Page 30

It seems probable that the Colorado might in fact be forded somewhere within the distance between mile 50.3 and 50.7. On September 6, 1959 when the river was at low level, shallow water was encountered across the stream on a long diagonal from about mile 50.6 on the right bank to about mile 50.4 on the left bank, except just at the left shore a deep channel was encountered where there has been a considerable amount of recent cutting into the bank. There is also a trail over the slick rocks on the opposite side, or "north" bank, leading to the open country above at Historical site 119. The explorers were later informed by their Navajo guide, Natsisan, that the Crossing of the Fathers was farther downstream. While at Historical site 3 on July 3, 1921, the Charles H. Bernheimer party discovered on the cliff wall at the upstream extremity of the site "four hundred feet or more of pictographs" as well as "traces of ancient cliff houses" which had been covered by a fall of rock. Wetherill and Morris reasoned, Bernheimer reports, that if they were indeed at the Crossing of the Fathers that the "cliff house" at the southern end of the site might be some sort of outpost or caching depot for expeditions crossing the river. During the afternoon Wetherill and Morris did some excavating. There are numerous petroglyphs and pictographs centering at about mile 50.5 and signs of recent camping. The head of the terrace at this site is being cut away by the river. The bank consists of a precipitous bluff from about mile 50.4 to about mile 50. NA, UU archeological sites (Fowler 1959, 522, 531). Historical site 4 A record of the Charles H. Bernheimer expedition's visit to Historical site 3 was left by Wetherill who with a bit of charcoal recorded his name and the date: "J Wetherill 7-2-21" (Crampton 1959, Fig. 47), at approximately mile 50.5 left bank. He missed the date by one day: the party was at the site only on July 3. Wetherill's name also appears in the same place in a green crayon under date of January 12, 1931. The name of Pat Fla [?] also appears in green crayon for same date. On July 4, 1921, the Bernheimer party left their camp at Historical site 120 and returned to Navajo Canyon by a different route which took them between the rim of Glen Canyon and around the foot of the magnificent mesa (named by Bernheimer, Clara Mesa, after his wife; he had named the prominent mesas standing between West Canyon and its left fork, 30Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 13,897,728 byte