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<br /> <br />~'''-J <br />iJUJ..:- 1'1 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />CHAPTER II <br /> <br />DESCRIPTIOI'i OF STUDY AREA <br /> <br />Rainbo~ Bridge Na~ional MonUffie~+ <br /> <br />The 278-foo~ span of Rainbow Bridge ar::l'~ gracefully to a height <br />of 309 feet above Bridge Canyon, r!:akLg i t larg~ enough t.o s ': raddle the <br />nation's Capitol Buildi!~g iro Washington, D.C. FOl2.0\li:1g its discovery <br />in 1909. t.he bridge was designated a national mO!:.'_illlent ii. 1<;;10. Until <br />creation of Lake P~'ell. Rainbow Bridge had li~i~ed accessibility, but <br />many boaters now tie up at the lake's edge and make the short hike to <br />the bridge. Guided boat tours to the bridge ar~ available from conces- <br />sion sites on the lake. <br /> <br />Natural Bridges Natio,al Monument <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Natural Bridges National Monument located near the center of' San <br />Juan County is a1 area of brilliantly colored cliffs, tortuous box can- <br />yons, pinnacles, and arches. Three natural bridges \<ii thin the :nOntunent <br />with spans of 180, 206, and 268 feet are among the largest ~~Own. One <br />of the bridges spans n WO-foot-deep canyon. The Hopi names of Kachina, <br />Owachomo, and Sipapu have been given these feat.un:ci. A ne\<i loop road [10.... <br />permits easy auto access to poin~s overlooking the bridge~. Visitors to <br />the r;1onwnent increased 360 percent i:1 a 6-year period, from 6,500 in 1960 <br />to 29,780 in 1966. The bddges ;,Jere discovered by Cass Hite, a prospec- <br />tor, in 1883. Nat ional publicity ;,Jas given the area in 1904, and in 1908 <br />Preside!:.t Theodore Roosevel t~ proclaimed '_he area a national rnonu:nent. <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Shor~est in both ~eigh- and span of ~he ~hree bridges in the Natural <br />Bridges :ht,ional ~lo!:.u.-nen-_. the o-...a;:!".orno Bridge, shown above. <br />has a s~orter life expe~tancy :~ar: ~he other -woo <br /> <br />1Q <br />, <br /> <br />