Wolfe Ranch Arches National Park Utah

Title

Wolfe Ranch Arches National Park Utah

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Photography And Digital Art

Description

Near the trailhead to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park is Wolfe Ranch which looks like just some old cabin. Which it is…old, that is. But it is not ‘just’ an old cabin. Behind the door of the cabin (figuratively speaking) lies an amazing glimpse into early European settlement in the area where people did what they had to do to survive. John Wesley Wolfe settled here in the late 1800s with his oldest son Fred. A nagging leg injury from the Civil War prompted John to leave his wife and three of his children to move west from Ohio, looking for a drier climate. He chose this tract of more than 100 acres along the Salt Wash just north of Moab Utah for its water and grassland, enough for a few cattle. Eventually he grazed more than 1000 cattle on native grasses that once covered the area. The Wolfes built a one-room cabin, a corral, a small dam across the Salt Wash and a root cellar. The dam captured water for root vegetables, pumpkins, and melons. They ordered staple groceries from the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog about once every three months and picked them up at the Thompson Springs railroad station, which was a full day’s wagon trip away. For nearly a decade they lived alone on the remove ranch. In 1906, John’s daughter Flora Stanley, her husband and their children moved to the ranch. Shocked at the primitive conditions, Flora convinced her father to build a new cabin with a wood floor and real windows, which is the one seen today. All six family members lived and slept in the one-room cabin, measuring just 17 feet by 15 feet. Because Flora disliked eating on tin plates, Wolfe ordered a one-hundred-piece set of blue china dishes from Sears. Wolfe also surprised his daughter with a camera and developing kit. Flora took a photograph of Delicate Arch, one of the earliest pictures taken of the now-famous feature. The family weathered a few more years in Utah and in 1910 returned to Ohio where John Wolfe died in 1913 at the age of 84. Because of its importance in local history, this site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination reads: “Historically, the activities of man on the Colorado Plateau have been a function of his ability to exploit and control its meager water resources. Wolfe’s ranching operation on Salt Wash is an excellent example of early subsistence farming and grazing in a marginal environment." So many parts of this story could provide a jumping off point to understand the life and times of John Wolfe…incredibly hard work, doing what you have to do to survive, Sears catalogue, Flora having the time to hike to Delicate Arch to take photos, Flora even having a camera, blue china in a primitive cabin…

Thank you for visiting my art galleries. If you love armchair traveling, feel free to indulge yourself in my many galleries! See more like this one in my Western USA gallery at: https://joan-carroll.pixels.com/collections/western+usa

Or, if you are looking for a unique gift, you are sure to find it here! Art works are available in many styles and sizes. There are gifts for the home such as throw pillows/covers, tapestries, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, and beach and bath towels. One-of-a-kind personal and fashion items include tote bags, phone cases, portable battery chargers, t-shirts and sweatshirts, mugs, yoga mats, and spiral notebooks.

All products are guaranteed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

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September 29th, 2020

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