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Reenactment of a covered Wagon going up Cottonwood Hill with the Hole-in-the-Rock crevice in the background. Courtesy of the Utah State Board of Education.
The Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition/San Juan Mission
A Colonization Endeavor of Unparalled Challenges
A Demonstration of Unwavering Commitment and Devotion

In 1879-80, Mormon pioneers built a wagon road between established communities in southwestern Utah and the Four Corners area. They were fulfilling an assignment from their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to establish a settlement in the area. Their journey turned into an ordeal of unparalleled difficulty as they spent six months blazing a route across some of the most broken and rugged terrain in North America, including a path through the Hole-in-the-Rock (a crevice in the Colorado River gorge). Photograph: 1963 reenactment of a covered wagon coming up Cottonwood Hill with the Hole-in-the-Rock crevice in the background. Courtesy of the Utah State Board of Education.

Covered Wagon and the Bluff Meetinghouse at night. Lamont Crabtree Photo The Bluff Fort
Upon their arrival in the San Juan area in April 1880, they established a small community called Bluff. Their first dwellings were one-room log cabins. The cabins were arranged to form a large square. Security was achieved by everyone living in close proximity. In 1997, volunteers launched an effort to preserve and restore the original fort site. Photograph: The Bluff Fort restored log meetinghouse at night.


Visitors Gain Insight into Pioneer Challenges
The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail and the Bluff Fort Historic Site give visitors a glimpse into early pioneer life and provide a unique opportunity to see firsthand the sacrifices, conviction and determination of the Mormon pioneers who blazed a wagon road and established a community in one of the most remote regions of the West.

Covered Wagon at the Bluff Historic Fort. Lamont Crabtree PhotoThe Foundation
The Hole-in-the-Rock Foundation was organized to facilitate the ongoing development of the Bluff Fort Historic Site and interpretive projects throughout the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail. Photograph: One of the covered wagons at the Bluff Fort.


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The Hole-in-the-Rock Foundation - Preserving the History and Sharing the Legacy

 

“If we have plenty of stickie-ta-tudy, we cannot fail.”
Jens Nielson

 

“… there was something more than human power associated with it.” Kumen Jones

 

“The unity among the people, coming out with no conveniences, and yet they were just as happy as they could be.”
Sarah Williams