Rising K Ranch
  • Home
  • Prices and Horseback Ride Options
  • Horseback Riding Lessons
  • Lodging and Horse Motel
  • Horse Sense (Blog)
    • Brian Head
    • Things to do in Cedar City
    • Horseback Riding Reviews
    • All About Bryce Canyon National Park
    • All About Cedar Breaks and the Markagunt Plateau
    • All About Zion National Park >
      • Zion Canyon Trails
      • Kolob Canyon
      • The Desert Lowlands of Zion National Park
      • Kolob Terrace
  • Horse Training by Klay Klemic
    • Horse Training Videos
    • Horses for Sale
    • Horsemanship Clinics

Horse Sense

Concerning Horses, Wildlife, Zion and Bryce Canyon

Book a Horseback Ride at Rising K Ranch

Zion Cable Works of Cable Mountain

9/20/2023

3 Comments

 
Picture
  The Cable Works along Zion National Park's "Cable Mountain Trail" were built as a means of shipping timer down from the high mountain forests to town below, such as Springdale, Utah. Prior to the cable works, it was not uncommon for one to have to bring in lumber, by horsedrawn wagon, from such distant places as  Mount Trumball, Arizona, about 110 miles away. The original Cable Works at Zion were begun in the year 1900, overseen by a man named David Flanigan.
   The original cable works' 8 and a half foot square by 12 foot high wooden structure spported a large, double-tracked pulley which also had a brake set up 30 feet away from the  main structure. The cable works were in use by the year 1901. Over the course of the next five years, David Flanigan's cable works system had been used to send approximately 200,000 feet of finished lumber down Zion's canyon by means of a large basket attached to the cable. This ride down Zion Canyon was a 3,000 foot elevation change over a distance of about five miles. Naturally, the cable works would also be used to haul various types of produce and, one time, David Flanigan's dog, who was so afraid the entire ride that he never again dared to even come near the cable works. 
   Since the cable works structures were so prominently situated atop the mountain peak, they would commonly be struck by lightning and have to be rebuilt. On July 28, in 1908, one such lightning strike upon the structure even killed two boys, Thornton Hepworth Jr., and Lionel Stout. A third person, a young lady by the name of Clarinda Langston, was also present on the cable works when lightning struck it; but survived. The cable works were then used to transport the boys' bodies down the canyon.
   The cable works were used under Flanigan's direction until he sold out in 1907 to O.D Gifford and William R. Crawford, who continued to transport vast quantities of lumber until the final load of lumber was sent down Zion in 1926. The wires remained in place until 1929.
3 Comments
Network Cabling link
11/27/2024 04:01:23 pm

This article offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of Zion National Park's Cable Mountain, highlighting the unique cable works that transported lumber and produce down the mountain. The narrative brings to light the challenges of the cable system, from lightning strikes to the remarkable distances covered. The story of the cable works, including its eventual decline, is a testament to the ingenuity of early 20th-century engineering. A great read for anyone interested in Zion's history.

Reply
network cabling link
12/11/2024 03:58:51 pm

This article is a fascinating look at the history of the Zion Cable Works, a unique and innovative system used to transport lumber down Cable Mountain in Zion National Park. It's a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of early settlers who used these cable works to overcome the challenges of transporting goods in a rugged and mountainous terrain. The story of the cable works is also a reminder of the dangers associated with such endeavors, as evidenced by the tragic lightning strike that claimed the lives of two young boys.

Reply
network cabling link
12/11/2024 04:05:35 pm

This article is a fascinating look at the history of the Zion Cable Works, a unique and innovative system used to transport lumber down Cable Mountain in Zion National Park. It's a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of early settlers who used these cable works to overcome the challenges of transporting goods in a rugged and mountainous terrain. The story of the cable works is also a reminder of the dangers associated with such endeavors, as evidenced by the tragic lightning strike that claimed the lives of two young boys.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

  • Home
  • Prices and Horseback Ride Options
  • Horseback Riding Lessons
  • Lodging and Horse Motel
  • Horse Sense (Blog)
    • Brian Head
    • Things to do in Cedar City
    • Horseback Riding Reviews
    • All About Bryce Canyon National Park
    • All About Cedar Breaks and the Markagunt Plateau
    • All About Zion National Park >
      • Zion Canyon Trails
      • Kolob Canyon
      • The Desert Lowlands of Zion National Park
      • Kolob Terrace
  • Horse Training by Klay Klemic
    • Horse Training Videos
    • Horses for Sale
    • Horsemanship Clinics