Capitol Reef National Park ⓘ

From 7,000 - 500 B.C.E. (Before Common Era), Archaic hunters and gatherers migrated through the canyons hunting game that is common now (bighorn sheep, deer, elk, pronghorn). From 300 - 1300 C.E. (Common Era), the Fremont Culture began farming corn, beans, and squash. Petroglyphs etched in rock walls and painted pictographs remain as sacred remnants of the ancient Indians' saga. For hundreds of years, ethnohistoric nomadic groups such as the Ute, Paiute, and Navajo inhabited the area seasonally. Today, thirty-two tribes have an ongoing association with Capitol Reef through current and/or historical traditional uses. Beginning in 1854, several groups of explorers and surveyors made their way through the area that would become Capitol Reef and the surrounding areas. Pioneers and other settlers arrived in the 1800s, settling in what is now the Fruita Rural Historic District. They planted and nurtured orchards of apples, pears, and peaches. In 1937, Capitol Reef was established as a National Monument and a new chapter began in the history of Capitol Reef with the park founders. Throughout, women have played an important role in the story of Capitol Reef. Learn more about the people that shaped Capitol Reef by beginning a timeline tour here .

Modern settlement came late to south-central Utah. The Capitol Reef area wasn't charted by explorers until 1872, although people have lived in this region for thousands of years . In the last half of that decade, Latter Day Saints (Mormon) settlers moved into the high plateau lands west of Capitol Reef and established communities based on short-season farming and grazing. They then looked to the east, along the corridor of water snaking through the soaring cliffs and domes of the Waterpocket Fold - the Fremont River .

The origin of the little community at the junction of the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek is obscure. The first resident may have been an 1879 squatter by the name of Franklin Young, but the first landholder of record was Nels Johnson. Others soon followed, and the community that sprang up became known as Junction. Mail was delivered to a central Fremont Cottonwood tree , known as the "Mail Tree," which still stands in the picnic area today.

The Fremont River was the key to life; without irrigation, farming would have been impossible. Unlike some of the other small settlements that grew up further downriver - Aldrich, Caineville, Blue Valley - Junction was usually spared the more extreme devastation caused downriver by frequent flooding. The orchards of her residents prospered and before the turn of the century Junction was known as "the Eden of Wayne County." In 1902, the name of the little settlement was changed to Fruita.

The settlement never incorporated. Local authority - such as it was - was vested in the Mormon Presiding Elder. The population never exceeded ten families. Read a more detailed history of Fruita and Wayne County in Capitol Reef National Park's Administrative History .

Although it became widely known in south-central Utah for its orchards, Fruita residents also grew sorghum (for syrup and molasses), vegetables, and alfalfa. Fruit growers usually picked the fruit prior to maturation and hauled it by the wagon load to bigger towns like Price and Richfield - and beyond. This was a formidable undertaking when one considers that in 1901 it took the Mormon Bishop of Torrey more than an hour and a half to travel the ten miles between Fruita and Torrey in the best weather. If the road between Torrey and Fruita was difficult, the route between Fruita and Hanksville - 37 miles (59.5 km) east - was nearly impossible.

In 1884, residents of Fruita (then Junction) had built a passage through Capitol Gorge that extended to Caineville and Hanksville. This primitive roadway was called the Blue Dugway and it served to connect the river settlements with the rest of Utah until after World War II . This narrow wagon track was so difficult, however, that the little communities remained some of the most isolated in America until the mid-20th century.

Along the Fremont River, barter served as the means for acquiring goods and services; cash was in short supply. Although some Fruita men worked on state roads, annual fruit sales remained the major source of cash income. "Putting up" foods was not a hobby in Fruita; it was essential for survival through the winter.

The one-room schoolhouse , constructed by residents in 1896, also served as a community center. The desks were movable, and the community enjoyed dances and box socials in the little building. Residents also held church activities there, as well as in private homes. Women often quilted together, and men and boys were especially fond of baseball.

Well into the modern era, farming techniques in Fruita remained as they had been in the nineteenth century. It was not until World War II that the first tractor was purchased.

Fruita was spared much of the anguish that the Great Depression brought to other communities in America. Long reliance on barter as the main method of obtaining basic life needs shielded the Fremont River settlers from the cash drought that plagued the nation. Contrary to what one might imagine, Fruita sheltered passionate supporters of Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as more conservative "Hooverites."

Although it wasn't recognized at the time, the establishment of Capitol Reef National Monument in 1937 would become a tolling bell for the Fruita community. After World War II, visitors began to arrive in increasing numbers; the road from Richfield to Torrey was paved in 1940. In 1952, the pavement was extended to Fruita; the world had found the Capitol Reef country.

As visitation to the monument increased in the post war years, the National Park Service (NPS) determined to purchase all Fruita property still in private hands. By the late 1960s most of this had been accomplished on a willing-seller/willing-buyer basis. Many residential structures and outbuildings were razed. In 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the bill that established Capitol Reef National Park .

Although most of the structures of the Fruita settlement are gone (with the exception of the restored schoolhouse, the Gifford house and barn , and a few others), the orchards (owned and managed by the NPS) remain and dominate the landscape. The current general management plan for Capitol Reef National Park cites the value of the orchards as a " historic landscape " and affirms the resolve of the NPS to preserve them. For both regional neighbors and visitors from throughout the world, Fruita will continue to be the "Eden of Wayne County." More information on the history of Fruita and its preservation can be found in the Cultural Landscape Report: Fruita Rural Historic District .

Capitol Reef National Park protects a rich background of American Indian habitation throughout the Colorado Plateau. Archeologists have discovered information about the indigenous people who lived in the region for nearly 10,000 years, relying on radio-carbon methods and oral traditions from tribal communities.

The earliest records of Paleo-Indians in Utah date back to 12,000 years ago. Archeologists believe these people arrived during the Pleistoscene (last Ice Age) by the Bering Land Bridge and were the first North Americans. Sites from this era are extremely rare and fragile. Few artifacts remain, making their lifestyle difficult to interpret and understand. However, archeologists suggest that Paleo-Indians did not build homes but rather used rock shelters and caves. These people used Clovis and Folsom projectile points to hunt small animals and megafauna , such as mammoths. When megafauna became extinct due to climate change, Paleo-Indians adapted to an Archaic lifestyle. Archeologists suspect that Paleo-Indians migrated through the Waterpocket Fold but have found no Paleo artifacts to date.

The Archaic Period is defined by a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle, following annual regional migrations. Desert Archaic Indians lived from 8,000-1,600 years ago and migrated based on the availability of resources. They hunted herds of mammals using a lightweight, spear-throwing stick called an Atlatl. Archaic Indians relied on plants for food, and used them to make baskets, animal traps, clothing, and medicine. They used stones to make tools and ground seeds and nuts with a metate, or slab of stone, and a mano, smaller hand-held stone, to make paste or flour. They lived primarily in caves or rock shelters, storing hides, tools, and food, while moving from place to place to hunt game. East of Capitol Reef National Park, in Horseshoe Canyon , are impressive Archaic Barrier Canyon Style pictographs (images painted onto stone). A few insightful artifacts have also been found in Horseshoe Canyon, a unit of Canyonlands National Park . Continue a timeline tour of the people that shaped Capitol Reef by learning about the Fremont Culture , who inhabited the area from about 300 - 1300 C.E. (Common Era).

