The Mormons have traditionally been good at managing their scarce resources, especially water, an essential element in surviving their choice to settle in a place no one else wanted. St George is a great example of taking an extremely harsh landscape and converting it into the best environment it can be. Land that isn't fit for anything, it seems, is the perfect canvas for creating a beautiful park. Such is the case for Tonaquint Park, where I went to do some bird photography. In addition to its Nature Center, the park offers a playground for kids, numerous tennis courts, picnic facilities, community garden and a hiking/biking trail that connects to the larger trail system that runs many miles throughout the city.
BTW, Tonaquint refers to a small band of Paiute Indians who farmed in this area when the Mormons arrived. They used irrigation to grow beans, squash and corn which were planted individually in small mounds. With steel plows, the Mormons showed them how to improve irrigation efficiency by planting in furrows.
By the time I found the Nature Center, there were very few songbirds out and about, and they were mostly deep in the many trees available to them. The duck pond was more productive.
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| Female Wood Duck |
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| Male Wood Duck |
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| American Wigeon |
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| White Crowned Sparrow |
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| House Finch |
Later, I drove west of town and visited a residential development called Kayenta, a community located on the back side of Snow Canyon State Park and with art as a central theme. The village center has several art galleries and a performing arts venue. The homes are all quite similar, following the traditional adobe style. They are all single story, built low to the ground or even in slight depressions, making them almost disappear in the sage brush. Building lots are about an acre in size and cost around $350,000. A typical finished home of 3000 square feet and pool seemed to be about $1 million. The views are certainly worth something.
Farther on, I entered the Shivwits Paiute Reservation, but never saw any of their living quarters. I assume they want their privacy, so live well away from the highway. There were a few abandoned homes along the road that appeared to be original Mormon settler homes left when the reservation was created.
Also, a massive dam that was probably built in the 1800s by Mormons to provide irrigation for their crops.
A sign marked a side road called "Joshua Tree Scenic Backway", so I decided to give it a try. A man walking along the road told me it went "over that mountain" before rejoining the highway. He thought it was about 12-15 miles long and quite scenic. At the end, I thought it was more like twenty miles. There were some scenic areas, but much of the vegetation had been destroyed by forest fire some years ago. A section of public land near the end is used for camping, off-road vehicles and rock climbing.
In the town of Ivins, the historic home of settler Jacob Hamlin is available for tours, but it was too late in the day. The place was closed.
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