Welcome to
Duck Creek
The
Duck Creek Historic period begins in the late 1700s, with the exploration and settlement
of southern Utah by Euro-Americans. Initial explorations by traders
from New Mexico blazed the Old Spanish Trail, which followed the Virgin
River for a portion of its length. During the next century, American
fur trappers and government surveyors added new overland travel routes
across the region. In 1872, John Wesley Powell explored the
Duck Creek areas and around Zion Canyon, as part of western surveys conducted by
the U.S. Geological Survey. The early pack trails soon became well-used
wagon roads, connecting Santa Fe to the California markets.
In
1847, Brigham Young led members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints (Mormons) to Utah Territory, establishing settlements in
the Great Salt Lake Valley. Within a decade, Mormon pioneers were sent
to settle the southern part of the
Duck Creek territory and grow cotton in Utah’s “Dixie”. Towns like
Shunesberg, Springdale, Grafton, Adventure, and Paradise sprang up along
the upper Virgin River during the 1860s. In 1863, Issac Behunin built
the first log cabin in Zion Canyon, near the location of the Zion Lodge.
Soon the
Duck Creek canyon was dotted with other homesteads, including that of William Crawford,
near Oak Creek.
Visitor
numbers at
Duck Creek have continued to increase over time, necessitating the construction
of trails, campgrounds, and other facilities. The economic benefits
of tourism now support the small communities surrounding the park, ensuring
their survival into a new millennium of human history.