"…of what value are objects of a past people if we don't allow ourselves to be touched by them. They are alive. They have a voice. They remind us what it means to be human; that it is our nature to survive, to be resourceful, to be attentive to the world we live in."

Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan people began to incorporate farming into their hunter-gatherer lifestyles approximately 2,000 years ago. Petroglyph panels throughout the park depict ancient art and stories of these people who lived in the area from approximately 300-1300 Common Era (CE). Named for the Fremont River that flows through the park, evidence now shows that these people lived throughout Utah and adjacent areas of Idaho, Colorado, and Nevada.

The Fremont lived in natural rock shelters and pit houses (dug into the ground and covered with brush roofs). Their social structure was likely composed of small, loosely organized bands consisting of several families. They were closely tied to nature and flexible, making frequent modifications in their life ways as social or environmental changes occurred.

Anthropologists suggest that the Fremont were hunter-gatherers who supplemented their diet by farming corn, beans, and squash along waterways and floodplains. Edible native plants included pinyon nuts, rice grass, and a variety of berries, nuts, bulbs, and tubers. Corn was ground into meal on a stone surface (metate) using a hand-held grinding stone (mano). Deer, bighorn sheep, rabbits, birds, fish, and rodents were hunted using snares, nets, fishhooks, the atlatl (spear-throwing stick) and the bow and arrow.

Several artifacts are distinctive to the Fremont. A unique style of basketry, called one-rod-and-bundle, incorporated willow, yucca, milkweed and other native fibers. Pottery, mostly graywares, had smooth, polished surfaces or corrugated designs pinched into the clay. The Fremont made moccasins from the lower-leg hide of large animals, such as deer, bighorn sheep, or bison. Dew claws were left on the soles, possibly providing extra traction on slippery surfaces.

Pictographs (painted on rock surfaces) and petroglyphs (carved or pecked into the rock surface) depict human-like figures, animals, and other shapes and forms. Anthropomorphic (human-like) figures usually have trapezoidal shaped bodies with arms, legs and fingers. The figures are often elaborately decorated with headdresses, ear bobs, necklaces, clothing items and facial expressions. A wide variety of zoomorphic (animal-like) figures exist, including bighorn sheep, deer, dogs, birds, snakes and lizards. Abstract designs, geometric shapes, and handprints are also common. Designs may have recorded religious or mythological events, migrations, hunting trips, resource locations, travel routes, celestial information and other important knowledge.

The Fremont moved in small groups, as clans, medicinal societies, or co-residence groups encountering other people and residing with them for periods of time. Gradually these groups merged and dispersed, repeating this process continually in a practice known as residential cycling. This reshuffling continued for thousands of years and coalesced into today's tribal groups. Oral traditions associate the Fremont Culture with the Hopi , Zuni , and Paiute . What is now Capitol Reef is also part of the historic Ute territory. Navajo oral traditions link them to this area as well. Learn more about Capitol Reef's early inhabitants in a park brochure, as well as in Capitol Reef National Park's Administrative History . Discover other nearby sites with connections to the Fremont Culture: Anasazi State Park ; Canyonlands National Park ; Dinosaur National Monument ; Fremont Indian State Park ; Great Basin National Park ; and Zion National Park . Continue forward in Captiol Reef's timeline of human influence by learning about early Explorers and Surveyors , or travel backward to learn about Archaic Hunters and Gatherers .

"The whole country is a region of naked rock of many colors, with cliffs and buttes about us and towering mountains in the distance."

The Waterpocket Fold Country was the last territory to be charted in the contiguous 48 states. In 1776, two Franciscan priests, Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante , left Santa Fe with the intention of finding a route to missions in Monterey, California. They made detailed recordings of their findings through Arizona, Colorado, and Utah during their trip. They befriended Ute tribes by presenting them with gifts and promising to teach them to farm and raise livestock.

In the winter of 1853, John Charles Fremont passed through Utah and Colorado, attempting to find a northern railroad route to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition was difficult and the explorers were forced to eat their horses before stumbling upon a Mormon settlement. Fremont took care to document their journey, hiring a daguerreotypist, Solomon Nunes Carvalho , a Jewish South Carolinian. Carvalho took nearly 300 daguerreotypes, most of which were unfortunately lost in a fire after the expedition. One of the surviving images depicts rock monoliths located in the North District of Capitol Reef, known as "Mom, Pop, and Henry." Fremont and his men also recorded their encounters with Ute and Southern Paiute Indians.

John Wesley Powell , a former Major for the Union Army and avid naturalist, first traveled with nine geologists and geographers down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon in 1869. Powell was formulating a theory about the formation of the Colorado Plateau and Colorado River. Geologists Clarence Dutton, Grove Karl Gilbert, and topographer Almon Thompson explored the Capitol Reef region during the Powell expeditions in the area. During the 1871-1872 expedition, Thompson named the large geologic monocline "Waterpocket Fold" because of the many waterpockets (depressions in the Navajo Sandstone that collect and hold water). Traveling on the Colorado River, the men explored Zion and Bryce Canyons as well as the surrounding Henry and Uinta Mountains. They encountered Ute, Paiute, and other native peoples, studying their ways of life and recording their culture. Read the chapter on Early Explorers in the Capitol Reef National Park Administrative History . Continue forward in Capitol Reef's timeline of human influence to learn about Pioneer Settlers or travel back in time to the Fremont Culture .

Throughout the human history of Capitol Reef, women have played a role. Native people have utilized this area for thousands of years, and continue to have ties to the park. From approximately 300 to 1300 CE, the Fremont Culture (Hisatsinom - people who lived long ago), lived in what is now Capitol Reef National Park and the surrounding areas. Men likely hunted and brought home game while women tended the farms, made clothing and tools, and cared for the next generation. Without the whole community contributing, the Hisatsinom would not have been as successful and thrived for nearly 1,000 years. People who followed them include the Ute, Paiute, Navajo, and other native groups. Ellen Powell Thompson explored alongside her husband and others as they mapped this area in 1871. Pioneer families started to arrive in the late 1800's, developing the community of Fruita . Later residents included artists, businesswomen, and National Park Service staff.

