Tiff Mapel
Escalante-Class Member
HI Wordlings,
Here's the (late) recycling of old Lake Powell Magazine articles. A two-fer this week! Next week, I'll have a special one, and then I'm out of articles. Due to computer crashes (2005) and flash drives that no longer cooperate, I have to find what I did with my collection of old Lake Powell Magazines, so I can re-digitize all my old articles. I know when I moved in 2011, I put them all in a safe spot, and of course, now I can't find them...... Dang.... But I'll keep looking. In the meantime, enjoy!
Tiff
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Moki or Moqui? Either way is correct—both are used on various Lake Powell maps. Moqui is a Hopi word, meaning “the people,” and is pronounced “mo-qwi.” Moki is also a Hopi word that means “dead.” Moki steps are the small hand- and foot-holds chipped into the steep faces of sandstone walls that allowed the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazis) access to the rims of the canyons. Not only that, the Moki steps also allowed a better vantage point to watch for intruders and enemies. Perhaps Moki Steps were even constructed to confuse and throw off possible enemies. This is surmised, as some of the Moki Steps around Lake Powell seem to go nowhere. Maybe they were pecked into the rock long ago for practice? Maybe they served a purpose? While some Moki Steps surely lead to ruins or trails, some seem to dead-end.
Moki Steps were constructed in a way that to climb them took careful effort. They were not made for easy ascent or descent. The Steps are typically laid out in a nearly straight line. There are no discernable holds for either left or right feet. You have to just use what is comfortable.
Moki Steps are found all over Lake Powell. Some good ones to climb are right around buoy #106, just before the entrance to Forgotten Canyon on the right side as you head uplake from Bullfrog. At the current water level of 3601 feet, the Steps are out of the water. You’ll find them on a small cobbly ledge, and ascending up the rock face. When the water is up, it’s fun to swim to them and climb them right from the water. Coming back down is always the hardest part, but seems to be easiest if you go down as you came up—feet first, and facing the rock.
Another set of Steps can be found in the Escalante, right across from the Three Roof Ruin in a small alcove just upstream. It’s a small inlet, and the Steps go right up the left hand side as you enter the inlet. This set of Steps probably gave the dwellers of the Ruin access into and out of the canyon quickly.
You can find Moki Steps all over Lake Powell—all you have to do is look for them. Once you know how to spot them, you’ll be able to find them easier. But don’t be fooled by the “fake” Steps. In places at the south end of the lake, many fake Steps were sadly observed, pecked into the rock. These false Steps were found amidst graffiti, likely made to provide a way for people to climb up and jump off into the water.
In case you didn’t know, graffiti and pecking fake Moki Steps into the rock are both illegal at Lake Powell. These eyesores damage the natural features of the sandstone, and they ruin archeological resources. If you observe anyone defacing the rock faces, please have them stop, and educate them about this illegal activity. You can also report violators at Lake Powell by calling 1-800-582-4351. Penalties for defacing sandstone at Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area include fines up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail.
So please enjoy Lake Powell’s amazing scenery, and have fun looking for Moki Steps in the canyons. And please be sure to leave the graffiti and other rock damage out of your plans. We can all appreciate the rich history of the Lake Powell area, and help to protect it for future generations to enjoy.
Lake Powell lost one of its pioneers and advocates last fall. Stan Jones, known throughout Powell Country as “Mr. Lake Powell,” succumbed to prostate cancer and other complications on Monday, September 3, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona. Stan’s wife Alice preceded him in death on July 8th, 2003. Stan wrote and published numerous books, most notably his “Ramblings by Boat and Boot in Lake Powell Country,” a wonderful collection of adventure and history accounts of the Colorado Plateau. Stan also published his annually updated map of Lake Powell that most everyone on the lake uses. All rental houseboats are equipped with his map, and they are also available for sale in all marina stores. Steve and Gay Ann Ward of Page have taken over publication of Stan’s map.
