Natural Bridges to kick off its Centennial Year on April 16th

Date: April 4, 2008
Contact: Scott Ryan, 435-692-1234, ext. 13

Natural Bridges National Monument in southeast Utah turns 100 this year, and on April 16 at 1:00 pm, the park staff will hold a birthday party with cake and banner to kick off a year of special commemorative events. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the proclamation declaring the area a National Monument on April 16, 1908, making it the first National Park unit in Utah.

Throughout this year, Natural Bridges National Monument will be celebrating a theme of "100 Years of National Parks in Utah." On April 16, the kick off event will present a large birthday cake, with attendance from Local and National Park Service Dignitaries, a local school group, and descendants of the first Ranger to have worked at the monument. On that day, a Centennial calendar of events for the year will also be released.

President Roosevelt proclaimed Natural Bridges to preserve three rare rock bridges created by canyon and stream erosion. These are some of the largest natural bridges in the world, two of which are among the five largest worldwide. Natural Bridges National Monument is located about 35 miles west of Blanding, Utah, off of Highway 95.