The Great White Throne, Zion National Park, Utah
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 37° 16.404 W 112° 56.424
12S E 327962 N 4126967
This massive sandstone monolith, known as the Great White Throne, rises nearly 2400 feet above the canyon floor in Utah's Zion National Park.
Waymark Code: WMFJWW
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 10/27/2012
Views: 17
Zion National Park is located in the southwest part of Utah. Its name is attributed to early Mormon settlers who established some farms along the Virgin river in the late 1850s. Some of these settlers had made their way up along the river into the canyon area that is now the national park even though it was almost inaccessible due to the rugged terrain. These were gruff western types in every sense, eking out a living under harsh circumstances, nevertheless they were awed and inspired by the natural beauty of the canyon.
One of these settlers, named Isaac Behunnin, referred to the walls and towers of the canyon as "...natural temples [where] we can worship as we please". This was a comparison to Salt Lake City where the Mormons were building a temple and which they occasionally called Zion. He went on to say that "this is as much Zion as Salt Lake, we'll call it Little Zion". And thus it became known as such to the local folks.
In 1872 famed Grand Canyon explorer John Wesley Powell visited the area and decided that the name should be Mukuntuweap which he believed was the name given to the canyon by local Indians. When the area was established as a national monument, it was officially known as Mukuntuweap but the name never really caught on. When its status was changed from a national monument to a national park in 1919 it was renamed back to Zion. Maybe Zion is simply easier to remember than Mukuntuweap.
Methodist minister Frederick Vining Fischer, along with his companion, Claud Hirschi, gave names to many of the canyon's features during a visit in 1916. Perhaps in keeping with the spirit of the name Zion, many of these names had biblical significance. The name given to the massive sandstone monolith pictured on the stamp was "The Great White Throne" (Revelation 20:11).
The stamp is part of the 1934 set commemorating the National Parks.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 1934
Denomination: 8 cents
Color: sage green
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for this category, you must visit the actual site of the waymark. Post at least one photo that you personally took of the site if at all possible. If you cannot provide a photo for some reason, your visit will still be welcome.
You do NOT need to be a stamp collector to visit the waymark site, nor do you have to provide a photo of the stamp. Just having a copy of the stamp in question, however, is not sufficient; you must personally visit the site.