Stan was born on October 2, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. In 1942, he settled in Tucson, Arizona. He served in the U.S. Navy as a World War II instructor of aquatic survival for carrier-based fighter pilots. Following the war, Stan worked for several weekly newspapers in the west, and was also a staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune. Stan later worked for Walt Disney in Burbank, California for many years. Upon his return to Tucson, Stan served as Associate Director of the University of Arizona News Bureau, and later founded Sun Country Publications, which he and his wife, Alice, owned and operated for more than 40 years. Stan Jones and Alice Skinner Slater were married in Elko, Nevada on April 11, 1955. Their son, Steven, was born to them a year later. Stan, Alice, and Steven moved to Page, Arizona in 1967 as Lake Powell was in the process of filling behind newly completed Glen Canyon Dam.
Stan spent three years exploring and photographing Lake Powell country before he wrote or published any of his writings or pictures. The Jones family was active in their hometown of Page, and co-founded the John Wesley Powell Memorial Museum with June Sanderson. Stan acted as the first director, and was also a member of the Board of Directors for many years. Stan and Alice were able to contribute many valuable books and papers to the Library and Museum. Adding to Stan’s already impressive resume, he also served as Commander of an American Legion Post, and was a board member of the International Arch and Bridge Society. In 2002, Stan was inducted into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. Stan and Alice explored every canyon on Lake Powell, and discovered many arches, ruins, and beautiful features along the way. On one memorable trip on the lake, Stan and Alice were swimming in a small inlet off the main channel. As they floated, Alice discovered a huge arch, just by looking up. It wasn’t readily visible from the main channel—you actually had to go into the inlet to see it. So Stan named it after his wife, “Alice J. Arch.” The arch can be found around buoy #83, and is listed on Stan’s map. However, this is not an “official” name on the USGS maps. Perhaps the name will be made official in the near future, and another feature on Lake Powell will be named for Stan. What better way to honor two great people who loved Lake Powell? Stan Jones, you will be missed, and many people have come to know and love Lake Powell because of you. Thank you.
Here's the (late) recycling of old Lake Powell Magazine articles. A two-fer this week! Next week, I'll have a special one, and then I'm out of articles. Due to computer crashes (2005) and flash drives that no longer cooperate, I have to find what I did with my collection of old Lake Powell Magazines, so I can re-digitize all my old articles. I know when I moved in 2011, I put them all in a safe spot, and of course, now I can't find them...... Dang.... But I'll keep looking. In the meantime, enjoy!
Tiff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moki Steps
Moki or Moqui? Either way is correct—both are used on various Lake Powell maps. Moqui is a Hopi word, meaning “the people,” and is pronounced “mo-qwi.” Moki is also a Hopi word that means “dead.” Moki steps are the small hand- and foot-holds chipped into the steep faces of sandstone walls that allowed the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazis) access to the rims of the canyons. Not only that, the Moki steps also allowed a better vantage point to watch for intruders and enemies. Perhaps Moki Steps were even constructed to confuse and throw off possible enemies. This is surmised, as some of the Moki Steps around Lake Powell seem to go nowhere. Maybe they were pecked into the rock long ago for practice? Maybe they served a purpose? While some Moki Steps surely lead to ruins or trails, some seem to dead-end.
Moki Steps were constructed in a way that to climb them took careful effort. They were not made for easy ascent or descent. The Steps are typically laid out in a nearly straight line. There are no discernable holds for either left or right feet. You have to just use what is comfortable.
Moki Steps are found all over Lake Powell. Some good ones to climb are right around buoy #106, just before the entrance to Forgotten Canyon on the right side as you head uplake from Bullfrog. At the current water level of 3601 feet, the Steps are out of the water. You’ll find them on a small cobbly ledge, and ascending up the rock face. When the water is up, it’s fun to swim to them and climb them right from the water. Coming back down is always the hardest part, but seems to be easiest if you go down as you came up—feet first, and facing the rock.
