Glen Canyon stretches along the Colorado River in southern Utah and northern Arizona and, though once part of a vast canyon system like the Grand Canyon, is now largely submerged beneath Lake Powell. For centuries before inundation, people used the canyon seasonally for farming, hunting, gathering raw materials, and stone-working, leaving archaeological sites, tool debris, masonry ruins, and petroglyphs. Non-Indigenous history began with the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante expedition, followed by explorers, surveyors, and unsuccessful gold seekers in the 19th century. The construction of Glen Canyon Dam and the filling of Lake Powell in 1963 transformed the canyon into a major flashpoint in environmental debates over preservation, water, and power in the American West.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain