Pipe Spring National Monument
Water is a powerful force in human affairs. Pipe Spring has drawn a succession of people either as an oasis on their journey or as a water source for permanent settlers. The spring is on the Arizona Strip, a vast isolated landscape that lies between the Grand Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs of Northern Arizona. It’s an arid and seemingly uninhabited region but hidden geological forces have brought water to a few places and this is one of them. The Strip is the first in a series of terraces that step up to the high plateau of Utah some 200 miles north. Water from rain and snow percolate down to a hard shale layer and flow southward to the base of the Vermilion Cliffs where it is forced to the surface at places such as Pipe Spring. The Southern Paiute tribes were living in the area in the 1700’s when Missionaries and explorers visited the area. The Mormons settled in the area in the 1800’s. The cattle and sheep grazing got to the point where the land was not sufficient to handle the great numbers of livestock. The grass in this area, at one time, would tickle the belly of a horse. Between the over use of the land and the drought of 1890, the land is now a desert covered with sagebrush and no grass for grazing. The Kaibab Paiutes have their reservation in this area. They along with the National Parks have established this monument with a museum on site. It was an interesting visit because we got to speak with a number of Paiute Indians. A young woman explained how her ancestors used a Yucca plant and from the roots of this plant made soap, the branches were used to make cords, corsages and baskets and part of the plant such as the flower were used as a food source. She was demonstrating how the root was used for soap and it amazed us how the root when pounded could be used as is by rubbing it in water which makes suds as any soap would. A tribe member, who is a historian, did research and his findings were used in the museum.
Water is a powerful force in human affairs. Pipe Spring has drawn a succession of people either as an oasis on their journey or as a water source for permanent settlers. The spring is on the Arizona Strip, a vast isolated landscape that lies between the Grand Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs of Northern Arizona. It’s an arid and seemingly uninhabited region but hidden geological forces have brought water to a few places and this is one of them. The Strip is the first in a series of terraces that step up to the high plateau of Utah some 200 miles north. Water from rain and snow percolate down to a hard shale layer and flow southward to the base of the Vermilion Cliffs where it is forced to the surface at places such as Pipe Spring. The Southern Paiute tribes were living in the area in the 1700’s when Missionaries and explorers visited the area. The Mormons settled in the area in the 1800’s. The cattle and sheep grazing got to the point where the land was not sufficient to handle the great numbers of livestock. The grass in this area, at one time, would tickle the belly of a horse. Between the over use of the land and the drought of 1890, the land is now a desert covered with sagebrush and no grass for grazing. The Kaibab Paiutes have their reservation in this area. They along with the National Parks have established this monument with a museum on site. It was an interesting visit because we got to speak with a number of Paiute Indians. A young woman explained how her ancestors used a Yucca plant and from the roots of this plant made soap, the branches were used to make cords, corsages and baskets and part of the plant such as the flower were used as a food source. She was demonstrating how the root was used for soap and it amazed us how the root when pounded could be used as is by rubbing it in water which makes suds as any soap would. A tribe member, who is a historian, did research and his findings were used in the museum.
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