Scenic Byway 12 intersects Scenic Byway 89. From Scenic Byway 89, Scenic Byway 12 travels east to southeast, and then it turns north where it ends in the town of Torrey. The northern entrance begins at the intersection of Highway 24, in Torrey, where Scenic Byway 12 travels south, then turns to the northwest and ends in Panguitch. For starting purposes, we will begin with the introduction of the town of Panguitch. From Panguitch we will begin our journey and travels 124 mile (199.5 km) on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12, and take a journey through time along an All American Road.

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Chapter 2: Panguitch

Panguitch, Utah

Panguitch is a Paiute Indian word meaning Big Fish, referring to the large trout found in the nearby Panguitch Lake. The town of Panguitch is located in Garfield County. Garfield County was created in 1882 and was named after President James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States. President Garfield was shot a few months after taking office and died several weeks later. During his short term in office, President Garfield fought against political corruption.

Panguitch, Utah

The town of Panguitch was established in 1864 when a team of fifty four pioneers, led by Scandinavian immigrant Jens Nielson, arrived and established a settlement. Upon arrival, they called the town Fairview.

When the pioneers arrived, they cleared the land, dug irrigation ditches, and planted crops, but due to town’s high elevation of 6,600 feet (2,011 m), the crops froze before reaching maturity, leaving the pioneers short on food and supplies during their first winter of settlement. Faced with starvation, a team of seven men with horses and wagons set out to retrieve supplies from the town of Parowan. Parowan is a 50 mile (80.4 km), one-way trek over the Tushar Mountains. The Tushar Mountains are on the west side of Panguitch, in the opposite direction of Highway 12. As the men traveled west toward Parowan, they encountered heavy snow on the mountain that forced them to abandon their wagons and walk the rest of the way on foot. According to local folklore, one of the men dropped his quilt and found that walking on top of his quilt helped