Ellen was born to a middle class family in Ohio that produced many explorers; namely her brother John Wesley Powell , the famous southwestern explorer who charted the Colorado River and more. Ellen attended Wheaton College and studied botany, later marrying cartographer and geographer Almon Thompson. In 1871, J.W. Powell asked Ellen's husband to lead a charting expedition through the only unmapped area in the lower 48 states. The trip would zig zag across the Utah - Arizona border and eventually lead the group through the Waterpocket Fold and what is now Capitol Reef National Park. Ellen joined the expedition as a botonist and was the only woman on the crew. Often covering 20 miles a day over rugged terrain, Ellen rode her horse astride and wore what was considered to be men's clothing. Ellen collected and documented over 200 varieties of plants during the expedition. She sent her samples to botanist Asa Gray at Harvard University. He catalogued them there and some of her samples are still in the Gray Herbarium at Harvard. Of the 200 samples she collected, some were unknown to the academic world and are named for Ellen Powell Thompson, including Thompson's woolly milkvetch ( Astragalus mollissimus var. thompsoniae ), Thompson's indigo-bush ( Psorothamnus thompsoniae ), and Thompson's Peteria ( Peteria thompsoniae ). Ellen became ill several times on the journey. They were camping and travelling in extreme conditions - sometimes in several feet of snow, other times in desert heat. Toward the end of the expedition, she said "I feel used up. More so than I ever felt in my life." Just before the group reached the Waterpocket Fold, it was decided that Ellen would return to base camp rather than continue on. She was not the only person to drop out of the expedition early as several men also fell ill and left. The expedition began with 11 people, and by the time they arrived at the Waterpocket Fold there were only seven. The group continued through the fold, following Ute and Paiute trails and encountering a band of people collecting seeds. They then summited the Henry Mountains, where Almon named the tallest peak Mt. Ellen, for his wife. It is unknown how long Ellen continued to collect and document plants after her time with the Thompson Expedition. There is almost no documentation of her activities. In the 1890’s, she moved to Washington D.C. where she became an advocate for women’s suffrage.

Rena Holt and her husband were two of the first white settlers to come to Fruita. In 1895, they were living in a boarded up tent when Rena gave birth to her first baby, a girl named Myrtle Ivy. Rena was 19 and her husband was 21 at the time. Sadly, Myrtle Ivy died from a scorpion sting at only three months old. Rena went on to have seven healthy children, many of whom lived into their 90’s. The Holts eventually built their home not too far from where the Petroglyph Panel is today. Rena worked as a midwife in the Fruita community and was known to be competent and reliable. She aided in at least 55 births without the help of a doctor. Rena would stay with the new mothers for the first ten days after the birth. She charged $10 for her services, but would often barter or accept produce in exchange for her work. Rena was also the head of Fruita’s Relief Society, the Mormon women’s aid and social organization.

Mary Jane moved to Fruita with her family as a child. She was the oldest daughter among 13 children. When she was just 17 she married Nels Johnson, a 42 year old Swedish immigrant who planted some of the first fruit trees in Fruita. A year later she gave birth to her first child, Betty Jane, who died at age 5. Mary Jane lost two more babies before having her son, Nels William. She was five months pregnant with a fifth child when her husband Nels drowned in the Fremont River during a flash flood. She gave birth to a healthy baby, Lilly May, a few months later. Mary lived in Fruita for a year and a half with her two surviving children before she met a man named Charles Cooper in Torrey and married him. They were married for eight years. Mary gave birth to three more daughters: Mary Elizabeth, Ida Pearl, and Fern May. It was complications from the birth of Fern that killed Mary at the age of 35.

Mary Jane’s sister, Nettie, was one of the oldest Behunin daughters (standing on the right in the photo). As a daughter, she was expected to do household chores, although she preferred outdoor work to indoor work and was known to be strong and the best of all her siblings at repairs. She was also known to be patient with younger children. In 1890, when she was just 12 years old, she became Fruita’s first school teacher. She would teach classes outdoors to the younger children and was loved by her students. In 1896, the Fruita schoolhouse was built, and Nettie was still teaching. At some point, she attended teacher school in Monroe, UT, about 90 miles from Fruita, and earned her official teaching license. Nettie married Fred Noyes in 1897, and had their first child a year later. When she was 22, Fruita got an official Utah State curriculum and Nettie was still the teacher. Later on in life, Nettie became the postmistress of Torrey.

Cora was the longest resident Fruita ever had. She grew up as the youngest of three sisters, attended the Fruita Grade School and spent her free time listening to the gramophone, playing piano, riding horses, and helping her father in the orchard. Her life was marked by tragedy early on. Her older sister Clara died of typhoid at age 8. A few years later, her oldest sister Carrie’s appendix burst and she died as well, leaving Cora as her parent’s only surviving child. Cora married Merin Smith at 19. They bought land from her father and planted more orchards; Cora planted many of the trees herself. She was one of the only residents of Fruita who was against the area becoming a national monument in 1937. She foresaw how much the community might change. Cora adopted and fostered several children over the years. She had recently built a new home- with green trim and picture windows- when it was decided Highway 24 would be constructed on her land. She went to court and fought the decision, but ultimately she lost the fight to eminent domain. Her home was condemned, and the highway was built in 1962. Cora said she hadn’t wanted things to change. “I thought I would keep it like it was forever."

Elizabeth was an artist. She and her first husband moved to Fruita for his health. A few years after they moved to Fruita, Elizabeth’s husband died and she converted to Mormonism; within a year, she had married Dick Sprang, a widower and Batman comic book artist who was living in Fruita at the time. Elizabeth loved the red Utah rocks and was frequently inspired by them as she explored Capitol Reef, Glen Canyon, and the surrounding area. She participated in efforts to save Glen Canyon from being dammed, and wrote the book Goodbye, River in homage to the place Glen Canyon once was. Elizabeth used the landscape and history here to inspire her work. She painted and sketched landscapes (using oils, watercolors, and crayons), and created lithographs, emphasizing texture in her portrayal of cliffs and rockscapes. She also constructed large bas-relief works based on prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs she encountered in the area. Dick Sprang said in a letter to park interpreter Davidson, that Elizabeth was “a far better and noted artist than I ever was.” She became a member of the Relief Society and taught Sunday School. Elizabeth’s work was displayed at LACMA, in galleries in San Francisco, and at the Heard Museum in Phoenix (she was the only non-native person to have artwork displayed there in her lifetime.)

Harriette was married to Charles Kelly , the first park employee, custodian, and superintendent of Capitol Reef. She moved to Fruita from Salt Lake City, and remained there for 20 years. Although she was unpaid, she did a lot of the work to run the park. A family friend said: “Kelly seems to love Fruita, but his wife is beginning to get choked up about it. It seems that Kelly goes traveling around the country taking pictures, etc., and his wife is doing most of the work around the place. She practically never sees anyone to talk to, and it is pretty hard on her.” Though Harriette may have struggled with isolation and being overworked, she did become friends with some of the local women- it seems she would get together with Lila Brimhall and Cora Oyler Smith frequently. From National Parks and the Woman’s Voice: A History by Polly Welts: “By making homes in remote areas, wives brought stability to parks. They filled the role of helpmate, offering information, first aid, meals, and comfort to visitors and staff and served as centers of communication.” It’s likely that Harriette was a major factor as to why Charles Kelly became custodian. Southwestern monuments at the time were looking for men who were married to act as custodians, recognizing the vital role that park wives played. Frank (Boss) Pinkley, administrator to southwestern monuments in the 1930’s, referred to park wives as “Honorary Custodians Without Pay.” He included park wives in the first conference for southwestern monument custodians, thanking them and saying their attendance was “well earned by the excellent service… donated by [their] field work.”

