I have personally visited Pipe Spring several times and realize the desirableness of having this area established as a National Monument for the benefit of motorists traveling between Zion and Grand Canyon Parks. In 1920 successful businessman and conservationist Stephen T. Mather stopped at Pipe Spring while touring the region by automobile. New to his job as the head of a new federal agency—the National Park Service—Mather believed that developing and promoting large scenic parks would capture America’s support for a system of national parks. Standing atop the ruins of West Cabin, Mather discussed a Pipe Spring link between Zion and Grand Canyon. He forecast that Americans would soon see the marvels of the West while traveling in their own cars, once rural Utah’s roads were improved. 
The money to buy this 40 acres came from the Heaton family, the Mormon Church, the Union Pacific Railroad, 15 private citizens, and Mather himself. At that time Mather’s $500 contribution was the equivalent of six months’ wages for a workingman—or the cost of 25 steers. 
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Last updated: February 24, 2015