A Zion Canyon Bed & Breakfast
The Rocks of Zion Canyon
Courtesy of David RachlisZion is an ancient Hebrew word, originally used to describe a dry rocky place of holy sanctuary in ancient Israel. How fitting it is that today this same word should be associated with the towering cathedrals and temples of brightly colored stone we call Zion National Park.
The colorful rock layers of Zion were originally deposited in a series of swamps, rivers, forests and a vast sand-dune desert. Remains of fossil fish, dinosaur tracks and petrified wood all bear testimony to the various environments that have moved back and forth across this landscape throughout geologic time.
Tectonic activity over the past several million years has abruptly uplifted these long-buried beds along the nearby Hurricane Fault. The cutting power of the Virgin River and its tributaries erodes into these rapidly rising layers creating the canyons and cliffs we see today. The geologic processes that have created Zion are still actively at work and invite curiosity from all who view the spectacle.
Thumbnail sketch of Rockville, Utah
Courtesy of David RachlisRockville, Utah is a small quaint community (pop. 250) located at the mouth of Zion Canyon along the banks of the Virgin River. It was originally settled in the early 1860’s by Mormon pioneers who were led by Orson Pratt. The early settlers raised irrigation crops and ran cattle on the nearby mesas and plateaus.
The original name of the community was Adventure and was located much closer to the riverbank than it is today. After disastrous flooding occurred several years after the town’s founding, it was decided to move the community farther away from the floodplain of the Virgin River.
Moving the town made for even more adventure as large pieces of the unstable cap rock rimming the cliffs above town periodically have come crashing down on the homes and farm buildings below. As one local likes to say about Rockville “it’s definitely located between a rock and a hard place.”
The most recent major rock fall occurred in 2001 and deposited a 271-ton boulder into someone’s home. Luckily the occupants were unhurt. As you enter town from the west on Hwy. 9 slow down and take a look at the first several homes on the north side of the road (left side) to see evidence of this fascinating, not to mention exciting, geological process.
Rockville is also famous for its pioneer irrigation ditches, which date from the 19th-century and can easily be seen lining both sides of the main street through town. These ditches are on the National Register of historic structures in recognition of their outstanding construction and as a reminder of the persevering spirit of the original pioneers who built them. They are not only historical curiosities but are a part of the living community as they still deliver irrigation water “shares” to the residents of Rockville to this very day.
Another feature of Rockville that visitors often notice are the single 100-watt light bulbs that hang over Main Street (Hwy. 9) for the full length of the town. These lights date from the early 1980’s when the people of Rockville desired to upgrade their community from a village to a full-blown town and petitioned the state government in Salt Lake City to accomplish this upgrade in the town’s municipal status.
State officials responded back that one of the main improvements that needed to be made was for Rockville to upgrade its street lighting system, which would better reflect a more up to date and thoroughly modern municipality. In response the town installed the lights that you see hanging above Main Street today. The town fathers even went beyond the statutory requirements of the state by insisting on running the lights 24-hours a day.
If you visit the town’s post office you will see that the official city seal of Rockville, posted on the front of the building, consists of a large light bulb. They say that when you’re elected mayor of Rockville the first thing you get is a box of light bulbs and a ladder.
Today Rockville is a residential community that is home to local workers employed at nearby Zion National Park and other tourism related enterprises in the larger gateway town of Springdale. Many newcomers are also retirees who enjoy the quiet atmosphere and nearby natural wonders. The only commercial enterprises allowed in Rockville are bed & breakfast establishments and a single fruit and vegetable stand at the east side of town.
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