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All the United States Arizona Marble Canyon Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell

Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell

This isolated outpost was once the only place to cross the Colorado River for hundreds of miles.

Marble Canyon, Arizona

Added By
Brett Iredell
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Entrance to Lonely Dell.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to Lonely Dell.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Lee’s Ferry Fort.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the sunken steamboat at Lee’s Ferry.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Road leading to Lonely Dell Ranch   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell Ranch orchard in March   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell Ranch   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell Ranch root cellar   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell Ranch   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell Ranch   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Road to Lonely Dell Ranch   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Parking lot at Lonely Dell Ranch   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
  brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Overview of the Colorado River that Lee provided ferry services across   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
  PetiteCatite / Atlas Obscura User
  sellis00 / Atlas Obscura User
Leaving Lee’s Ferry   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Launching from Lee’s Ferry, 1976   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
  brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
  brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
Overview of Lee’s Fort and surrounding parking area   brendonstinson / Atlas Obscura User
  PetiteCatite / Atlas Obscura User
Lees Ferry  
Abandoned mining equipment at Lee’s Ferry.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Orchard at Lonely Dell.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Restroom anyone?   mrubens / Atlas Obscura User
Lonely Dell.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
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About

For much of the history of the United States, crossing the Colorado River proved a near insurmountable challenge. Impassable canyon cliffs lined the river for hundreds of miles, and in places where one was able to get down to the river's shore there were usually formidable rapids or cliffs awaiting on the opposite side. At one spot however, where the Paria River meets the Colorado River in what’s now northern Arizona, there’s a relatively calm section of river with lower banks. It was here, in the far corner of Mormon country, that Mormon president and Utah territorial governor Brigham Young dispatched John D. Lee to operate a ferry to allow the crossing of the Colorado River.

Lee arrived in the area that would come to bear his name in 1870, bringing two of his wives and many of his children with him. Although a prominent and influential early Mormon pioneer, Lee was sent to this faraway posting in an attempt to hide him from the federal government, which was working to prosecute the perpetrators of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the slaughter of 120 pioneers from Arkansas who were passing through the Utah territory in 1857.

In the first few years after Lee arrived, he constructed a ranch for his families that he named “Lonely Dell” and built the infrastructure for the ferry service, which was up and running in 1873 and soon attracted hordes of travelers. In 1874, relations between the Mormon settlers and the Navajo grew tense, so a fort was constructed at the ferry, although it never saw official use and was soon converted into a trading post.

In 1877, the law finally caught up to Lee and he was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre 20 years prior. After Lee's execution, his wife Emma ran the ferry until 1879 when the Mormon Church purchased the ferry from her and sent new caretakers to operate it.

Over the decades, Mormon pioneers continued to run the ferry and Lonely Dell was continually expanded. In the early 1900s there was a boom of gold prospecting in southern Utah and northern Arizona and mining companies used Lee's Ferry as a base of operations. The most notable of these was the American Placer Company, led by Charles Spencer. Spencer hauled in tons of equipment, including a 92-foot long steamboat, but the gold in the area was too meager and his expenses were too high.Spencer left the area broke in 1912, abandoning his equipment and the steamboat behind. The steamboat sank in 1921 but can still be seen today at the bottom of the Colorado River.

In 1928, in what became the last ever crossing at Lee's Ferry, the ferryboat sank and three people drowned. Navajo Bridge opened seven months later, four miles downstream from Lee's Ferry, and the settlement faded into quiet obscurity.

Related Tags

History Wild West Mormons Rivers Ruins

Know Before You Go

All of the historic sites are within reach of short hikes. There is very little shade available though, so bring water.

Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch are part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and managed by the National Park Service. Although the site is no longer the busy river crossing it was in its heyday, it’s now a popular launching point for rafting trips down the Grand Canyon.

The last private owners of Lonely Dell planted an orchard of apricot, peach, pear, and plum trees in 1965 and the National Park Service maintains the orchard to this day. Visitors to Lonely Dell are welcome to pick their own fruit from the trees, within reason, and have a healthy snack while wandering among the pioneer ruins.

Community Contributors

Added By

WhiskeyBristles

Edited By

sellis00, kassiopea30, mocchiatto, slgwv...

  • sellis00
  • kassiopea30
  • mocchiatto
  • slgwv
  • mrubens
  • PetiteCatite
  • brendonstinson
  • sister grinch

Published

May 17, 2018

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee%27s_Ferry
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee%27s_Ferry_and_Lonely_Dell_Ranch
  • https://www.nps.gov/glca/learn/historyculture/leesferryhistory.htm
Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell
Marble Canyon, Arizona
United States
36.868987, -111.595202
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Petroglyph Beach

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Navajo Bridge

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Marble Canyon

Marble Canyon

Arizona

Places 4

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Petroglyph Beach

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Navajo Bridge

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Marble Canyon

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Places 4

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