Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument is one of eight natural national monuments found across the state of Colorado. Located in Mesa County near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado National Monument stretches across more than 20,000 acres of canyons, sandstone cliffs, and monoliths. Since it was officially designated as a national monument in 1906, Colorado National Monument has welcomed thousands of tourists and gained widespread recognition for its remarkable landscapes. For those who choose to visit, Colorado National Monument offers breathtaking views, scenic hiking trails, and numerous unique rock formations. Because of the monument's great natural beauty, some people have argued that it should be redesignated as a national park. Others, however, believe that this would bring unnecessary government interference and a potentially problematic increase in tourist traffic. Regardless of whether its official designation is changed, Colorado National Monument remains one of the United States' most iconic and beautiful natural wonders.

Background

The rocks that make up the foundation of Colorado National Monument began forming almost 1.7 billion years ago. Over time, natural forces such as volcanic activity, mountain building, the appearance and disappearance of seas, and years of wind and water erosion created the picturesque landscape for which Colorado National Monument is known.

The earliest human inhabitants of the region that now comprises the monument were Native Americans. The first Native Americans known to have lived there were the people of the Fremont culture. The Fremont culture developed in Utah and parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho as early as about 2,500 years ago. The Fremont people lived in the monument region until around 1250 CE. After that, the Ute settled in the area and remained until the federal government relocated them to Utah's Uintah and Ouray Reservation in 1881.

The effort to get the region designated as a national monument began in the early twentieth century thanks to the determination of conservationist John Otto. Otto first came to western Colorado as part of an irrigation project. Upon seeing the area's incredible natural beauty, he quickly concluded that it should be preserved as a national park. For the next several years, Otto circulated petitions, spearheaded fund-raising campaigns, penned newspaper editorials, and sought the support of politicians in hopes of ensuring that the region would receive national recognition. In the meantime, Otto worked to make the area more accessible for future visitors. He carved the first trails through the red rock canyons and named many of the unique rock formations for which the monument is known, including Independence Monument and Liberty Cap.

Otto's work eventually caught the attention of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce and the city newspaper. Both organizations appreciated Otto's efforts and subsequently launched their own campaigns in support of granting the region national park status. These efforts led Colorado senator Simon Guggenheim to propose a bill in the US Congress that would establish a national park in western Colorado in 1910. When it appeared that Guggenheim's bill would be killed by congressional deadlock, President William Howard Taft stepped in and used his powers as chief executive to designate the area as a national monument.

Overview

When the Colorado National Monument was formally established in 1911, officials at the National Park Service installed Otto as the monument's inaugural custodian. Once in that role, Otto quickly took on the task of surveying and building the monument's first road, which is now known as the Trail of the Serpent. Work on the road continued until its completion in 1921. With that, Colorado National Monument became easily accessible to visitors for the first time.

Colorado National Monument's popularity with tourists increased as it became even more accessible over time. The monument's greatest period of development was during the 1930s. As part of his strategy to pull the United States out of the economic disaster that was the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937. The CCC was a program that led various conservation projects across the nation to provide work for some of the many people who were left unemployed at the time. With the help of a new federal agency called the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the CCC carried out a major development project at Colorado National Monument. Among other things, the CCC and WPA oversaw the construction of a key scenic roadway called Rim Rock Drive and other amenities such as Saddlehorn Headquarters and the Devil's Kitchen Picnic Shelter. These and other additions boosted tourism—especially in the years after World War II (1939–1945)—and helped make Colorado National Monument one of the most popular destinations of its kind.

Since the time it was founded, there has been an active movement to have Colorado National Monument redesignated as a national park. Those who support this proposed change argue that the monument deserves the greater recognition that a national park designation typically affords. They argue many more people would want to visit the region if it were classified as a national park. Others, however, are against the increased government involvement in the region that would likely occur if the monument became a national park and the additional traffic and congestion that more tourism would bring. A number of Colorado's politicians asked Congress to consider making the monument a national park in 2014, but no serious action was taken at the time. As a result, the debate over the monument's future status continues to play out in the public forum.

Colorado National Monument offers a variety of opportunities for exploration and fun. Many visitors opt to drive the 23-mile (37-kilometer) Rim Rock Drive to enjoy the sights from the nineteen scenic overlooks along the route. Rim Rock Drive also provides visitors with the easiest possible access to many of the monument's impressive rock monoliths, including Pipe Organ, Kissing Couple, and Sentinel Spire. Those interested in a more vigorous means of sightseeing can make use of the monument's thirteen hiking and biking trails, including Coke Ovens Trail, Otto's Trail, and Window Rock Trail. Athletically inclined guests can enjoy activities such as kayaking, white-water rafting, and rock climbing at the monument.

Bibliography

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