|
Halls
Crossing (San Juan County). In late 1879 the Mormon Hole-in-the-Rock
expedition camped near the Dance Hall Rock waiting for
the development of a safe crossing for the nearby Colorado
River. Hall was an important part of this expedition.
He stayed on at the Hole-in-the-Rock crossing hoping to
make it an important one for emigrants and freighters
traveling both ways across the river. The Hole-in-the-Rock
crossing was used for more than a year until the travel
began to decline. Hall then developed a better crossing
some thirty-five miles upriver at what is today known
as Halls Crossing. He settled at the mouth of Halls Creek
in 1882 and ran a ferry crossing the Colorado River. Hall
was well known for his projects and for his pioneering
(he helped pioneer Parowan and Escalante). He also developed
the boats used in ferrying across the Colorado River.
After the dam was built and Lake Powell filled in the
river and side crossings, Bull Frog Marina was developed
on the west side of the lake and Halls Crossing on the
east side of the lake at the end of U-263. Today a ferry
makes regular crossings at this point. From 1881 to 1883
a small settlement was established at Halls Crossing,
but it quickly faded into oblivion.
John
W. Van Cott
|