A story from Lee's Ferry

We were attracted to Lee's Ferry by the Colorado River, the magnificent Vermilion Cliffs, Marble Canyon, Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam and the selection of beer at the Lee's Ferry Inn. All of these attractions did not disappoint. The clear, cold Colorado, the milky waters of the Paria as it spilled and spread into the Colorado, the towering canyon walls and the overwhelming isolation was quite otherworldly. But, this was the sort of "Natures Rush" i expected. I'd seen the pictures. What we discovered as we walked along the river near the confluence of the Colorado and the Paria was completely unexpected. We saw a small cemetery with wooden crosses and headstones from the areas collection of rocks except for a large granite marker reminiscent those the kind you would find in your city's local cemetery. Definitely out of place here. There were four names on it and closer examination revealed that they were all children. What's more they all died within about a five week period. No explanation, no National Park service brochure, no internet, only a mystery. Contemplating the names and dates on that headstone, knowing that nothing had changed there since 1891, made me feel like i was transported back in time. As soon as i got home, i began to research and discovered that these four were the children of Warren Johnson, the operator of the ferry and the successor to John D Lee, the Ferry's namesake. They contracted diphtheria from a migrating family using the Ferry to enter Arizona from Utah and died from the disease in the summer of 1891. A truly sad story, frozen in time near the Lonely Dell ranch surrounded by the canyon walls at Lee's Ferry. The details are expertly researched and told by those at Arizona Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project, www.apcrp.org.