Another set of Steps can be found in the Escalante, right across from the Three Roof Ruin in a small alcove just upstream. It’s a small inlet, and the Steps go right up the left hand side as you enter the inlet. This set of Steps probably gave the dwellers of the Ruin access into and out of the canyon quickly.
You can find Moki Steps all over Lake Powell—all you have to do is look for them. Once you know how to spot them, you’ll be able to find them easier. But don’t be fooled by the “fake” Steps. In places at the south end of the lake, many fake Steps were sadly observed, pecked into the rock. These false Steps were found amidst graffiti, likely made to provide a way for people to climb up and jump off into the water.
In case you didn’t know, graffiti and pecking fake Moki Steps into the rock are both illegal at Lake Powell. These eyesores damage the natural features of the sandstone, and they ruin archeological resources. If you observe anyone defacing the rock faces, please have them stop, and educate them about this illegal activity. You can also report violators at Lake Powell by calling 1-800-582-4351. Penalties for defacing sandstone at Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area include fines up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail.
So please enjoy Lake Powell’s amazing scenery, and have fun looking for Moki Steps in the canyons. And please be sure to leave the graffiti and other rock damage out of your plans. We can all appreciate the rich history of the Lake Powell area, and help to protect it for future generations to enjoy.
Stan Jones
Lake Powell lost one of its pioneers and advocates last fall. Stan Jones, known throughout Powell Country as “Mr. Lake Powell,” succumbed to prostate cancer and other complications on Monday, September 3, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona. Stan’s wife Alice preceded him in death on July 8th, 2003. Stan wrote and published numerous books, most notably his “Ramblings by Boat and Boot in Lake Powell Country,” a wonderful collection of adventure and history accounts of the Colorado Plateau. Stan also published his annually updated map of Lake Powell that most everyone on the lake uses. All rental houseboats are equipped with his map, and they are also available for sale in all marina stores. Steve and Gay Ann Ward of Page have taken over publication of Stan’s map.
Stan was born on October 2, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. In 1942, he settled in Tucson, Arizona. He served in the U.S. Navy as a World War II instructor of aquatic survival for carrier-based fighter pilots. Following the war, Stan worked for several weekly newspapers in the west, and was also a staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune. Stan later worked for Walt Disney in Burbank, California for many years. Upon his return to Tucson, Stan served as Associate Director of the University of Arizona News Bureau, and later founded Sun Country Publications, which he and his wife, Alice, owned and operated for more than 40 years. Stan Jones and Alice Skinner Slater were married in Elko, Nevada on April 11, 1955. Their son, Steven, was born to them a year later. Stan, Alice, and Steven moved to Page, Arizona in 1967 as Lake Powell was in the process of filling behind newly completed Glen Canyon Dam.
Stan spent three years exploring and photographing Lake Powell country before he wrote or published any of his writings or pictures. The Jones family was active in their hometown of Page, and co-founded the John Wesley Powell Memorial Museum with June Sanderson. Stan acted as the first director, and was also a member of the Board of Directors for many years. Stan and Alice were able to contribute many valuable books and papers to the Library and Museum. Adding to Stan’s already impressive resume, he also served as Commander of an American Legion Post, and was a board member of the International Arch and Bridge Society. In 2002, Stan was inducted into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. Stan and Alice explored every canyon on Lake Powell, and discovered many arches, ruins, and beautiful features along the way. On one memorable trip on the lake, Stan and Alice were swimming in a small inlet off the main channel. As they floated, Alice discovered a huge arch, just by looking up. It wasn’t readily visible from the main channel—you actually had to go into the inlet to see it. So Stan named it after his wife, “Alice J. Arch.” The arch can be found around buoy #83, and is listed on Stan’s map. However, this is not an “official” name on the USGS maps. Perhaps the name will be made official in the near future, and another feature on Lake Powell will be named for Stan. What better way to honor two great people who loved Lake Powell? Stan Jones, you will be missed, and many people have come to know and love Lake Powell because of you. Thank you.
