Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Utah

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On Monday, July 14, 2008, we departed Grand Teton National Park and arrived in Rock Springs, Wyoming, a small town where we decided to spend a couple of days at a KOA RV park in order to have full hookups so I could get caught up on the wash and we could go grocery shopping.

On Wednesday, July 16, 2008, we left Rock Springs and arrived at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and stayed at Antelope Flats Campground, one of about 10 campgrounds in the Gorge. We decided on this campground because it overlooked a reservoir and beautiful red rock cliffs. Flaming Gorge is located partly in Utah, partly in Colorado, and a small portion in Wyoming. The campground in which we stayed was located in Utah. We also liked this campground more than the others because of its location, five miles down a gravel, washboard road, which we were sure was the reason there were so few people camping there. Most days there was only one or two other people in this campground and there were some days we were the only people there. It was as if we had our own private scenic world for 12 very nice days. All of the other campgrounds were located on paved roads and, therefore, had many more campers in them; also, most of the other campgrounds did not have the beautiful scenery we had at Antelope Flats. Again, as in Grand Teton National Park, we were dry camping, with the only means of water a spigot located near the restrooms, and a dump station. We had to use our generator and solar panels for electric power. Another definite plus were the many pronghorn antelope roaming through the campground and even a mother with her two babies. Even though there were days when we were out and about doing things, we also spent about half of our time there hanging out at the campground, relaxing, and enjoying the peace and quiet. The weather was nice and warm during the day, cool enough in the evenings that with a fan and the bedroom window open it was great sleeping weather. However, most days it did cloud up in the afternoon, but it did not rain often.


Things we saw and did while at Flaming Gorge:

Browns Park, a historic site which provides a glimpse of turn-of-the-century frontier life. It is a valley forty miles in length along the Green River bounded on the south by Diamond Mountain of the Uintah Range and on the north by Cold Spring Mountain and lies roughly half in Utah and half in Colorado with some of the northern extremities reaching into Wyoming. Its centralized position in the middle of a rich fur bearing area made the Hole a natural rendezvous site for early mountain men. The Oregon Trail to the north tied Brown's Hole to the northern Rockies while the Old Spanish Trail to the south tied it to Santa Fe and the Southwest. When lines were drawn and the Hole was divided among three states, it became a place where outlaws could escape lawmen by easily crossing from one state to another.

By 1871, the Brown's Hole era of mountain men and explorers gave way to the Brown's Park of cattle ranchers and settlers. Until the 1890s, horse thieves and cattle rustlers frequented the area, but with the arrival of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it was to enter a new era. Brown's Park became one of the three major hideouts along the Outlaw Trail (the others being Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming and Robbers' Roost in southern Utah). These outlaws were welcomed in Brown's Park because of the money spent by them in the saloon and store and because of the understanding between them and the settlers that they would commit no crimes in the area. It is said that the Wild Bunch gang name is tied to Brown's Park. Saloon keepers called them "that wild bunch from Brown's Park," and let them shoot up the place as much as they pleased, knowing that they would come back and pay for all damage. It is said that bullet holes in the bar were worth $1 each, and the rest of the damage was always settled for generously. One of the outlaws' favorite hiding places was a cabin hidden among thick cedars. There they would rest and play poker and if any lawmen approached, a rider was sent to warn them.

Another local resident of the area, Ann Bassett, was known as Queen of the Cattle Rustlers. She declared war on Ora Haley and his Two Bar empire due to what she considered lust for land at the expense of the small settler, and also out of revenge for the killings of her friend Isom Dart and her fiance' Matt Rash. Her deeds included driving hundreds of Two Bar cattle over the cliffs into the Green River. She was eventually brought to trial in 1913 on charges of cattle rustling. Her supporters saw the trial as a contest between the little people and the cattle barons. They did not care if she was guilty. When the trial ended and it went to the jury it took less than an hour for her to be acquitted. A sign reading 'HURRAH FOR VICTORY" was flashed across the screen of the Craig silent movie theater and the audience jumped to its feet cheering. Bonfires were lit in the main street and Queen Ann presided over an all night victory dance.

