Capitol Reef Administrative History

This two-volume document recounts the natural, cultural, and National Park Service administrative history of Capitol Reef National Park, in south-central Utah. Volume I provides an introductory look at the geology of the Waterpocket Fold, Native American occupation, and Euro-American exploration and settlement. Following those chapters are more detailed chronicles of the 1937 establishment Capitol Reef National Monument, the resources-related issues that arose from that act, a variety of expansion proposals, and the final re-designation of Capitol Reef as a national park in 1971. Volume II comprises a series of topical chapters detailing resource issues that arose decades ago at Capitol Reef, but which remain controversial to this day.

The purpose of this administrative history is to help park managers understand the cultural and political milieu surrounding modern park issues. This historical grounding will help those managers to understand the widely varying needs and attitudes of the park's stakeholders, and the implications that their decisions might have for Capitol Reef's resources and its neighbors.