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People have been visiting the Cedar Breaks area
for at least 9,000 years. Seasonal campsites left by Desert Archaic people
indicate that they came to hunt and to collect Chert on the lower slopes of
Brian Head Peak. Chert can easily be fashioned into arrowheads and other tools;
archeological evidence suggests that the Desert Archaic people collected it
primarily for use as a trade item. Since that time, visitors to the area have
enjoyed its resources in a variety of ways.
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Cedar Breaks Lodge
By the time Minnie’s Mansion ceased operation, a
new establishment had opened on the south rim of Cedar Breaks: Cedar Breaks
Lodge. Built in 1924, the lodge was owned by the Utah Parks Company, a
subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad hoped to attract rail
passengers by developing a “loop tour” starting in Cedar City and connecting
Zion, Bryce, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Cedar Breaks. “Dudes,” as the
tourists were known, traveled in small tour buses driven by “gearjammers.” All the
Utah Parks Company lodges were designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who would
later design the famous Awahnee Lodge at Yosemite. Cedar Breaks was the
smallest of the lodges. Utah Parks tour buses stopped at Cedar Breaks for
dinner before heading back to the train depot in Cedar City. A dollar twenty-five
bought a chicken dinner, complete with mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade bread
and dessert. The Lodge seated 120 people—some nights the tables were set three
times to accommodate tour buses and locals who had come up to spend the
evening.
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The Civilian Conservation Corps at Cedar Breaks
On August
22nd, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Cedar Breaks a National
Monument. Once the Monument was established, however, it still had to be
developed. Fortunately, 1933 also saw the establishment of the Civilian
Conservation Corps, otherwise known as the CCC. This program was designed to
provide work for unemployed men during the Great Depression. Enrollees were
young men between the ages of 18 and 25 whose families were on federal relief.
They agreed to send $25 of their $30 monthly paycheck home to support their
families. In addition, they received room, board, clothing, and technical
training. In 1937 a detail of 27 men from the Zion CCC camp were detailed to
Cedar Breaks to begin construction of a Visitor Center and Ranger Cabin. These
structures exhibit classic National Park Service rustic architecture. The log
cabin style recalls America’s pioneer heritage. The buildings are also designed
to appear as if they are a natural part of the environment. The massive
fireplaces and sweeping cut of the log ends make the buildings appear to rise
out of the earth organically. Both buildings are on the national register of
historic places.
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