Friday, May 21, 2010

Location:
Ken Sanders Rare Books (268 S. 200 E.)

When Melissa Clark purchased a box of old scrapbooks online, she knew only that she had bought something relating to the University of Utah and Zion Park. What came in the mail was much more than she had expected. Instead of random mementos, two albums arrived full of photographs and newspaper clippings dating to 1920 that document a trip made by six young women from the University of Utah into the newly formed Zion National Park. Part of a promotional campaign developed by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad to advertise its national park shuttle service, the women entered Zion Canyon as its first official tourists. When Melissa bought those timeworn scrapbooks she found a forgotten treasure: the opening of Zion. With text by John Clark, the scrapbooks are now the basis of a one-of-a-kind publication. Part fashion spread, part adventure guide, and all Utah cultural treasure, Opening Zion is a stunning visual record of the park. Remarkably detailed black-and-white photographs show the young adventurers scrambling over rocky outcrops, pondering the dizzying height of Zions sheer walls, and singing camp songs by the campfire. We are introduced anew to the gigantic grandeur of Zion National Park. As one of the women wrote, "One can think only beautiful thoughts amid such splendor."

The spectacular grandeur of Zion Canyon was formally recognized on July 31, 1909, when it was set aside as a national monument. Then called Mukuntuweap, Zion gained national exposure as one of America’s finest scenic playgrounds. In the years that followed, Americans
became increasingly mobile as railroads expanded their reach and automobiles made individual mobility available to the masses. Transportation industries, and communities that lay along their
routes, could see potential in selling the natural wonders of southern Utah to travelers who would utilize their services to see Zion.

When Zion was named as a national park on November 19, 1919, the big wooden gate that stretched across the road into the park was closed to the public for the season. On the morning of May 15, 1920, as their trip drew to a close, six young explorers unlatched the secure
entrance and without elaborate ceremony opened Zion’s first tourist season as a national park. Though they were not the first travelers to enter Zion’s gates, this event gave the girls claim to the title of Zion National Park’s first official tourists, a claim that for publicity was broadcast in newspapers around the world. New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and even London published the news that America’s newest national park had been opened by the six young ladies. This is their story in pictures. Taken mostly from some of their personal scrapbooks, this book follows their journey as it begins and leads to Zion National Park’s opening day.

John Clark graduated from Utah State University with a BFA in 1994. He is currently the associate art director for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, and he writes a series on automobile history in Utah called Motor Tales. John is an accomplished block-printing artist whose work has been displayed in numerous juried art shows across Utah. He is currently
serving as the president of the Utah Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association and is a member of the Zion Natural History Association. John also designed Utah’s newest ski-themed license plate.

Melissa Clark earned a BA in classical civilization at Brigham Young University in 1992. While caring for their three children, Melissa dove into the artistic pursuit of scherenschnitte, or paper cutting. Her artwork was included in the art exhibition, “A Century of Sanctuary: The Art of Zion National Park” in 2008, and was featured on the cover of the Zion Canyon Field Institute’s class catalogue for the 2009 season. She enjoys traveling the back roads of Utah with her husband, John, in search of Utah’s past.

For more information call or e-mail:
Ken Sanders Rare Books
268 South 200 East
(801) 521-3819
books@dreamgarden.com