"… make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations."

Officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City sought to establish missions in the most remote areas of the intermountain west. In 1866, a quasi-military Mormon expedition in pursuit of American Indians penetrated the high valleys to the west. In the 1870s, settlers moved into these valleys, eventually establishing the towns of Junction (later renamed Fruita) , Clifton, Giles, Elephant, Caineville, Aldridge, and Hanksville. Men from the expeditions of Major John Wesley Powell had also begun to explore the area.

Others followed soon after and tiny communities sprung up along the life-sustaining Fremont River including Loa, Fremont, Lyman, Bicknell, and Torrey. In 1880, Nels Johnson moved into Capitol Reef country and staked his homestead in Fruita. Fruita settlers recognized the abundance and accessibility of water and heat that reflected off canyon walls to the soil. Johnson planted the first orchards of apples, peaches, pears, plums, walnut, and almond trees. Later he married Mary Jane Behunin , the daughter of another early Fruita resident, Elijah Cutler Behunin. Behunin built a small cabin that still stands today, along Utah Highway 24.

Behunin led a group of pioneers to clear a wagon trail through Capitol Gorge which allowed settlers, church officials, miners, outlaws, and others to pass more easily through the Waterpocket Fold . Behunin also donated land for the Fruita Schoolhouse which was completed in 1896. His 12 year old daughter, Nettie , was the school's first teacher. The school remained open until 1941 when classes were consolidated and students were bussed to Torrey schools.

No more than ten families at one time were sustained by the fertile flood plain of the Fremont River and the land changed ownership over the years. Dewey Gifford was one of the area's last settlers, raising four children with his wife Nell in a two story house by the Fremont River, now known as the Gifford House . Gifford farmed the orchards, worked on a state road crew, and later ran a small motel as visitors came through Capitol Reef National Monument. In their late 60s, Dewey and Nell moved to a new house in Torrey, becoming the last settlers to leave Fruita. Descendants of these earlier settlers still visit Capitol Reef, sharing their history, picking fruit from the orchards, and hiking the paths their ancestors once took. Continue the timeline of Capitol Reef's human history with Park Founders or travel back in time to Explorers and Surveyors .

"Whereas certain public lands in the State of Utah contain narrow canyons displaying evidence of ancient sand dune deposits of unusual scientific value, and have situated thereon various other objects of geological and scientific interest; and Whereas it appears that it would be in the public interest to reserve such lands as a national monument, to be known as the Capitol Reef National Monument..."

Local residents (including the Fremont Culture and Mormon pioneers ) have long appreciated the Capitol Reef region for its natural beauty and many resources. As early as 1914, entrepreneur (and later Utah Legislature representative) Ephraim Portman Pectol and his brother-in-law (and Utah Legislative Senator) Joseph S. Hickman worked to protect the Capitol Reef area first as a state park, and later as a national monument. Pectol and Hickman valued the natural and cultural resources they found as they explored the Waterpocket Fold , and wanted to share these wonders with other people. They also hoped tourism could boost the local economy, the way it did when Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks were established. Pectol and Hickman took photos and wrote stories about “Wayne Wonderland” to promote the region on a statewide level. Less than a week after the Utah Legislature created a Board of State Park Commissioners, with the goal of establishing new state parks, including “Wayne Wonderland State Park,” Hickman drowned in nearby Fish Lake . With Hickman’s death, much of the statewide support for a park was lost, and not regained until the 1930s. In 1932, the National Park Service sent Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Roger Toll to visit Wayne County, and he reported that “the area seems worthy of future investigation.” In 1933, with newly elected Pectol in the Utah Legislature, Governor Henry Hooper Blood signed a resolution to the United States Congress detailing proposed boundaries for a park in Wayne County, and the local support behind it. Pectol also wrote to National Park Service Director Horace Albright , encouraging him to consider establishing a monument or park. Toll once again visited Wayne County, and spent four days with Pectol, exploring the region. Toll reported that the Chimney Rock area (near Utah Highway 24) included “narrow gorges, sandstone cliffs, two natural bridges, archeological remains, pictographs, petrified trees," and other interesting features. For a few years, national and state officials went back and forth on proposed boundaries for the future monument, as well as a name. In 1935, Pectol and Toll settled on the name Capitol Reef National Monument, since “Wayne Wonderland” indicated a much more locally focused area. In 1937, all the promotional photographs, stories, and determination paid off, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt set aside 37,711 acres as Capitol Reef National Monument. This comprised an area extending about two miles north of present Utah Highway 24 and about ten miles south, just past Capitol Gorge. Learn more about the early days of Capitol Reef National Monument, and the details of how it was established.

Charles Kelly began a love affair with the deserts and canyons of Utah that would last a lifetime after he moved to Salt Lake City in 1919. He concentrated his exploration energies on southern Utah and the Colorado River area and his interest in archeology, as well as more recent history, grew. In 1943, Charles Kelly was appointed "custodian-without-pay" at Capitol Reef National Monument. Harriette , Kelly's wife, also worked unpaid. He continued to work without pay as a volunteer until 1950 when the NPS offered him a civil service appointment as the first superintendent. At age 62, he held his first federal job. From 1938 to 1942, during Kelly's tenure at Capitol Reef, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a multi-use stone building, improved roads, and worked on bridges and trails. Some CCC work was later destroyed by flash floods in Sulphur Creek and the Fremont River.

National Park Service (NPS) areas nationwide received new facilities to meet the demand of increasing park visitation under the program name Mission 66 during the 1960s. "Mission 66" was a nod to the 50th Anniversary of the National Park Service (established in 1916). The Fruita Campground , staff rental housing, and a new visitor center were built at Capitol Reef during this time. Visitation climbed dramatically after the paved road (Utah Highway 24) was built through the Fremont River canyon near Fruita, and the old Capitol Gorge road closed in 1962. By 1967, nearly 150,000 people were visiting the park annually and the staff was growing. The NPS proceeded to purchase private land parcels at Fruita and Pleasant Creek. Most private property passed into public ownership on a willing-buyer/willing-seller basis.

Two bills were introduced into Congress in 1970 to determine if Capitol Reef should become a national park. The Department of Interior officials recommended that 254,000 acres be set aside as a national park. They also recommended a ten-year grazing phase-out period, to protect and conserve the land. A year later, the legislation, An Act to Establish the Capitol Reef National Park in the State of Utah, became Public Law 92-207 when it was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971. A formal dedication ceremony took place on April 7, 1972, with Utah Governor Calvin Rampton , Representative K. Gunn McKay , Senator Frank Moss , and National Park Service Midwest Region Director J. Leonard Volz in attendance, among others.

