For five days in July of 1961, then-Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, Canyonland-legend Kent Frost, and a posse of government folks toured the Caynyonlands area by jeep, boat and helicopter. The huge tour was Udall's idea, which probably explains why National Geographic was invited on the trip. Udall's efforts paid off with Utah Democratic Senator Frank Moss proposing Canyonlands National Park (learn more here). The bill was signed on September 12, 1964. What an amazing trip that must have been.
The National Geographic published the story in the May 1962 issue under the title, Cities of Stone in Utah's Canyonland. The magazine only published one jeep photo, but they did include a map with tiny jeeps showing the route taken.
As a former Utahn, I found this video interesting. I never knew that Mexican Hat was named for a rock formation (but I've only been through there once). The video is a half hour. To view it, click the photo below. Then, click the "Play" button.
Travelogue produced and narrated by Al Morton for San Juan County, Utah, in 1961. It covers the scenic sights of San Juan County, including Rainbow Bridge, Looking Glass Rock, Monticello, Blanding, Bluff, Recapture Canyon, the Valley of the Gods, Mexican Hat, the Goosenecks of the San Juan, Monument Valley; Hovenweep National Monument; Newspaper Rock; Natural Bridges National Monument; the Canyonlands Needles area, Angel Arch, and Dead Horse Point. A significant portion of the film involves a Jeep tour run by Kent and Fern Frost. Includes references to local industries, the Navajo Indians, and the settlement by the San Juan Mission in 1878-1879. Run time: 30 minutes, 3 seconds;
"Before Canyonlands Was a Park" is a story built around a presentation given by Alan "Tug" Bates in 2014 and published January 07, 2024, by the Canyon Country Zephyr. It includes a variety of jeep photos from the Canyonlands area.
Kent Frost (L), Bates Wilson (Second from right) and friends in the late 1950s. (Photo Credit: NPS)
One excerpt is particularly interesting:
"In the first 10 years of exploring what would become Canyonlands National Park, we encountered a total of five people: We encountered one party of two in 1952; Dad gave them directions to find what later became known as Angel Arch, the icon of Canyonlands. Once, in 1953, we came across a lonesome cowboy, on his way from the West fork of Salt Creek to Cave Springs. And finally, in the fall of 1958, we met up with Kent and Fern Frost. They were in their green jeep, in Horse Canyon, checking out the area for future tours. But that was it…. FIVE."
When my ex-wife and I moved to Utah thirty years ago (Yikes!!) in the summer of 1994 the population was 1.9 million (by comparison, as of 2021, the population was 3.38 million and the state is still one of the top five growing states). Lacking a jeep at that time, I got to explore southern Utah when you could still hike Desolate Arch in Arches NP and not see anyone! The experience Bates describes was mine at times. There were no signs stopping me from unrolling a sleeping bag on a piece of slick rock outside Moab and spending the night (now, lots of no-camping signs), which I did several times, with stars so bright I didn't need a flashlight. And, if off the beaten path, you were guaranteed to feel all alone in desolate country.
Thirty years later, the Utah I experienced has changed dramatically. The restaurants are way better, the culture more diverse, the events more varied, but the resulting traffic and the crowds have become, at times, too much for my tastes. I guess I am getting old!!
Here is an article on a 1961 Road Trip to Utah authored by Rosalie Goldman, I thought it was neat the way they documented these in the newspaper. Nowadays this would be a few pics on an IG Post.
Also found a book out there with some of her work
My Canyonlands
https://glencanyon.org/product/my-canyonlands/
Originally published in 1971, this rare signed 1997 version has new photos and illustrations showcasing Kent’s adventures throughout the Colorado Plateau.
The stories are historical non fiction and memoir portraying the rugged and adventurous life of Kent exploring and rowing through the desert.
Author: Kent Frost and Rosalie Goldman
From Amazon:
A work of regional Americana destined to become a classic - a unique authentic portrayal of the canyonlands of Utah and the nearby states, still relatively untouched by man, rich with plants and animal life and ragged rock formations ... illustrated.
This eight-page issue of the 1965 Jeep News volume 11 Number 4 begins with the Vigilante engine billboards, along with a strange story of a hardware merchant using pennies and dollars to buy a jeep only for the jeep dealer to return the favor and buy a washer and dryer from said merchant using pennies, but this time ones bathed in syrup and oil!
Page two contains various pics, while page three includes the story of a Jeepster that looked like new despite having been driven 332,800 miles! His rigorous attention to maintenance was key to his Jeepster's great condition; it may not surprise you to learn that he worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I wonder what happened to that Kentucky-based jeep.
Page four showcases some international stories, while page five contains another story about Kent Frost and his southern Utah tours out of Monticello, Utah. Page six includes an article about the use of f-head engines in Miller's Trailblazer welders, while page seven highlights Allen and Phyllis Ellis, who travelled extensively in Mexico in their 1959 CJ-5 (which may have been nicknamed El Osito, which apparently translates to 'the bear'). Page eight highlights the use of Wagoneers at the 1964-1965 New York City World's Fair.
Here's another round of pics from the 1961 Four Corners trip his father-in-law and his father-in-law's father took. You can see the earlier round here.
Now, for a bit of trivia, the four corners monument is actually 1800 feet away from the real point where the four states meet. You can learn why here.
(03/16/2014) I think this is the sixth different wagon-into-trailer that I've listed (see here for the others). Kent Frost's has been the nicest I've seen.
"Willy's wagon made into pull behind camper in the 1960's. Has the hard to find ambulance or 'barn doors' in back. I used to pull it behind my Willys to swap meets. Have the parts to make this complete for street rod / rat rod / rock climber / etc. $1200. as is."
First published (03/24/2011): A reader named Alan found these these classic jeeping images from the Four Corners area of the Southwest while scanning some slides, taken while on a jeep trip in 1961. Not only are the colors wonderful, but quality of the shots are fantastic. The slides came from Alan's father-in-law and the CJ-3A, the yellow jeep in image 2, was his father-in-law's father's jeep. I will publish a couple more posts with more pictures later this week.
When I lived in Utah, I used to travel down to the Moab area, find a piece of slickrock (similar to the type of rock the jeep below is traveling down), throw my sleeping bag on a flat surface, and fall asleep under the stars (and there are lots of visible stars down there). At sunbreak in the morning, the light would cause the slickrock to turn intense reddish colors. Southern Utah is one of my favorite places to explore.
