Dave Rust: A Life in the Canyons
Pioneering backcountry outfitter and Glen Canyon river guide David D. Rust (1874-1963) was one of the first to recognize the potential of the Colorado Plateau Province for grand adventure. His guided expeditions across southern Utah and northern Arizona, which he conducted from 1907 to 1941, were a feast for the mind and senses. On trips ranging from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the remote red-rock lands of Utah, he introduced his clients to the region’s greatest geologic marvels and helped them comprehend the history, geology, and scientific importance of this stunning landscape. An early practitioner of adventure travel at a time when few Americans knew what wonders this region held, his life story follows the development of southern Utah from a primitive frontier to a prized recreational destination.
Along with his father-in-law, Edwin D. Woolley, Rust built the first tourist trail across the Grand Canyon, installed a cable tram across the Colorado River, and operated a camp at Bright Angel Creek--the predecessor of today's Phantom Ranch. Educated at Brigham Young Academy and at Stanford, he developed a strong interest in the region's geology and history. He wore many hats--schoolteacher and administrator, newspaper publisher, legislator--but always the canyons and plateaus called to his sense of adventure. His clients were treated to weeks or months of travel through a primitive landscape ranging from the Navajo Reservation to the Henry Mountains, stopping in tiny hamlets to reprovision and riding to high overlooks to take in the panoramas of the desert.
Born into a dirt-poor Mormon family, Dave Rust 's thirst for knowledge helped him rise above the limitations of the southern Utah frontier to become one of its prominent citizens and advocates for tourism. "No one could follow a blind trail better," one admiring client said of Rust, and many of the Eastern elite came to appreciate this devotee of rugged adventure in one of America's most rugged and fascinating regions.
Come follow the trail with Dave Rust, and you'll be treated to a view of the Plateau Province that is scarcely possible today.
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Order through University of Utah Press or your favorite bookstore.
$19.95 paperback / ebook $16.00
9780874809442 (paperback)
9781607812951 (ebook)
