Gigantic Grandeur

In May 1920, Zion opened as a newly formed national park, and these women were its first official visitors—five of them University of Utah students. The young adventurers scaled cliff faces and traversed winding canyons, documenting their journey as part of a promotional campaign to introduce the park’s “gigantic grandeur” to the world. This image is from a collection of photographs and newspaper clippings purchased online by Melissa Clark. She and husband John Clark showcased the rare images in a book they co-authored called Opening Zion: A Scrapbook of the National Park’s First Official Tourists.