Travel backwards on Capitol Reef's timeline of human history and learn about the Pioneer Settlers .

Latter-Day Saints pioneers planted thousands of fruit trees in the fertile Fremont River Valley. From the 1880s to 1960s, these trees provided food and income to the families who called Fruita home. Apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, and plums dotted each family’s orchards. Today, the orchards are preserved and protected as part of the Fruita Rural Historic Landscape listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The orchards contain approximately 1,900 trees.

Park staff maintain the historic character of these extensive orchards using heritage techniques. The same flood irrigation ditches pioneers dug in the 1880s water the trees today. Pioneers sometimes lost trees and entire orchards to floods and droughts. Today, the climate poses challenges for managers. Warmer temperatures may cause trees to bloom early or out of sync with pollinators, which could reduce the harvest. The National Park Service maintains the orchards year-round with historic cultural irrigation practices, pruning, mowing, pest management, planting, mapping, and grafting. Preserving healthy orchards remains a central goal for Capitol Reef National Park. For both regional neighbors and international visitors, Fruita will continue to be the "Eden of Wayne County." Capitol Reef National Park has started an orchard rehabilitation project in the historic Fruita orchards which will continue until 2025. The project initiates much-needed orchard re-planting to maintain the quality and character of the area. The park sought public comment on the project in 2021, and has since completed regrading of the Guy Smith and Cook orchards to improve soil conditions and irrigation. In April 2022, park staff and volunteers planted 260 young peach trees in the Guy Smith orchard. Varieties included early season Red Haven, and late season J.H. Hale and Elberta peaches. The park continued the project in 2023 with 141 cherry trees and 70 apple trees planted in the Cook orchard. Other historic orchards will be planted in the next several years. Most of these orchards were planted by Fruita residents from the turn of the 20th century up to the 1950's. Until the 1990's, other Fruita orchards were planted with modern commercial varieties to support a popular U-pick operation at the park. The Fruita area features a prime example of a historic agrarian landscape, including 100 acres of orchards and pastures. Heirloom fruit trees are generally less resistant to drought and disease compared to contemporary varieties. Since designation, park orchards have lost nearly 1,000 trees due to age, disease, and poor soil conditions. Properly preparing orchard soils will improve furrow irrigation, soil structure and nutrient conditions. This will enable young fruit trees to establish vigorous root systems enhancing survival and longevity. This project is a 'pilot' because knowledge gained during implementation will be used to inform future orchard replanting projects. This approach will permit staff to incorporate lessons learned during the replanting process and adjust to the vagaries of weather, drought, and pests.

Left photo (apricot blooms and black dog): NPS/Ann Huston. Middle photo (apple) & right photo(baskets of peaches): NPS/Jamie Mansfield.

Flowering Apricots: early March to mid-April Peaches: late March to late April Pears: late March to early May Apples: early April to early May Harvest Apricots: late June to mid-July Peaches: late July to early September Pears: early August to early September Apples: mid-August to mid-October Depending on how cold (or warm) winters are, blossom and harvest times can vary up to a few weeks earlier or later than the ranges given above . For updated fruit blossom and harvest times, call the park's information line at (435) 425-3791. After the introduction, press #1 for visitor information, and then press #5 for the fruit hotline. Fruit blossom and harvest times will also be updated on the Alerts and Conditions page. A PDF of the Fruita Orchard information can be downloaded and printed, or check out this detailed article on the fruit varieties in the park! Information on the individual fruit and nut varieties can also be downloaded.

The Gifford farm lies in the heart of the Fruita valley, a desert oasis described by Wallace Stegner as "...a sudden, intensely green little valley among the cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold, opulent with cherries, peaches, and apples in season, inhabited by a few families who were about equally good Mormons and good frontiersmen and good farmers."¹ The 200 acre Fruita Rural Historical District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .

The Capitol Reef Natural History Association , in cooperation with the National Park Service, has renovated and refurnished the Gifford farmhouse as a cultural demonstration site to interpret the early Mormon settlement of the Fruita valley. The house depicts the typical spartan nature of rural Utah farm homes of the early 1900s. In addition to the farmhouse, the Gifford homestead includes a barn, smokehouse, garden, pasture, and rock walls.

The original home was built in 1908 by Calvin Pendleton. He and his family occupied it for eight years. The original house had a combined front room/kitchen and two small bedrooms. An outside ladder accessed two upstairs bedrooms. Pendleton also constructed the barn and smokehouse, as well as the rock walls near the house and on the mesa slopes above it.

The second residents of the home were the Jorgen Jorgensen family who resided here from 1916 to 1928. Jorgensen's daughter, Nell, married Dewey Gifford in 1923, and Jorgensen sold the homestead to his son-in-law in 1928. The Gifford family occupied the home for 41 years (1928-1969). Gifford added a kitchen in 1946 and the bathroom, utility room, and carport in 1954. That same year, the Giffords also built a small motel for people visiting Capitol Reef.

The Giffords raised dairy cows, hogs, and sheep, as well as chickens and ducks. They also ran cattle in the South Desert . They used the smokehouse to preserve meat for their own use and for sale. Dewey Gifford also worked for the State Road Department and later for the National Park Service, to supplement his farm income.

The family ate whatever they raised. The garden produced a variety of vegetables including potatoes, beans, peas, squash, lettuce, radishes, corn, and watermelons. The family also had orchards and grew sorghum. They preserved fruit and vegetables for later use by bottling or drying. Bottled foods were stored in the cellar below the front of the house. Dry goods, such as potatoes, were kept in the root cellar on the back side of the house.

Water was carried to the house from the Fremont River and was used untreated. A two-hole outhouse served the family until an indoor bathroom and plumbing was installed in later years. The house received electricity in 1948.

The Giffords frequently got together with other Fruita residents, especially the Chesnut and Mulford families, for suppers, singing, games, cards, baseball, reading, and quilting. The families were good friends and helpers to each other, an important relationship in a small isolated community like Fruita. Listen to Gifford reflect on his life in Fruita (below).

The Giffords were the last residents of Fruita. Dewey and Nell Gifford sold their home and land to the National Park Service in 1969 and moved away. With the Giffords' departure, the story of Fruita as a farming community came to a close. Today, the pioneer spirit of Fruita can be experienced by exploring the Fruita rural cultural landscape and by visiting the Gifford Homestead.

The former kitchen (a non-historic addition to the original house) has been converted into a Natural History Association sales outlet. Items for sale include reproduction utensils and household tools used by Mormon pioneers in their daily tasks. These unique handmade items are made by local artisans and craftsmen and include such things as quilts, aprons, woven rugs, soap, crockery, candles and toys. A wide selection of books, historic postcards, jams, jellies, and locally baked fruit pies and homemade ice cream, are available.

The Gifford Homestead is located 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the visitor center on the Scenic Drive. The Gifford House is typically open from March 14 (Pi Day) to late November ( closing dates and operating hours may vary ). A small parking lot is adjacent to the Gifford yard. Parking for oversized vehicles is available at the picnic area. Follow the signs and trail from the picnic area.