In 1880, John Jarvie, from Scotland, and his wife Nellie, moved to Brown's Park. He opened a general store/trading post, the only store within seventy miles, which meant he carried a large inventory in order to serve the pioneer families of the area. He also served as postmaster for six years. Many of the outlaws who frequented Brown's Hole had post office boxes in the Brown's Park Post Office under assumed names. In 1887, Jarvie was asked to investigate some suspicious dealings including improper accounting taking place in the Vernal, Utah post office. He did not want to spy on a fellow postmaster and, instead, packed up all of his records and closed the Brown's Park Post Office. Jarvie also operated a ferry from 1881 until his death in 1909 and would accept any kind of farm produce in payment for ferrying bills, which was greatly appreciated by many people needing the use of the ferry but who had little or no cash. He also had mining and livestock interests, owned acreage in the area, and raised horses. He was well liked by the settlers of the area and was always in demand at social functions because of his talent playing the organ and concertina. He was sometimes known as "Old John" because his hair had turned snow white in his twenties. His personality is revealed through his hobbies and interests. He was a gourmet cook, his specialties being mourning dove pie and his oatmeal. He was a very good chess player and loved higher mathematics and phrenology (the reading of bumps of peoples' heads). He was also an avid reader and had a fine library and would often loan books to his neighbors. Jarvie was a very large presence in the history of Brown's Park. However, by 1909 his financial situation had begun to reverse itself, but rumors persisted that he had large amounts of money in his store safe or concealed on his property. On July 6, 1909 two men came to the Jarvie ranch saying they were in the area looking for work as sheepherders, but who were in fact planning to rob Jarvie. By this time he was living alone as his wife had died and his two sons no longer lived at the ranch. It was the dinner hour and he invited the two men to have dinner with him and he set two extra plates at the table. The dinner was never eaten. The two men took Jarvie into the store and forced him to open the small safe. The safe contained only a one hundred dollar bill and a pearl handled revolver. There was a brief struggle and Jarvie broke free of his captors and fled the store. He made it as far as a small bridge where he was shot twice in the back. The killers dragged his body from the bridge down the river bank where there was a boat. They tied the body into the boat and then pushed the boat into the river with the hope that it would be destroyed in the rapids downstream. On July 14, his body was found, still in the boat, which was caught in some willows 25 miles downstream. The safe was later found in the river, missing its door, and is still on display in the store today. By August 11, the posse which had been in pursuit of the two murderers gave up the search. His youngest son, Jimmy Jarvie, kept up a relentless search for the killers. He eventually tracked them to a small Idaho town. He rented a room in a hotel there. The two men, anxious to rid themselves of their pursuer, went into his room and shoved him from the second floor window. He landed on his head and was killed instantly. The killers of Jarvie and his son were never apprehended.

Following Jarvie's murder, the property passed to his remaining son, but he had no interest in his father's endeavors and the ranch never again flourished. Between 1924 and 1968 the property was sold several times. The last private owner, Mrs. Esther Campbell, sold the ranch to the Nature Conservancy in 1982. They, in turn, leased the site to the Bureau of Land Management until sufficient funds were found for purchase of the property, forever placing the Jarvie ranch in public ownership.

There are several buildings still standing on the property --

The stone house, a one-room building, which was used as additional storage for his store inventory. It was built by outlaw Jack Bennett, using masonry skills he learned in prison.

A two-room dugout where John and his wife, Nellie, first lived. It is built into a hillside with the entrance facing the Green River.

The blacksmith shop and corral, constructed of railroad ties which drifted down the Green River during high water.

The general store also built from railroad ties. It is furnished with many artifacts from the Jarvie period. It contains the original safe which was robbed the evening of Jarvie's murder.

The water wheel, a 16 foot diameter working replica of the original wheel built by Jarvie.

The graves of four men who died violent deaths in the early days of Brown's Park--two drowned, one was stabbed, and one was shot.

It was an interesting and informative afternoon. It was a beautiful drive to Brown's Park with all the western, high desert scenery. However, the valley of Brown's Park through which the Green River flows, changes from high desert to a place of green with trees and shrubs and would be a gorgeous place to live. It is said to have mild winters (although not mild enough for me) with very little snow fall, and is another reason Brown's Park attracted many people to settle there.



On one afternoon we took a hike along the banks of the Green River. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the scenery was beautiful with high, sheer red cliffs on either side of the river. It was a very enjoyable hike. The Green River does have a green tint to the water because of the long stringy algae which grows in the water, however, the water is crystal clear (and cold). We were told before there was a dam the river was much more cloudy due to the snow melt which fed the river and also because the river was much faster moving. Dee took a tour of the engine room of the dam and the Ranger giving the tour said even though the river now has a greenish tint, that is not why it has the name Green River. She did not know how the river got its name. There were many people fly fishing for trout along the river as well as in boats on the river. The water is so clear that the many trout are very easy to see.



On another afternoon we drove into the small city of Vernal, Utah (about a distance of 45 miles) to go grocery shopping and to also check out the road. When leaving Flaming Gorge this is the road on which we will be driving and we had heard it could be a bit of a challenge if towing an RV. It was a pretty drive but there is one section of road where there are 10 switchbacks and 8% grades over nine miles. One good thing, going in the direction we would be traveling when we departed Flaming Gorge we would be going downhill over those 8% grades and would not have to be towing the RV up those grades. The switchbacks would be a little challenging as it is impossible to see what is coming at you from the other direction, so you just drive slowly, stay in your lane and hope any oncoming traffic is doing the same.



On our last day at Flaming Gorge, we packed a lunch, rented an inflatable raft and took a float trip down the Green River. For most of the seven mile trip the water moves at a moderate pace, but every once in a while we did encounter some white water -- not enough to make it frightening, but enough to make for some excitement. This, apparently, is a very popular thing to do as there were many other people floating down the river, sometimes too many people as far as I was concerned. It was a wonderful way to spend our last day at Flaming Gorge even though near the end of the trip, the weather did start to get overcast, a little windy and with a few light rain showers.

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Photos

Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Antelope Flats Campground is located on this reservoir.