1955 Jeep Journey to Hole-in-the-Rock in Utah
The author is leaning on his white CJ-3A. I do not know the author’s name (but would like to know).
I stumbled across this neat forum article about a group of friends who decided to check out Hole-in-the-Rock, Utah, in 1955 after reading a National Geographic article (probably this one). So, in a fleet of three vehicles (looks like a 1949 CJ-3A, a CJ-3B, and a MB/GPW), they set off from Los Alamos, NM and drove to Escalante, Utah, before venturing into the Hole-in-the-rock area. Most of the photos that were taken are in areas now under the water of Lake Powell.
According to the article’s author, “My jeep was a 1949 CJ3 and it was a wreck when I got it. I think it had never been lubricated. I had to replace all the universal joints and overhaul the engine. The cab was aluminum and I bought it at Sears. The red jeep was an old military model. My friend had bought it and built a wooden cab for it himself.”
I wanted to contact the author of this story, but I can’t figure out how to register (says registration is closed) to the popphoto.com forum. Furthermore, I can’t figure out to contact an administrator. I’d like to contact the guy (he was 94 as of 2007 — likely passed away by now), because he doesn’t know what to do with the photos he’s taken.
The author’s notes in a separate post, “I wish I knew some historical society or such that would be interested in the slides I have. None of my relatives and friends are interested in these things. I suppose eventually they will be put in a big cardboard box and auctioned off for a high bid of $1.”
Since that was his wish, I’m going to preserve his story in total here, so I’ve post it below. You can see the original post here: http://forums.popphoto.com/showthread.php?151510-Kaiparowits-Plateau-A-journey-from-the-archives-to-Hole-in-the-Rock-Crossing-1955 along with the follow up comments.
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Kaiparowits Plateau: A journey from the archives to Hole -in-the-Rock Crossing 1955
This trip was inspired from a National Geographic article in the 1950s. This magazine had several articles on little known areas of the southwest. Most were in very isolated areas with few, if any roads and trails.
A party of three Jeeps set out from Los Alamos NM to Escalante Utah. We arrived in Escalante about noon time, and then proceeded to find our way to the Hole in the Rock crossing. So named because early Mormon Pioneers lowered wagons and horses to the Colorado River, and then rafted across the river at this point.
Leaving Escalante we headed off in a South-easterly direction. The maps we had showed the distance to be approximately 50 miles.
We passed some remarkable formations, This was known as Dance Hall Rock. Locals had dances here periodically.
The Dance Hall Rock in Utah, 1955
After awhile we came to the dreaded fork in the road. As we debated which fork to take, a man appeared on horseback. He asked if we knew where we were going, we said we knew where we wanted to go, but not how to get there. He gave us directions, and on we went. He neglected to tell us what obstacles we would find. After several miles, we came to an enormous outcrop of slick rock, and the tracks we were following ended there. It was obvious that we had to cross the rock, We did that rather easily.
