Lake Powell - Photos from the Early Years

[JFRCalifornia]

I thought I’d start a thread that focuses on photos from the earliest years of Lake Powell, mostly before the spring of 1968, when the lake was clearly on the rise, but generally still below 3530, except in 1966, when the lake managed to reach about 3545 before slipping back.

These old photos can provide some perspective to compare with our modern glimpse of low water, but are mostly just fun to look at.

I’ll start with a few.

Here’s a tour group at the mouth of Dungeon Canyon in late summer 1963, when the lake was at about 3370. A very different experience than today…



The next one is the early version of Wahweap Marina, roughly 1964-65, the lake still below 3500.



This one is Gregory Natural Bridge in the spring of 1964, lake level maybe 3410 or so, before the lake reached this far.



The next one is the Escalante River, looking up the mouth of Clear Creek in May 1964, with the lake at about 3400 and rising fast. Within 3 months, it would rise 90 feet (!), hitting 3491 in August, just high enough to begin generating power through the dam, and transforming this scene from the appearance of a river to a lake...



The last one in this group is also the Escalante from May 1964, between Clear Creek and Davis Gulch. That’s the Black Trail headed up the sloping ridgeline, and that massive sand dune is what eventually became the huge beach that became popular in low water from 2020-22.

 

[Dworwood]

The black trail looks a little more hospitable in that photo than it does now! I can see horses and cows using it then. Nice pictures John, thanks again.

 

[Trix]

Fun, John, thank you!

 

[RJohnson]

Thanks, JFR. Really cool pics. I got to camp just past Gregory two years ago before the water level came back up. There's a really nice beach and camping spot just to the right after going under the bridge. One of my all-time favorites. I'd like to camp there again but I never want the water level to get that low again.

 

[SkibumUT]

Those last two in Escalante are pretty incredible when you consider the size of the sand hills that are now totally gone. The one at the mouth of clear creek, you can see a faint outline today of where the sand used to sit up against the wall (now 100-200 ft above the lake depending on water level).

 

[JFRCalifornia]

Those last two in Escalante are pretty incredible when you consider the size of the sand hills that are now totally gone. The one at the mouth of clear creek, you can see a faint outline today of where the sand used to sit up against the wall (now 100-200 ft above the lake depending on water level).

Yes, I agree—those sand hills have been obliterated. If you look at a modern photo of the one near the Black Trail, the sand along that entire wall has been wiped out, which is why from a modern perspective you wonder how it was ever used as a cattle trail.

I’m attaching three images I took of and from the Black Trail in Sept 2021 when the lake was at 3548 to give you an idea of how it’s changed…

 

[SkibumUT]

This is the sand hill at the mouth of Clear Creek (looking S/SE). Date unknown, but between 63 and 65.



This pic (dated August of 1965) shows the hill was almost gone.

 

[SkibumUT]

This is the base of 3 roof ruin, just up from Willow Creek - 1965. The top of the mound against the canyon wall is about the level of accumulated silt/river bottom now.



For reference, the same location back in 1944 -

June of 2021 for reference - to see the recent silt levels.

 

[SkibumUT]

Wasp House in Lake Canyon. Unsure of the date on all of these, but Lake levels rising in each photo.

 

[SkibumUT]

One of my favorite photos from Arizona Hwys (courtesy of @JFRCalifornia ). This is Padre Creek/Butte area in 1963. The Kane Creek pullout road was established as the last feasible point to pull boats/rafts out when Dam construction halted river runners from continuing to Lee's Ferry. The road can be seen in the foreground.



Unsure of the date on this one, but I'm guessing 63 based on the water level and the van and truck.

 

[SkibumUT]

It doesn't show a water level, but this is Devil's potty by Lake Canyon. 1962.

 

[SkibumUT]

Wahweap main ramp - ~1971 (thanks @CRF450R for the date info).

Stateline swim beach. Unsure of the date

 

[SkibumUT]

Tagging along with @JFRCalifornia at the Black trail. Boaters at the Black Trail, unsure of the date, but you can see the sand hill starting to disappear. Mid to late 60's.


Another view from the same series at the Black Trail sand hill - looking down at the erosion taking place.

 

[4LOJO]

Tagging along with @JFRCalifornia at the Black trail. Boaters at the Black Trail, unsure of the date, but you can see the sand hill starting to disappear. Mid to late 60's.


Another view from the same series at the Black Trail sand hill - looking down at the erosion taking place.

Great pics wish I could zoom in on parking lot betting most tow vehicles were cars how things have changed? Thanks for posting.

 

[JFRCalifornia]

Tagging along with @JFRCalifornia at the Black trail. Boaters at the Black Trail, unsure of the date, but you can see the sand hill starting to disappear. Mid to late 60's.


Another view from the same series at the Black Trail sand hill - looking down at the erosion taking place.

Great shots, thanks @SkibumUT!! Yes, really good early shots of the sand hill at the Black Trail starting to erode, plus Three Roof Ruin and modern siltation... outstanding...

The last two shots you include of Wasp House in Lake Canyon were apparently taken on 8-10-64, lake level 3488--that's my research, but could be wrong. And the Devil's Potty shot you have I think dates from 1962, again could be faulty research, but probably accurate since I have another shot that dates from 1965 where the lake is clearly visible, and probably around 3520...

