Halls Crossing

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