Lee's Ferry

Now known more for its fishing and as a staging area for rafting trips down the Colorado River, Lee's Ferry has a long and varied history. We used to stop at the campground frequently to sleep overnight on trips from Arizona to Utah, but the National Park Service raised the entrance fee to $15 per vehicle and the camping fee to $12 per night per site. Since the total is only slightly less than the cost of a motel room, we have opted for the motels.

Lee's Ferry is upriver from Navajo Bridge. There are really two bridges, the old one now confined to foot traffic and the newer bridge which is the only way to drive across the river and the canyons by automobile between Hoover Dam and Mexican Hat. [There are two foot bridges at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and a ferry boat between Halls Crossing and Bullfrog Marina in Utah.]

Now to the history. The first European crossing of the river at the mouth of the Paria River (also spelled Pahreah) was in the fall of 1860. This attempt was unsuccessful and the exploration party, headed by Jacob Hamblin, finally gave up and continued up the river to the Crossing of the Fathers. The official "first" crossing took place in March of 1864 when Jacob Hamblin again tried the route. This time the party was able to transport fifteen men and their horses and supplies across the river.

In 1869 or early 1870 a fort with guards was built on the north side of the river. The official date of the establishment being given as January 31, 1870. In the fall of 1870 Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited the mouth of the Paria. From time to time, other crossings were made at the location and by October 28, 1871 a ferry service had been established.

The name of the crossing came from the notorious John D. Lee, who has been vilified mainly by anti-Mormons for his participation in the Mountain Meadows massacre. Lee arrived at the crossing in 1872 and named it "Lonely Dell." Although he only lived there with his family for a short time, his name passed to the ferry and now the location. There has been much written about the incident at Mountain Meadows and a considerable amount about Lee, but I will not add anything to the present state of the scholarship on that incident.

Continued later.