Kane County is located in the south central portion of Utah. It is bordered by Zion National Park on the west side, Lake Powell to the east, Bryce Canyon to the north, and the Grand Canyon to the south.
Kane County's County Seat - Say that 10 times fast!!
The city of Kanab is the county seat for Kane county. Every county in a state has a county seat, it's where you'll find the administrative, and government offices that make decisions for the county.
The city of Kanab is also the largest city in Kane county with a population of 4,312 as of 2010 according to http://kane.utah.gov/cities.cfm , it is follow by Orderville with 577, and Big Water 475.
Kane county as a whole has a population of about 7,125 based on the same 2010 census, and covers 4,109 square miles.
Kane county as a whole has a population of about 7,125 based on the same 2010 census, and covers 4,109 square miles.
Elevation, Climate, Weather
Kane county has mountains to the northwest, and high, and low deserts throughout. The highest point is 10,100 feet (http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/search.php?sort=&c=13) which is part of Gooseberry Ridge in the Northern part of Kane county. The lowest elevation 3,071 feet (http://skyhighutah.com) can be found at Bullfrog Bay along the shores of Lake Powell.
High desert of Kane county
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, southern Kane county
Just like it's landscape, the climate and weather in Kane county can vary greatly. There is snow in winter and it can get hot during the summer, but even in late spring the desert sands here can get VERY cold at night due to the dry air, lack of vegetation, and clear skies.
Main Waterways of Kane county
Because of the Glen County Dam in Arizona, the largest body of Water in Kane county is Lake Powell. But before Lake Powell was a lake, it was a large canyon system with massive sandstone walls, slot canyons, and waterfalls that dropped in from above. At the bottom of the canyon were evidence of Native Americans; their artwork, pottery, and houses, along with the Colorado river (the same river that has carved the Grand Canyon in Arizona).
What Lake Powell may have looked like before the Dam
Most of the rivers that run through Kane county empty into Lake Powell, the two biggest being the Paria and Escalante rivers. The other two major rivers that run through Kane county are the Sevier, Kanab, and Virgin rivers.
Too much water can have a big effect too!! Learn about flash floods before entering slot canyons! In the desert water from a rain storm doesn't absorb into the earth the same way it does in places with types of soil that have more organic mass. Water races towards a low spot and as it builds momentum it carries rocks and boulders with it. They can be deadly!
Major rivers that pass through Kane county
Drought can have a big effect on our waterways
Too much water can have a big effect too!! Learn about flash floods before entering slot canyons! In the desert water from a rain storm doesn't absorb into the earth the same way it does in places with types of soil that have more organic mass. Water races towards a low spot and as it builds momentum it carries rocks and boulders with it. They can be deadly!
When I visited Bryce Canyon, Ranger Gary had a damp sponge and a dry sponge, and asked which one would absorb more water. He showed that more water ran off of the dry sponge (like our desert) than the damp one.
Mountain ranges of Kane county
Kane county has 392 peaks recorded (http://listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/search.php?sort=&c=13) that range between 3,920 and 10,080 feet above sea level. But not all of these are part of a "mountain range", many are isolated like Castle Rock (below).
Castle Rock (raising from the water to the left) at 4,321 feet
Other peaks lay among true mountain ranges like Clear Creek Mountain which has elevations ranging from 6,418 to 8,123 feet.
The view from on top of Clear Creek mountain
Buckskin Mountain runs along the border of utah and Arizona, and its peak also called Buckskin Mountain, is just over the border in Arizona at 6,668 feet. The peak of this mountain is not what people are interested in, instead they come to this area for the long slot canyon at its base which may be the longest of its kind in the world!
View from inside Buckskin Gulch at the base of Buckskin Mountain
Moccasin Mountains are also along the border of Utah and Arizona but are mostly in Arizona. Only the northeast portion of the mountain is in Utah and ends where the Coral Pink Sand Dunes begin.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes state park at an elevation of around 6,000 feet
National and State Parks
2 National Parks: the east side of Zion, and the south end of Bryce Canyon are within Kane county.
View from East Rim trail in Zion N.P.
View of Bryce Canyon N.P. looking out onto Kane county
1 National Recreation area, but it's really big! Glen Canyon National Recreation area also called Lake Powell.
Flooded canyons of Lake Powell
3 National Monuments: Pipe Spring, Cedar Breaks, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
Entrance to Pipe Spring N.P.
Like Bryce but smaller, view looking over Cedar Breaks N.P.
OK, the Grand Staircase is really really big, shown in yellow it covers 2 counties.
1 National Forest: Dixie National Forest.
Dixie National Forest
2 State Parks: Kodachrome Basin State Park, and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
Sandstone arches in Kodachrome state park.
Flowers growing in the sands of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes state park.
