Hard Life on the Western Range PT II
BY FRANK JENSEN WESTWAYS MAGAZINE

The other half of the S.S. Cattle Co. was J. A. "Al" Scourp, who became a true turn-of-the-century cattle baron in southeastern Utah. He got his start rounding up wild cows for Texas cattle outfits headquartered in Bluff, Utah, in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, Scourp had built the S.S. Cattle So. into the largest cattle outfit in Utah, if not the entire West. Its flying V bar Brand was seen from the railroad siding at Thompson, some 200 miles south to Monument Valley. Eastward, it extended to Colorado.
     When Mussleman rode for the S.S. Cattle Co. the empire had diminished somewhat, though still running upwards of 14,000 head. "We made two drives a year of 2,500 cattle apiece," Mussleman recalls. "one to Thompson, north of Moab, and the other to Coalbed on the Colorado border."
     The exchange in Colorado, in Mussleman's words, "was a regular three-ring circus." Scourp, it seems, sold to a flamboyant character by the name of Lavender, and while Scourp babied his cows, recognizing many by sight, all of Lavender's cowhands carried bullwhips and had dogs. As soon as the herd was across the border, Lavender's cowboys cracked their whips and set their dogs on the bewildered animals. Mussleman says it took three days to round up the stampeding cattle, after which the cowboys celebrated with a party.
     Nowadays, only about 1,000 cattle are raised at the Dougout Ranch, which still uses the S.S. Cattle Co. insignia, the flying V bar brand. Shrouded by century-old cottonwood trees and flanked by rippling fields of alfalfa, the Dugout has as much the look of an oasis as that of a cattle ranch. Looming above are the daunting walls of Davis, Lavender and Cottonwood canyons.
     Nonetheless, the approach to the southern Canyonlands by way of Indian Creek Canyon has its own merits, and if you toss in the cowboy cave, as well as Squaw Flat with its limited views of the high desert, then the 40-mile side trip is time well spent.
     Canyonlands is nearly as wild today as when S.S. Cattle Co. cowboys rode its labyrinth in search of stray cows. It may be, in fact, the least developed of the nation's national parks. Its perimeter is penetrated in only three places by paved roads, and of the three, only the Squaw Flat-Cave Spring area is within the boundaries of the park proper. Otherwise, this hinterland of the Colorado Plateau, with its oddly shaped pinnacles, standing rocks, bizarre arches and slitlike fin canyons, is exclusively the domain of the all-terrain enthusiast, river runner, horse packer and, to a lesser extent, the backpacker with th fortitude to tackle a stony wilderness.
     West of its junction with U.S. 191 Utah State 211 (the Canyonlands route) bypasses a cluster of ramshackle houses, barns and windmills. The ghost town is the doleful remnant of the Home of Truth colony, a religious cult of the 1930s founded by Marie M. Ogden. Mussleman recalls Marie Ogden as a cultured, intelligent woman. Nevertheless, she had her quirks. Among them the promise of immortality for cult members.
     Beyond the Home of Truth, State 211 rises to Photograph Gap, slopes gently for about five miles through a broad valley dominated by the 11,000-foot peaks of the Abajo Mountains, then snakes precipitously into the depths of Indian Creek Canyon. Exactly 11 miles from the turnoff, you'll come to the Newspaper Rock State Historical Park where over 300 Indian petorglyphs have been chiseled into the smooth surface of the sandstone cliff. Although their meaning is in doubt, the snakelike figures and cirlces within circles possibly date from A.D. 600 to 1200. Others, of Indians hunting deer with bows and arrows on horseback, are more recent and are probably Ute in origin.
     From its source in the Abajo Mountains, Indian Creek has scuptured a twisting canyon from the red rocks of the high desert. Thickets and cottonwood groves coil with each turn of the stream, and should you work your way through the underbrush into one of the side canyons, you may discover additional petroglyphs or pottery shards of an Anasazi culture that farmed her more than 800 years ago.
     Near the Dugout Ranch (32 miles from U.S. 163) the canyon widens to reveal the Twin Six-Shooter Peaks. These buttes rise over 1,000 feet from the desert floor, their capstones shaped like upright pistols.
     As you approach the park boundary, you'll pass a short side road leading to the Canyonlands Resort, where you can gas up, buy groceries or camp for the night. In addtion to the commercial camp, there's a large campground within the park, in the vicinity of Squaw Flat. This one usually fills up with four-wheelers during the April through October travel season.
      There are no visitor centers in Canyonlands National Park, either north or south. Rather, trailers serve as information stations. The one in the southern Canyonlands is a short distance from the park entrace, and once there you may want the exact location of unmarked dinosaur tracks, just off the park road, as well as the location of the Cowboy Cave. Though the latter is plainly spotting the entrance, which is screened by sage and rabbit brush.
     The Cowboy Cave and Cave Springs are part of a self-guiding nature trail that lends insight into the plant and animal life, the geology and the history of the region. The short hike takes less than an hour.
     Seven miles north of the State 211 turnoff of U.S. 163 is paved road to Needles Overlook, where you get an excellent view of The Needles. This road also leads to Wind Whistle Campground, run by the federal Bureau of Land Management.
     For assistance in mapping your trip, check with your local Auto Club district office.

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