On Nov. 19, people will have been flocking from far and wide to see the high plateaus, soaring sandstone cliffs, desert wilderness and slot canyons in Zion National Park for 100 years. 

And now, it is time to celebrate. 

In the 1860s, Latter-day Saint settlers began to populate the area, calling it “Zion,” a biblical term meaning “a place of peace and refuge or sanctuary.”

“To them, Zion meant a place of safety, a place of sanctuary, and Zion is truly a sanctuary,” Mike Large, a park ranger at Zion, said in an interview with the Deseret News. “It’s a sanctuary for geology, for wildlife, for human history; it’s a sanctuary for people seeking to get away from the outside world and find a nice, quiet place.”

Zion National Park | Zachary Almaguer

The park became Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909 after the Paiute word for “straight canyon,” and in 1919, the area officially became Zion National Park.

Since then, Zion has become the fourth-most visited national park in America with over 4 million American and foreign visitors a year. With these growing numbers, Zion and its partners strive to preserve its natural wonders for future generations to enjoy.

“With our historic visitation this last year, we’ve seen an increase in trash and human waste and graffiti,” Large said, “so it is becoming increasingly more on the public to help us kind of keep an eye on those things and protect the resource.”

Zion Forever, the park’s official nonprofit partner, is continuing its “We the Keepers” centennial campaign and celebration as part of this ongoing preservation effort with the public.

In August, music icon Sting collaborated with the Utah Symphony in a benefit concert, which was “an extraordinary way to celebrate Zion National Park’s centennial anniversary and bring attention to preserving the park for generations to come,” according to a press release from Lyman Hafen, executive director for Zion Forever Project

Hafen also emphasized the importance of volunteers, who he called the “lifeblood,” who maintain the projects and programs that have kept the park alive for the last 100 years and will hopefully do the same for the next 100.  

In the same vein of awareness and conservation, Zion Forever, in collaboration with officials at Zion National Park and Draper producer Local Studio, is releasing a new film to be shown at the park. The film will replace its current decades-old visitors center film.

The new 23-minute film, which will premiere at a centennial event on Nov. 19 at Dixie State University, will “better meet the needs of today’s visitors by emphasizing conservation and telling the story of Zion through the eyes of its people,” according to St. George News. 

Later, an extended, 50-minute version of the film will be available for purchase at the park bookstore, which will include even more dazzling footage and compelling stories from Zion.

Rather than orienting visitors to the park as the current film does, the newest production will reflect a more interactive, dynamic vision of Zion and its future. It includes the stories of 10 people who give a voice to the often-overlooked human history that contributes to the enduring legacy of the park.

The geological aspect of the film even transforms water into an equally important character in telling the park’s story. 

Zion National Park | Zachary Almaguer

“We hope this film will be inspiring and help connect people on a deeper level to the resources protected by the park,” Amy Baltrus, park spokeswoman, said to St. George News.

This inspiration and connection, park officials hope, will encourage a sense of stewardship in visitors to the park, which is so vital in the effort to preserve it, according to St. George News. Film information and tickets can be found online at Dixie State University’s ticket office.

Among the exciting events at Zion National Park this year was the birth of the 1,000th condor chick in the park since the California Condor Reintroduction Program was implemented in 1992.

Local artists are also expressing their love for the park through the Zion Forever Project Centennial Celebration of Art. Eleven selected plein air artists will be doing public painting demonstrations in the park during the week of Nov. 5.

View Comments

Additionally, the artists have submitted artwork for an online and physical exhibit and sale, which features the natural wonders of Zion through art. Dates and information about this event can be found at zionpark.org.

The museum curation staff at Zion also put on an exhibit called “Keepers of Sanctuary,” which started in May and will run through Dec. 1. The exhibit “pays tribute to the park’s history and changes over the last century,” according to the exhibit website.

The website also includes a slideshow and photo gallery of historic photographs of old park programs, the clothes rangers and visitors wore, 1930s and 1940s era cars in the park and more.

Finally, Zion’s birthday celebrations will continue with “America’s Wonders in 3D With the Utah Symphony” which will take place at Abravanel Hall on Nov. 19. The show will present various wonders of the American landscape, including Zion National Park, in “cutting-edge LED 3D” with accompanying pieces like Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite” andShenandoah.” Tickets and event information can be found at utahsymphony.org.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.