There's a pretty good past thread about the changing face of Devils Potty over the years (Tiff Mapel calls it "Serenity Arch"), worth the read...:

The Emergence of Tiff Mapel's Serenity Arch

If there's a silver lining in declining lake levels, it's that if you pay attention, a whole lot of great things begin to emerge from the depths. One of those is what Tiff Mapel poetically calls "Serenity Arch", near Mile Marker 89, just north and opposite from the entrance to Lake Canyon. Now...

wayneswords.net

 

[SkibumUT]

Great shots, thanks @SkibumUT!! Yes, really good early shots of the sand hill at the Black Trail starting to erode, plus Three Roof Ruin and modern siltation... outstanding...

The shots you include of Wasp House in Lake Canyon were apparently taken on 8-10-64, lake level 3488--that's my research, but could be wrong. And the Devil's Potty shot you have I think dates from 1962, again could be faulty research, but probably accurate since I have another shot that dates from 1965 where the lake is clearly visible, and probably around 3520...

There's a pretty good past thread about the changing face of Devils Potty over the years (Tiff Mapel calls it "Serenity Arch"), worth the read...:

The Emergence of Tiff Mapel's Serenity Arch

If there's a silver lining in declining lake levels, it's that if you pay attention, a whole lot of great things begin to emerge from the depths. One of those is what Tiff Mapel poetically calls "Serenity Arch", near Mile Marker 89, just north and opposite from the entrance to Lake Canyon. Now...

wayneswords.net

Thanks, John!

 

[JFRCalifornia]

Tagging along with @JFRCalifornia at the Black trail. Boaters at the Black Trail, unsure of the date, but you can see the sand hill starting to disappear. Mid to late 60's.


Another view from the same series at the Black Trail sand hill - looking down at the erosion taking place.

Your shot of the Black Trail in the "mid-to late 1960s" seems to be just about exactly the same lake level as in my shots from Sept 2021, when the lake was at 3548. The only times the lake was at that level in the 1960s was briefly in spring 1966, most of the summer 1968, and briefly in spring 1969. After that, the lake was much higher... Judging by the short sleeve shirts (a warm day), I'll guess summer 1968....

 

[JFRCalifornia]

One of my favorite photos from Nat Geo (courtesy of @JFRCalifornia ). This is Padre Creek/Butte area in 1963. The Kane Creek pullout road was established as the last feasible point to pull boats/rafts out when Dam construction halted river runners from continuing to Lee's Ferry. The road can be seen in the foreground.

Unsure of the date on this one, but I'm guessing 63 based on the water level and the van and truck.

Thanks for posting that great 1963 shot of Padre Bay with the road to Kane Creek. It was actually from the January 1964 issue of Arizona Highways, not NatGeo, but here are two similar shots from NatGeo.

The first is from their April 1964 issue, likely taken in summer/fall 1963, a slightly different angle from the AZ Highways shot, but similar lake level (maybe 3370 or so). Nice view of water rising in Padre Canyon to the left of Gunsight Butte. Here it is:



Compare that to the next shot from the July 1967 NatGeo, likely taken in August 1966, lake level 3535 (note the caption that says it's 165 below full pool, your clue that it's 3535, which happened in 8-66), or about 165 feet higher than the 1963 photos, and about 30 feet lower than today…

 

[JFRCalifornia]

Picking up on @SkibumUT's mention of the old road to Kane Creek before the lake rose too high to use, here's a couple of old photos of that road in action. Although these date from 1960, the road would have looked pretty much the same until it finally disappeared under the rising waters of Lake Powell in August 1963.



Once rising Lake Powell inundated that road in the summer of 1963, lake access became a problem, because the one reliable access at Kane Creek was now gone, and Wahweap Marina was not quite yet ready for action. Nevertheless, they were able to improvise a temporary launch ramp along the west shore of Padre Bay, although it's not exactly clear how boaters got there.

In 1964, the NPS issued a document called "Meet Lake Powell", which described some fascinating details about what happened in its first year. Relative to the rising waters in 1963 and the disappearance of Kane Creek Road that summer, here's what it had to say:

LAKE POWELL AND RECREATION MET IN THE SPRING OF 1963

Spring and Lake Powell reached Kane Creek simultaneously. Boaters and other outdoors people were ready for both; Powell, forming with the help of one, was ready for the other; the National Park Service was awaiting the arrival of all. Kane Creek, 25 miles by well-graded dirt road from Wahweap, continued to be the only reasonable lakeshore access until the closing days of August. Constantly rising water demanded nearly daily relocations of launching ramps and parking areas but boaters were never denied practical and safe launchings. During the spring and summer months, over 20,000 boaters, swimmers, skiers and those who just wished to picnic, camp or look came in 5600 vehicles pulling 2300 boats. The rise of water spread to form embayments permitting the Service to relax its water skiing restrictions as safe water became available for the sport. Nearly a dozen flashfloods of major intensity swept down Wahweap, Warm Creek and other canyons late in the summer. Visitors were inconvenienced at road crossings and National Park Service personnel carried a heavy workload to fulfill its protection and maintenance obligations, In spite of exposure of the thousands of travellers, accidents were prevented. Then, finally in the closing days of August, Powell flowed across the Padre Canyon road crossing and Kane Creek was cut off from land approach. All eyes turned time and time again to Wahweap but Powell was still not ready for boaters at this point. In anticipation of this situation, a launching site had been prepared on the west shore of Padre Bay and aquatic sportsmen continued their boat launching and other activities without a pause. In spite of the primitive access conditions at Kane and Padre, visitors had fun on Lake Powell and along its shores and beaches. The sparkling new lake and happy suntanned people had met!

 

[BartsPlace]

Would love to have been there and experienced the excitement!