Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 2, 2009 Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 First, Have a great 4th of July! (A quick recap: Dolph Andrus and W H Hopkins are blazing the Monumental Highway in May of 1917. They left Bluff and in this installment are crossing the San Juan River on the old suspension bridge at Mexican Hat (Goodridge). They climb the grade out of the San Juan canyon and motor on to an oil camp, and then on to Monumant Valley at The Mittens. The probably dirt road they took is still there, as it matches mileages and landmarks fairly well.) This installment should take us from Raplee’s stone house on the San Juan and Mexican Hat to Douglas Oil Camp and Monument Valley…..if we can figure out the route. The relevant section of Dolph’s original 1917 log to Douglas Oil Camp and the Mittens in Monumernt Valley…and a bit beyond, is copied below. The old suspension bridge was a well known landmark for many years after the blazing of the Monumental Highway. It had been built by stockmen to move their livestock from one side of the river to the other. It served as the only crossing for many miles. I have seen a date when it was replaced, and I think it was in the 1950’s or early 1960’s. I have mentioned elsewhere that Dolph did three trips to Monument Valley; one with Hinnricks of the land office by car, one while blazing the Monumental Highway (MH), and one with his family and a fellow on horseback doing a movie (a month after the MH trip). The suspension bridge photo below is from the third trip. According to the log, Douglas Oil Camp is 9.1 Miles from the suspension bridge across the San Juan. Other points along his route are more “subjective” such as sand, tops of grades, washes. Etc. There are two abandoned oil well sites shown on the State of Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining Map that fit within the distance. One is in Douglas Wash, the other is not. So guess what…..I am leaning toward the site in Douglas Wash as being the Douglas Oil Camp! The Douglas Oil Camp site is on US163 and 8.6 miles via the modern highway from the suspension bridge. Given that the old road had a few more turns, I’m satisfied that we have the right site for the oil camp, at least within rifle shot. Apparently it was dry well. The photo below is probably at Douglas Oil Camp. Note the little Maxwell. It is at Douglas Oil Camp that the Monumental Highway gets a name (see log above). The route between the suspension bridge and Douglas Oil Camp could have been any of several variations. The 1950’s oiled road is fairly evident. There is also the possibility of a route out of San Juan River canyon a little further to the south and east that rejoins the modern road near the fork to Kayenta. Nothing of significance is noted between the suspension bridge and Douglas Oil Camp other than the fork to Kayenta, so I am satisfied leaving the exact route a somewhat open question. Between the oil camp and The Mittens we have a note from the third trip that they are following the actual tire tracks of the MH trip done a month earlier. He provides in his memoirs a pretty detailed map of the third trip, so I have used the route of that trip to fix the route of the MH between Douglas Camp and The Mittens. The mileages match fairly well. I think this is an appropriate point to share a comment on the log. It is usually pretty good, but it was not done to the precision of an Automobile Blue Book, and Dolph says so. Furthermore, they were following wagon roads that were not intended to take travelers from Bluff to Monument Valley, but rather to connect local sites. Those roads were later “rationalized” and improved, so it is difficult to be sure which to follow. The good news is we can identify the sites along the “highway.” It is pretty hard to misplace The Mittens. My best current estimate of the probable route of the Monumental Highway between the San Juan suspension bridge and The Mittens at Monument Valley is shown below. I have been looking ahead to the location where Dolph and Hopkins carved “MONUMENTAL HIGHWAY” into the cliff. It looks to be on the Hopi Reservation and we will need a 4 wheel drive to reach the site. Does anyone know about permits to travel on back roads on the reservation? Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mga707 Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 I have been looking ahead to the location where Dolph and Hopkins carved “MONUMENTAL HIGHWAY” into the cliff. It looks to be on the Hopi Reservation and we will need a 4 wheel drive to reach the site. Does anyone know about permits to travel on back roads on the reservation? Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Hi Dave-- Unlike some tribes in Arizona (the Hualapai, for example), to the best of my knowledge neither the Navajo nor the Hopi require 'back road permits' as long as one stays on tribal routes. As I surmised in an earlier post, the road in question is Navajo/Hopi route 7, so I don't think a permit will be required. 4WD would be good idea as the road is unpaved, and based upon my experience with unpaved roads in Navajo/Hopiland, it will have areas of fairly deep sand and, if it has been rained on recently, muddy areas as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Burr - hester_nec Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 In short study the list of needed equipment in an old Automobile Blue Book and stock accordingly Enjoying your trip report. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Sounds like this trip will be much like it was in 1917 then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Mike, Alex, Jim, Thanks for the comebacks! This is taking more time than I anticipated, and maybe I should pay less attention to the exact route and more to the sites and events. I may push the fast forward button. However MGA707’s (Mike’s) comment that permits are not required to take reservation roads may prove interesting. It is fun to see a trace I make on Google Earth match up with the log and Dolph’s maps. It is a little like following a treasure map. It was very obvious in this last section that they were following wagon roads that connected local sites. We sort of forget that that was the character of virtually all early auto routes. I have been reading about the development of the Navajo National Monument in the same area, and the development of roads from the north came very late, like in the 1930’s. So the Monumental Highway didn’t exactly spring into existence! I think the plus side is that the road taken by the Motor Men of 1917 is still in the same conditoion it was when they took it….as Jim notes. Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.