Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch
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Lee's Ferry Fort
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 Location in Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Location | Coconino County, Arizona, USA |
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| Nearest city | Marble Canyon, Arizona |
| Built | 1872 |
| Architect | John D. Lee, Jacob Hamblin |
| NRHP reference No. | 97001234 |
| Added to NRHP | November 4, 1997 |
The Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District is a special place in Arizona. It includes a ranch started by a pioneer named John D. Lee at Lees Ferry. This area is now part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It's important because of John D. Lee, the ferry he ran, and the clever ways people used to get water for their farms.
This historic area was first recognized in 1978 as the Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District. Later, in 1997, it was made bigger to include Lee's Ferry.
Lees Ferry is located on both sides of the Colorado River. Lonely Dell Ranch is nearby on the west side of Paria Canyon. This spot had fertile land perfect for growing crops. The important history of this area stretches from when the Lee family arrived in 1871 until the ferry stopped running in 1928. The ferry was replaced by the new Navajo Bridge.
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The Story of John D. Lee
John D. Lee was an early settler who built homes for his families at Lees Ferry. His wife, Emma, called their ranch "Lonely Dell" because it was so far away from other towns.
Lee's ferry began helping people cross the river on January 11, 1873. It was mainly used by Mormon settlers. At first, there was some tension between the settlers and the Navajo, whose lands were being settled. Because of this, the Lee's Ferry Fort was built in 1874. However, no fighting happened at the ferry. So, the fort was later used as a trading post and then as a home.
In 1877, John D. Lee faced serious consequences for his actions related to a historical event. After he left, the LDS Church bought the ferry rights from Emma Lee in 1879. They then gave the ferry service to Warren Marshall Johnson and his families. Many buildings from the time of the Lee and Johnson families can still be seen today.
The American Placer Corporation
A company called the American Placer Corporation set up an office at Lee's Ferry in 1910. They left just one year later. During that short time, the company built a steamboat called the Charles H. Spencer. This boat was named after the company's founder. Its job was to carry coal mined further up the river to the company's gold processing operation at Lee's Ferry.
The steamboat was only used for one year. It was docked and later sank during a flood in 1921. You can still see parts of it in the river today! It's even listed as a separate historic place.
The office building was used again in 1922 as the Lee's Ferry Post Office, but it closed in 1924. It was briefly used one more time in 1931.
Getting Water: Irrigation Systems
John D. Lee started building the first dirt dam on the Paria River in January 1872. By March, he was already watering his first crops! But this first dam washed away in April. Lee quickly replaced it with a stronger dam, using a large log, brush, rocks, and dirt. Over the years, this dam was washed out and rebuilt many times.
In 1883, Warren Johnson built another dam higher up the Paria River to bring water to an upper field. By 1900, new dams made of logs and sandbags replaced the older ones. In 1905, Irving Pierce created a clever system of tunnels and flumes (wooden channels) to bring water from the upper dam to the fields, replacing the old ditches.
When Leo Weaver bought the ranch in 1935, several more dams had washed away. His attempts to rebuild them also failed. Later, Gus and Warren Griffin made great improvements to the water system, including stone-lined ditches. Most of what you see today is thanks to the Griffin family's work.
In 1965, the group that owned the ranch built two ponds to hold irrigation water against the west wall of Paria Canyon. In 1977, the National Park Service started pumping water from the Colorado River instead of the Paria. They built a new holding tank and removed parts of the old flume system to make a trail. This system is still used today.
Images for kids
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Lonely Dell Ranch Property
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Lonely Dell Ranch Entrance