Rocks and Minerals
So there are LOTS of exposed rocks in Kane county, Utah. The oldest exposed rocks in Kane county are apart of the Permian strata and are 245 million years old, that is really really old! The youngest rocks are apart of the Tertiary strata and are 66 million years old or less.
Cross section of rock formations found across Kane county, Utah
Layers of rock exposed along the Grand Staircase that covers most of Kane county, Utah
Oldest exposed rocks can be found in Buckskin Gulch in south central Kane county, Utah
Youngest exposed rocks in Kane county, Utah are found at the top of Paunsaugunt Plateau North central to North West Kane county. Bryce Canyon cuts into the eastern side of Paunsaugunt Plateau.
Native Americans
Long before pioneers reached Utah Native Americans were abundant here. Stone knifes that were left behind show that Paleo-Indians lived in the area around 11,500 B.C. http://www.nps.gov
Large Paleolithic knife similar to those found in Kane county, Utah
"Paleo-Indian" is the name given by archeologists to mark the earliest known inhabitants of the land. Over the next 9,000 years Native Americans that archeologists refer to as "Archaic tribes" continued to develop new skills to better live and adapt to their land.
The next best known tribe to inhabit the area are the Anasazi. From about 500 to 1300 A.D. the Anasazi built permanent and semi-permenent dwellings, developed agriculture, and produced lots of pottery, and rock art. http://www.nps.gov/glca/historyculture/people.htm
Defiance House, Anasazi dwelling in Glen Canyon
Defiance House, Anasazi dwelling in Glen Canyon
Following the Anasazi from 1300 to 1850 A.D. were the Paiute, Navajo, and Hopi, according to http://www.nps.gov/glca/historyculture/people.htm but there are many other tribes that lived close by and may have stayed in the area.
Paiute children from southern Utah
Navajos were great sheep herders and became well known for their woven rugs.
Hopi were known for their apartment style housing and fine arts.
History - How Kane county became Kane county
When members of a newly formed religion, who called themselves Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were pushed from their settlements in Illinois and Missouri, they moved west. In 1847 they arrived in the Great Basin in northern Utah http://www.livingplaces.com. in 1858 Jacob Hamblin and other mormons explored and tried to settle in what is now Kane county, Utah.
Mormon pioneer family moving west
In 1858 Jacob Hamblin and other mormons explored and tried to settle what is now Kane county, Utah. But increasing tensions between the encroaching Mormons and Native tribes led to the Black Hawk War which forced settlers from Kane and other counties.
Kane county jail house, date unknown
Ute warrior and his wife
In 1870 a man by the name of Levi Stewart was sent by a Mormon leader named Brigham Young (who was still living in the Great Basin area in northern Utah) to once again settle the city of Kanab in Kane county. Then again in 1874 Brigham Young sent Jacob Hamblin to the same area to help expand the church.
Women of Kanab, Utah
So how did Kane county end up being named Kane county? Mormons named the county after a man named Colonial Thomas L. Kane, who had acted as a friend, activist, and peace keeper for the Mormons.
man that Kane county was named after
Agriculture and Industry
From 1870's to early 1900's Kane county was only made up of farming and ranching families.
In the 1920's a movie called the Deadwood Coach was filmed in the area and Kane county quickly became a popular tourist attraction. More films were made here and the area quickly got the nick name Little Hollywood.
Deadwood Coach, the first Hollywood film made in Utah
Making of a movie in Kane county, Utah
***Interesting Fact*** Over 300 movies and t.v. shows were filmed in Kane county between the 1930's and 1990's http://www.kanabguide.com/articleDetails.cfm?recordID=16
In 1957 a dam was built in Page Arizona that would forever change the landscape and economy of Kane county, Utah. With the popularity Hollywood was creating, and the making of Lake Powell with the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, combined with the establishment of National and state parks in the area, Kane county was becoming a tourist hot spot.
Glen Canyon Dam in Page Arizona
Hiding under the Grand Staircase National Monument are enormous coal reserves. In 1997 the estimated value of the coal reserves was around $330 billion! http://geology.utah.gov/online/c/c-93/ But with the Grand Staircase being apart of the protected National Monument any thoughts to mine the area will need to be carefully considered.
Recreation
Hiking, biking, camping, photography, canyoneering, night sky watching, boating, fishing, horseback riding, nature viewing, off road driving, golf, and winter activities.
Camp near Lake Powell
Bicycles on the Grand Staircase
Starry skies above Bryce
Other Interesting Facts
*There are two ghost towns in Kane county: Johnson and Paria.
*So many movies were made in Kane county by the 1950's that people called it Little Hollywood.
*Kane county is home to one of the longest known slot canyons in the world, Buckskin Gulch.
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