The story of how Colorado National Monument came into being is as
colorful as the canyons and cliffs themselves. The fantastic canyon
country had a magical attraction for John Otto[5] (fig. 1) who, in 1906,
camped near the northeastern mouth of Monument Canyon and began building
trails into the canyons and onto the mesas—the high tablelands that
separate the deep canyons. He did this back-breaking work simply because
he wanted to and so that others could share the beauty of this wild
country.
In 1907 Otto got the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce to petition
Secretary of the Interior James A. Garfield to set aside the area as a
National Monument. Otto’s dream came true on May 24, 1911, when
President William Howard Taft signed the proclamation creating the
Monument. On June 14, Otto climbed to the top of Independence Monument
(fig. 6) where he placed the Stars and Stripes to celebrate Flag Day.
For several years thereafter Otto placed the flag atop Independence
Monument on July 4th to celebrate Independence Day.
Until about 1921 the only routes into the Monument proper were John
Otto’s trails, but in that year the ranchers of Glade Park joined with
Otto in building the steep, twisting Serpents Trail from No Thoroughfare
Canyon to the mesa above—a much shorter route to Grand Junction. It had
54 switchbacks and climbed about 1,500 feet in 2½ miles. The Serpents
Trail was included in the Monument in 1933 and was used until 1950 when
an easier route was built up the west side of No Thoroughfare Canyon and
through a tunnel to the top of the mesa (figs. 3, 56). The Serpents
Trail has been preserved as an interesting foot trail (fig. 55), which
can be hiked downhill in an hour or so. A parking area near the foot of
the trail allows one member of a group to drive ahead to await the
others.
[Illustration: JOHN OTTO, fantastic father of Colorado National
Monument, and his helpers. Photograph courtesy Grand Junction
Chamber of Commerce. (Fig. 1)]
In 1924 John Otto got the idea that the Monument should include a herd
of big game, so he talked the Colorado Game and Fish Department into
shipping six young elk, and he got the local Elks Lodge to pay the
transportation costs. The elk were turned loose in Monument Canyon, but
they found the sparse vegetation and scant water supply ill suited to
their needs, so after a few years they found a way out over the rim and
migrated about 20 miles south of the Monument to lush high country where
they joined with native elk and multiplied to become the ancestors of
the present fine herd on Piñon Mesa (shown in fig. 34_D_). Occasionally
a few return to the Monument and may be seen mainly in Ute Canyon.
Native mule deer are frequently seen in and near the Monument.
Far from being discouraged, Otto then hatched the idea to start a
buffalo[6] herd to be purchased by donations of buffalo nickels from
school children and by contributions from the Odd Fellows and others. He
finally raised enough money to get the patient Game and Fish Department
to send him two cows and one bull. Unfortunately the bull died, so Otto
talked the National Park Service into shipping him a bull from
Yellowstone National Park. This time success crowned his efforts, and
the small herd eventually multiplied to as many as 45 animals, but
generally the herd has been kept at about 20-25 head ever since. You may
spot some of them when you gaze down into Monument or Ute Canyons or
when you drive past the northeastern boundary. Rarely, you may spot one
in Red Canyon.
At the northeast corner of Fourth Street and Ute Avenue in Grand
Junction is a most unusual object, which illustrates yet another
peculiarity of John Otto—fantastic father of Colorado National Monument
(fig. 2). Its history is best told by quoting from Al Look,[7] though
its purpose still remains a mystery.
One day a horse drawn dray backed up to a vacant lot on Grand
Junction’s Main Street [corner 6th] and unloaded a granite cube four
feet square, carved on two sides. It weighed more than a ton and Otto
supervised the setting.
One side [now facing west and not visible in fig. 2] showed a three
foot circle containing a swastika with a five pointed star in each
quarter. Above the emblem was carved “Rock of Ages” and below read
“Cross of Ages.” The second side [now facing south, and shown in fig.
2] was beyond normal comprehension. Two large W’s on either side of a
small swastika were over the letters or initials P.P., then four chain
links with the letters T, H, L, J. inscribed, followed by the initials
I.E. Below on the left was “1918,” over “Year 1”. On the right was
“Old Count” and under it “New Count.” Between them stands the word
‘MARCH.’ Below this are abbreviations for the seven days of the week
with the figure 1 under MON ending with a 6 under SAT. The bottom line
[most of which is barely visible in the photograph] contained the
figure 7 in a circle, a carpenter’s square, a small rectangle,
probably representing a level, a plumb bob, a carpenter’s compass and
a circle showing the western hemisphere. That is all. It made sense to
John Otto because from somewhere he gathered considerable money to
have this monument carved by the local gravestone merchant. It stood
for several years to mystify pedestrians, and was finally moved beside
the Redlands road to the [east entrance of] Colorado Monument where it
is now hidden by weeds.[8]
It was still there in the 50’s when my family and I were startled to
find it. We were afraid it might be lost forever so are glad it finally
found a safe resting place on a concrete slab at the museum. I shall
greatly appreciate hearing from any reader who can decipher this enigma.
[Illustration: JOHN OTTO’S MONUMENT, at southwest corner of the
Historical Museum and Institute of Western Colorado, at northeast
corner of Fourth Street and Ute Avenue, Grand Junction. View looking
north. Face is 4 feet square. (Fig. 2)]
Otto’s rock is at the southwest corner of The Historical Museum and
Institute of Western Colorado. The main attraction inside is a life-size
skeleton of _Allosaurus_ (fig. 23), whose bones are exact plastic
replicas of real ones at the museum of Brigham Young University, at
Provo, Utah. The painstaking casting of the “bones” and assembly of the
self-supporting skeleton was done by Al T. Look, son of author Al Look
listed under “References.” The museum also houses other items of
interest from the Grand Junction area.
Construction of the scenic Rim Rock Drive through the Monument was begun
by the National Park Service about 1931 using workers from the Civilian
Conservation Corps, and the drive eventually was completed to join roads
from Fruita and Grand Junction. The route from Fruita includes a winding
road up Fruita Canyon and through two tunnels to the mesa (figs. 3, 44,
45).
A modern Visitor Center, new housing facilities for park personnel,
additions to the campgrounds, the Devils Kitchen Picnic Area near the
East Entrance, several self-guiding nature trails, and additional
overlooks and roadside exhibits were completed in 1964 as part of the
Mission 66 program of the National Park Service.
The Monument originally included 13,749 acres, but boundary changes in
1933 and 1939 increased the total to 17,660 acres, and the inclusion of
all of No Thoroughfare Canyon and other boundary adjustments in 1978
increased the size to about 20,457 acres, or about 32 square miles (see
map, fig. 3).