¹Wallace and Page Stegner, American Places, photographs by Eliot Porter, John Macrea, III, editor (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1981), 122.

Classes had been conducted for two years before the Fruita Schoolhouse was built, when Elijah Cutler Behunin donated land for a school building in 1896. He and other early Junction (later called " Fruita ") settlers constructed the building. Even though only eight families lived in Junction, these farmers had large families. The Behunins raised thirteen children themselves, one of whom, Nettie, became the first schoolteacher, at age twelve. She taught children in the Behunin home before the schoolhouse was built. Nettie's first class had 22 students, three of whom were her siblings.

Originally, there was a flat, dirt covered roof on the school. A peaked, shingled roof was added in 1912 or 1913. The interior walls, originally bare and chinked logs, were plastered in 1935. The first desks were homemade, constructed of pine, and seated two students each. These were sometimes used to quiet unruly students. The teacher would seat a troublesome boy with a girl, and the resulting blow to his ego would often bring him under control.

Teachers taught the "three-Rs" to the eight grades at the one-room school. If a teacher felt qualified and had enough textbooks, other subjects such as geography, were added.

Students were full of pranks. To delay the start of class, they often hid the teacher's alarm clock in the woodpile. Lanterns used during night meetings were stored in the school, and a few enterprising students found that dropping a small piece of calcium carbide, taken from a lantern, into an inkwell produced a reaction that would cause the ink to overflow. If the inkwell was tightly capped, it would explode and spatter ink all over the room. In 1900, the building was loaned to the Wayne County School District for the first county approved classes. Nettie, then 22, was the first authorized teacher. She was paid $70 a month while her male counterparts received $80 per month. Listen to Janice Oldroyd Torgerson recount her time as a teacher in Fruita in 1934 (below). Classes of varying sizes continued until 1941, when the school was discontinued for lack of students. The log building also served as a community meeting house and church. Desks were not bolted to the floor, so the room could be cleared for different needs. As late as 1924, the building was also used for dances, town meetings, elections, church youth activities, box suppers, and celebrations.

In 1964, the National Park Service nominated the school to the National Register of Historic Places and subsequently restored the structure to the 1930s period. Today, the school stands in its original location, although Utah Highway 24 was added in 1962. Visitors may peer through the windows into the furnished structure and imagine what school was like, so long ago. Those with a good imagination can still hear that old school bell ring. Please be respectful when you visit the Fruita Schoolhouse and leave no trace . Check out the Fruita Schoolhouse wayside sign , if you cannot visit in person.

Water shapes the landscape, gives life to plants and animals, and determines where people live and prosper.

Scientists monitor many aspects of Capitol Reef, including air and water quality, invasive species, and landscape dynamics.

Capitol Reef National Park contains nearly a quarter million acres in Utah's slickrock country. The park protects a huge geologic feature, the Waterpocket Fold , a nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust. A diverse landscape with 19 different rock layers and elevations ranging from 3,880 ft (1183 m) to 8,960 ft (2731 m), supports a diverse array of plant and animal life, big and small. Biological soil crust is on the smaller side, containing a tiny ecosystem of cyanobacteria, fungi, lichen, moss and algae. These lumpy black crusts growing on undisturbed ground protect sandy desert soils from erosion. When visiting the park, stay on trail so as not to "bust the crust." The Waterpocket Fold has been a formidable obstacle for travelers and explorers. The 100-mile stretch of cliffs and canyons limited settlement and the area remains remote by today's standards. A lack of nearby cities has preserved the clear dark skies overhead. Capitol Reef has some of the darkest night skies in the country, and was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2015. As part of this designation, park staff perform ongoing monitoring of night sky conditions throughout the park. Additional monitoring of park resources is performed by the Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network . This organization conducts long-term inventory, monitoring, analysis, and reporting on key park resources to assess the condition of park ecosystems and develop a stronger scientific basis for stewardship and management of natural resources. At Capitol Reef , the network maintains the park species lists and monitors air quality, climate, riparian and upland systems, invasive exotic plants, land surface phenology, landscape dynamics, landbirds, and water quality.

Utah sensitive species lists are available from the Utah Division of Wildlife and State Natural Heritage Program. Statistics are drawn from IRMA.nps.gov, the Northern Colorado Plateau Network, and the Western Regional Climate Center.

More than 230 bird species have been documented in Capitol Reef National Park. Some species are seasonal residents, others pass through during migration, and a few make this their home year-round. Popular locations for bird watching in the Fruita area include the Fremont River Trail that passes by the campground and orchards, the trees around the Ripple Rock Nature Center, the picnic area, and the riparian vegetation along Sulphur Creek. Trips to the northern and southern parts of the park can provide opportunities to see birds in other vegetation types including desert grasslands, desert shrublands, and pinyon-juniper woodlands.

Ravens ( Corvus corax ) are found in nearly every habitat across western and northern North America and are common in the park. Look for them soaring along the cliff walls. Breeding pairs form territories and try to exclude other ravens. Excellent and acrobatic fliers, ravens may perform sudden rolls, wing-tucked dives, and even drop objects and catch them in midair. In the park, they nest on cliff ledges or holes. Ravens are typically seen alone or in pairs, except at food sources where they may form groups. Their diet is varied and includes carrion (dead animals), small mammals, insects, small birds, eggs, invertebrates, fish, grains, fruits, and unattended human food. Ravens are among the smartest of all birds, able to solve problems and can mimic the calls of other birds.

Peregrine falcons ( Falco peregrinus ) are among the most widespread birds in the world, found on all continents except Antarctica. They also have one of the longest migrations of any North American bird; individuals may travel from the tundra of Canada to South America and back each year. These falcons are rare in the park but at times are seen nesting on cliff ledges. The widespread use of DDT from the 1940s-1970s caused a drastic reduction in their numbers. By 1999, due to a ban on DDT and reintroductions, the species had recovered and was removed from the federal endangered species list. Peregrine falcons hunt from a perch or high in the air, attacking prey in midair at high speeds. They are the world's fastest bird, capable of attaining speeds of over 200 mph, which aids them in hunting small and medium-sized birds. They have a slim body, pointed wings, a short tail, and a prominent dark mustache. The prairie falcon, a similar bird found in the park, is browner in color with dark patches where the wings meet the body on the underside of the bird.

The golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) inhabits western North America, including the park. This large, powerful bird of prey has a wingspan of up to 7 feet (2.1 meters). They are typically found in open country, especially in mountainous or hilly terrain. In the park, look for eagles soaring overheard or perched high on a cliff. Using their keen vision to spot prey below, they dive quickly to catch it by surprise with long sharp talons. Primary prey is small to medium-sized mammals such as rabbits and marmots. Two eagles hunting together may take larger prey, including small deer or pronghorn. Pairs are monogamous, mating for life, and often use the same nest year after year. Nests are more often constructed on cliff faces than in trees and may include interesting items such as antlers, bones, and barbed wire.

