Beautiful Zion
by Robert Bales
Title
Beautiful Zion
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Zion National Park is located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the 229-square-mile (590 km2) park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles (24 km) long and up to half a mile (800 m) deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The lowest elevation is 3,666 ft (1,117 m) at Coalpits Wash and the highest elevation is 8,726 ft (2,660 m) at Horse Ranch Mountain. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. Numerous plant species as well as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), and 32 reptiles inhabit the park's four life zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Zion National Park includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, slot canyons, and natural arches.
Human habitation of the area started about 8,000 years ago with small family groups of Native Americans; the semi-nomadic Basketmaker Anasazi (300 CE) stem from one of these groups. In turn, the Virgin Anasazi culture (500 CE) developed as the Basketmakers settled in permanent communities.[4] A different group, the Parowan Fremont, lived in the area as well. Both groups moved away by 1300 and were replaced by the Parrusits and several other Southern Paiute subtribes. Mormons came into the area in 1858 and settled there in the early 1860s. In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft named the area a National Monument to protect the canyon, under the name of Mukuntuweap National Monument. In 1918, however, the acting director of the newly created National Park Service changed the park's name to Zion. According to historian Hal Rothman, "The name change played to a prevalent bias of the time. Many believed that Spanish and Indian names would deter visitors who, if they could not pronounce the name of a place, might not bother to visit it. The new name, Zion, had greater appeal to an ethnocentric audience." [5] The United States Congress established the monument as a National Park on November 19, 1919. The Kolob section was proclaimed a separate Zion National Monument in 1937, but was incorporated into the park in 1956.
Uploaded
May 2nd, 2013
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Viewed 1,392 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/17/2024 at 2:17 PM
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Comments (37)
Tatiana Travelways
Congratulations - Your beautiful picture has been featured in the "Travel Art" group! For further promotion, you can post it to the specific Travel Destinations galleries, our Facebook group and our Pinterest board - all the links are provided on our group's homepage: https://fineartamerica.com/groups/1-travel-art.html * You are also invited to post it to our group's blog: travelartpix.com for worldwide exposure!
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Tatinana for the feature, congrats, invitation and the fine promotion!!
Robert VanDerWal
Very Rich!!! The composition and intensity of colors draws you in.
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks so much Robert for the wonderful comment and it sure is a beautiful park!!
Jerry Bokowski
Great example of Zion, Robert. The twin brothers are an area I have yet to paint but hope to some day! The colors here are what make Zion so fantastic!............FAV / LIKE
Robert Bales replied:
It sure is a great place to visit and thanks for the wonderful comments! I hope you get to paint it someday!!
Karen Nicholson
All your photos of Zion really catch my eye. Beautiful scenery and photography, Robert! L/F for sure!!
Jeff Folger
Thanks for showing me what I missed! I've only done Arches and yours beats mine... :-) great composition and colors L/F
Glenn DiPaola
I was feeling a need to see Zion today and you do not disappoint with this gallery. Beautiful comp on this one. v/f
Robert Bales replied:
If you have not been there yet, I sure hope you can someday. Thanks so much for the comment and the v/f!!
Linda Phelps
This image has outstanding wow power! Thevibrant color jusmp off the screen. I nlike the composition with the tree balancing out the towers on the right. It is perfect in every way! V.
John and Veronica Vandenburg
Absolutely stunning. I love the vibrancy of this picture. v/f
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks for the comment on the vibrancy! I was very pleased when I looked at it and thanks for the v/f!