On May 15 of this year, Canyonlands National Park issued a news release seeking information to identify suspects in an archaeological theft incident in the Needles District of the park.
On November 7, two residents of Colorado were charged with misdemeanors related to handling and stealing numerous artifacts preserved in the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp.
The trail to the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp is an easy route that takes visitors up and over rock formations, past hand-print petroglyphs, and to the cowboy camp itself. To the casual onlooker, it may seem like an underwhelming collection of antiques.
In reality, the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp preserves a dramatic element of the history of Canyonlands National Park.
Rags to Riches in the Canyonlands
According to the National Register of Historic Places, the camp at Cave Springs is associated with the Scorup brothers and the various cattle outfits they owned and managed between 1891 and 1959.
In the late 1800s, brothers Al and James Scorup came to the canyonlands with nothing, looking to make their own way. Their early cattle operations were centered around White Canyon, where James Scorup helped name the three stone bridges that would be protected as Natural Bridges National Monument.
The business of cattle ranching was incredibly difficult in southeastern Utah. The arid environment, maze-like canyons and territorial Texans grazing their longhorns all made the Scorup brothers consider quitting on multiple occasions.
Despite the odds stacked against the Scorups, they were the only cattlemen who were able to endure a series of incredibly harsh winters in the late 1890s. Eventually, they found themselves to be the only cattle operation on the 1.8 million acres that is now Natural Bridges National Monument and part of Canyonlands National Park.
In 1926, Al Scorup joined forces with other local ranchers to form the Scorup and Somervilles Cattle Company (S&S). Over the next several decades, they became one of the largest cattle companies in Utah, ranging 7,000-10,000 cattle each year.
The Significance of a Cowboy Cave
The key to the Scorup brother’s success was their hands-on approach to ranching.
In the less-than-ideal environment of the canyonlands, 200 acres of rangeland was required to sustain a single head of cattle. The scarcity of resources meant cowboys needed to be closely involved with their herds. They stayed out in the field, carefully guiding the cattle between scrubby patches of grass and meager sources of water.
Cowboys used rock shelters and natural bridges as ready-made shelters, establishing long-term camps that allowed them to stick close to their herds.
Cave Springs was the perfect location for exactly this sort of camp. Cattle could be corralled nearby and the cowboys could make a temporary home beneath the rock overhang, complete with a cookbox, table, chairs and cots.
When Canyonlands National Park was established in 1964, the camp set up by S&S cowboys at Cave Springs was abandoned. They left behind their camp furnishings—the exact furnishings that were disturbed this spring.
Preserving History in the National Parks
While many people associate national parks like Canyonlands with scenery, the National Park Service is also the single most important interpreter of American history. It is tasked with preserving historic sites and educating the public on their significance.
Sometimes, these historic sites are a dramatic part of the national narrative, like Jamestown or Gettysburg. Other times, they are a more mundane element of our shared economic and cultural history—like a cowboy camp.
Either way, these places deserve our attention and protection.
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