The pinyon jay ( Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus ) is found in pinyon-juniper woodlands throughout much of the western U.S., including Utah. It is fairly common and a year-round resident. Overall these birds are dusty-blue colored, with short tails. A highly social bird, pinyon jays typically travels in flocks of a few birds to hundreds. Flocks consist of multiple breeding pairs and the offspring of those pairs from previous nesting seasons. Pinyon jays will feed on berries, grains, and insects but they prefer pinyon pine seeds. Pinyon jays and pinyon pines have co-evolved in a mutually beneficial way. Each jay stores thousands of seeds each year, and has such a good memory that it can remember where most of them were cached. Forgotten seeds may sprout as new trees, helping to create a new generation of pinyon pines.

Mexican spotted owls ( Strix occidentalis lucida ) live in parts of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. The species has been federally listed as threatened since 1993 due to habitat loss, degredation, and fragmentation. This owl inhabits deep narrow canyons within the park where it is a rare, permanent resident. Common prey are rodents such as woodrats, mice and voles, but they will also consume bats, birds, reptiles, and arthropods. They nest on cliff ledges and caves, in stick nests built by other birds, on debris platforms in trees, and in tree cavities. They have one of the lowest clutch sizes among North American owls with one to three eggs laid, two being the most common. If you happen to come across an owl while exploring the park, keep your distance. A spooked owl may fly away, making it prone to attack by competing birds of prey like ravens or eagles.

The Bullock's oriole ( Icterus bullockii ) is a summer resident in Utah, where it is typically found in open woodlands, brushy areas, and riparian zones. Bullock's orioles are common in the park, especially in the Fruita area, where their bright colors flash among the trees. Their hanging, pouch-shaped nests are built in trees high above the ground. Nests are made from a variety of fibers including hair, twine, grass, and wool and are lined with down, hair, or feathers. Orioles eat invertebrates (including many caterpillars), ripe fruit (especially cherries), and nectar. Males are readily identified by their bright orange, black, and white feathers. The song, which both sexes sing, is a mix of whistles and harsh notes.

The mountain bluebird ( Sialia currucoides ) can be found across the western U.S. and is an uncommon year-round resident of the park. The best place to look for these birds is around the pastures of the Fruita area where they may be hovering over the grass in search of insects to eat. In the winter, juniper berries and other seeds are an important source of food. Bright blue above and pale blue below, males are easy to distinguish from western bluebirds which have a rusty colored "vest." Many birds, including the mountain bluebird, are highly vulnerable to changes in climate, making places such as Capitol Reef important refuges.

Shrubs are large, noticeable plants that live in Capitol Reef. Learn more about their desert adaptations.

The Waterpocket Fold defines Capitol Reef National Park. A nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust, the Waterpocket Fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. The varied topography, geology, elevations, and precipitation patterns along the Waterpocket Fold have resulted in a diversity of microhabitats and niches for plant species to inhabit. Nineteen geologic formations are exposed within the Waterpocket Fold, each with unique combinations of minerals, soil types, aspect and slope. Elevations in the park range from less than 4,000 feet (1,219 m) in the South District near Hall's Creek to over 11,000 feet (3,353 m) in the North District near Thousand Lakes Mountain. This elevation gradient results in increasing annual precipitation from the south to the north end of the park. The combination of wide ranging elevations and precipitation, coupled with the diverse geology and topography, allows 85 vegetation associations to exist in the park. Over 840 plant species occur in the park, many of which have very restricted distributions, occuring on specific geologic formations, soils, slopes, or elevation or precipitation ranges. Capitol Reef National Park has more than 40 rare and endemic plant species, six of which are federally listed as threatened or endangered.

Water shapes the geology , gives life to plants and animals , and dictates where people live and prosper. Much of the Capitol Reef region is considered “high desert,” with an average of 8 inches (20.3 cm) of precipitation a year. Despite this classification, perennial (year-round) streams and rivers give life to the plants, animals, and people who have lived in the area for millennia. Summer monsoons bring torrential downpours that nourish the land, but also can wreak havoc with flash floods, and give glimpses of beauty, with ephemeral waterfalls, and waterpockets (tinajas or potholes) filled with rain water. Winters can be snowy, and when snow melts, it can cause the rivers and streams to rise. Springs also provide a vital source of water throughout the park.

Certain springs are some of the few reliable water sources for humans and animals in Capitol Reef, but they also are fragile. Please tread lightly when refilling water at springs in the park (and always use a filter).

Consider two "types" of waterpockets: Tinaja or tank: Typically occur within a drainage in the Navajo Sandstone formation, are often large, deep, and can hold water year-round. They support aquatic invertebrates including insects and crustaceans, and support riparian vegetation. Pothole or ephemeral pond : Depressions eroded into bedrock of various rock formations. They are typically smaller than most tinajas, ephemeral, usually on an isolated, flat surface (i.e., not within a drainage), and don’t support as many aquatic invertebrates or riparian vegetation.

Left image Looking towards Capitol Dome, after an early April flood, in 1941. This part of the valley had an orchard in it. Credit: NPS/ S.D. Hendricks

Right image Almost 80 years later, the Fremont River more deeply incised, and the change in vegetation color is the best indication of where it is. Credit: NPS/ Emily Van Ness

Water in the desert can be a lifesaver, but it can also be a killer. For visitors today, the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek can offer a cool respite from summer heat. These waterways might seem tame, but they still can have dangerous, life-threatening flash floods. Be aware of the weather forecast before entering any waterway or canyon during the monsoon season , which generally occurs July through September. Another aspect of human health and safety is that these waterways flow through agricultural, grazing, and urban lands before reaching the park boundary, and E. coli bacteria counts have been detected at levels exceeding Utah water quality standards. Capitol Reef National Park recommends visitors do not swim or ingest water from the Fremont River or Sulphur Creek.

Left image A July 19, 1985 flood on the Fremont River washed out this bridge near the Gifford House, stranding people on the other side. Credit: NPS/ Robert J. Raver

The diverse geology of Capitol Reef provides diverse habitats for numerous plant and animal species. Fifty-eight mammal species have been documented in Capitol Reef National Park. This includes nineteen species of bats; other small mammals such as mice, woodrats, chipmunks; and large mammals such as deer, coyotes, and cougars. A complete Wildlife Checklist can be downloaded. The following highlights a few of the mammals of Capitol Reef:

The desert bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis nelsoni ) is found in open, rocky areas of desert mountain ranges in the southwestern US, and is native to Utah. It was once common in the canyon country of southern Utah, and is widely depicted in rock markings left by early inhabitants of the area. Bighorn sheep disappeared from the Capitol Reef area presumably due to overhunting and disease. In the mid-1990's, 40 desert bighorn sheep from Canyonlands National Park were successfully reintroduced to Capitol Reef. Sheep are now commonly seen in areas south and east of Fruita including Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge. Another herd exists in the very southern end of the park. Sheep use steep cliffs and rugged, rocky terrain as escape routes to avoid predators. In the summer bighorn sheep typically eat grasses, while in winter they consume woody plants. They are primarily active during the day, with peak activity occurring during the early morning and late evening hours.

Mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) are found throughout western North America including Utah, where they occur in many types of habitat, ranging from open deserts to high mountains to urban areas. They typically migrate from high mountainous areas in the summer to lower elevations in the winter to avoid deep snow. As browsers, they feed on shrubs and other woody material, although grasses are also consumed. Mule deer are common residents in the Fruita area, and although they are habituated to humans, they are still wild animals that should not be approached or fed.

The mountain lion ( Puma concolor ) is found in mountainous areas of the western US. It is fairly common throughout Utah, but individuals are rarely seen due to their secretive nature. They are active year-round, both day and night, although most activity occurs at dawn and dusk. A mountain lion's diet is composed primarily of large mammals such as deer and elk, but it will also feed upon rabbits, rodents, and other small mammals. These stealthy cats have been reported from various areas in Capitol Reef including Fruita where it preys upon mule deer and other mammals.

Ringtails ( Bassariscus astutus ) inhabit the western US including most of Utah. They have been observed in the Fruita and Pleasant Creek areas of Capitol Reef. Ringtails prefer rocky desert and woodland habitats and their dens are typically located near water among rocks, in small caves, or in hollow logs. They are omnivores and consume small mammals, birds, reptiles, carrion, invertebrates, and fruits. While they are active year-round, their nocturnal and secretive behavior means they are seldom seen. Identifying characteristics are their long, bushy tail with distinct black and white bands, very large eyes, and pointed snout. They are very agile, moving with ease through tree tops or rocky canyons.

The white-tailed antelope squirrel ( Ammospermophilus leucurus ), is found in the southwestern US. It is common in Utah where it inhabits desert and shrubland areas with sparse vegetation. In Capitol Reef it is abundant throughout the lower elevations and active year-round. It is most active during the day, although during hot weather it may only come out in the mornings and evenings. Its diet includes seeds, green vegetation, small vertebrates, insects, and carrion (animals already dead). When running, its tail is curled over its back exposing the white underside of the tail.

The rock squirrel ( Spermophilus variegatus ) is found in the southwestern US including most of Utah. In the Fruita area, rock squirrels are abundant and can be identified by their gray color, relatively large size and long bushy tail. They prefer rocky habitats and construct their own burrows. A rock squirrel's diet consist of seeds, nuts, berries, green vegetation, roots, invertebrates, and even meat when it is available. They are active during the day, and only individuals at high elevations hibernate. This species is semi-social, usually occurring in loose groups consisting of a dominant male with several females and their young.

This large ground squirrel, also known as a rock chuck ( Marmota flaviventris ), is found in the western US and is common in higher elevations of Utah. It is abundant in the Fruita area and is commonly seen during its active season of mid-March through July. After feeding for a few months on the lush grasses and forbs in Fruita's orchards and fields, it retreats to its burrow to hibernate for the winter as early as August. In the heat of the summer, it is most active in early morning and late afternoon. Burrows are located under rocks and logs, in barren hillsides, and under buildings. Marmots typically live in small family groups although lone individuals are sometimes encountered.

The American beaver ( Castor canadensis ) inhabits streams, ponds, and small lakes across most of North America. In Capitol Reef, it lives along year-round streams and rivers including the Fremont River. Beavers are most well known for cutting trees to build dams, sometimes creating large ponds. Lodges of sticks and mud are often constructed near these ponds and used for shelter, food storage, and raising young. Along the Fremont River, beavers don't typically build dams or lodges, rather they construct dens in the river bank ("bank beavers"). One reason for not building dams and lodges in the Fremont is the high flow rate and perhaps the chance of flash floods that may undo all of the beaver's construction work. They eat bark, roots, and green aquatic and riparian vegetation. Sightings of beavers in Capitol Reef are rare but it's possible to see evidence of them along the river banks in the form of tracks and chewed and downed trees.

The gray fox ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) is found throughout much of the US. It is native to woodland and shrubland habitats of central and southern Utah and is common in the Fruita area of Capitol Reef. To identify a gray fox, look for a black stripe down the length of the tail and a black tip on the end. Like other canine species, gray fox are omnivores feeding on small mammals, insects, birds, fruits, and eggs. It is primarily nocturnal or crepuscular. Dens are usually located in small caves, hollows in logs or trees, beneath boulders, or in abandoned burrows of other animals. Although usually seen on the ground, gray fox are able to climb trees.

The canyon bat or western pipistrelle ( Parastrellus hesperus ) is the smallest North American bat with a head and body length of less than 2 inches (0.80 cm). It is primarily found in the southwestern US including Utah where it inhabits desert and rocky habitats, always near water. It is commonly observed in Fruita and is typically the first bat seen flying in the evening, often before sunset. After 1 to 2 hours of feeding on small swarming insects it retires to a night roost in a cave, mine, rock crevice, or buildings, usually singly or in small groups. It may not be active again until near dawn. It hibernates during cold weather, but individuals do become active during warm spells in winter months.

The following provides information on some of the interesting birds of Capitol Reef:

Often heard before it is seen, the spotted towhee ( Pipilo maculatus ) scratches the ground and hops around in dense brush as it forages for insects, seeds, and berries. It is a common bird in the shrub and grasslands, as well as the riparian areas around Fruita. They nest in bushes, less than five feet from the ground, where they may raise two broods of 3-5 young in a season. Drought conditions and a prediction for a drier intermountain west will likely push this species away from riparian zones and towards sagebrush shrublands.

The canyon wren ( Catherpes mexicanus ) is found in the arid mountains and canyon lands of the western U.S. It is fairly common in Utah including the canyons, cliffs, and rocky outcrops in the park. One of the least studied birds in North America due to their preference for rugged landscapes, canyon wrens are territorial and non-migratory. Rusty-brown overall with a more orange tint to the tail, it has a distinctive clean white throat. A long, slightly curved bill and flat head enable it to reach deep into crevices to find insects and spiders, its primary prey. Nests are a cup made of twigs and other coarse materials placed in caverns, crevices, or attached to a rock face, protected above by a ledge. Its musical, cascading song is unique and memorable.

The rock wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus ) is a common resident of arid and semi-arid habitats in the western U.S. It is migratory and abundant in the park during the breeding season. The rock wren inhabits rocky slopes and outcrops at elevations as high as 10,000 ft (3050 m). It has a pale gray back, faintly striped breast, long tail, and long, thin bill. Both sexes build a walkway of small, flat stones that leads to the cupped nest located in a rock crevice or hole. It uses its long bill to probe into narrow crevices to find insects and spiders, its primary prey. The rock wren can frequently be seen bobbing up and down, especially when alarmed. Its song is a mix of buzzes and trills. Territorial males often alternate songs with their male neighbors.