Ghosts of Glen Canyon: History beneath Lake Powell

by Edward Abbey (Foreword), C Gregory Crampton (Primary Contributor)

Drift down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon and explore the people and places that encompass the history of this majestic canyon before it drowned in the rising waters of Lake Powell.
Author Gregory Crampton led the historical investigations of Glen and San Juan Canyons from 1957 to 1963 under contract with the National Park Service. The objective was to locate and record historical sites that would be lost to the rising waters of the reservoir. This book records that effort.


First published in 1986, this edition has been revised to include several new “ghosts” of Glen Canyon, including a never-before-published foreword by Edward Abbey. It also showcases stunning color photographs by Philip Hyde and includes hundreds of black-and-white photographs taken by the original salvage crews.


This informative guide to the historic treasures of Glen Canyon includes numbered maps keyed to each location. It is a book for both the armchair traveler and the lake enthusiast eager for a journey through the past to a place few had the privilege to know.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

About the author

Edward Paul Abbey (1927–1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views.

Abbey attended college in New Mexico and then worked as a park ranger and fire lookout for the National Park Service in the Southwest. It was during this time that he developed the relationship with the area’s environment that influenced his writing. During his service, he was in close proximity to the ruins of ancient Native American cultures and saw the expansion and destruction of modern civilization.

His love for nature and extreme distrust of the industrial world influenced much of his work and helped garner a cult following.

Abbey died on March 14, 1989, due to complications from surgery. He was buried as he had requested: in a sleeping bag—no embalming fluid, no casket. His body was secretly interred in an unmarked grave in southern Arizona.

Reviews

[Milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg was a close friend of mine and I have copy #1 of 5,000 of the 1st printing signed by him. A book telling what is beneath the surface of Lake Powell in what was Glen Canyon. Greg took 13 trips down the canyon to gain information before the drowning of the canyon.

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I went into this with a differing expectations that what this book would be. I thought it would be about what was lost from the flooding of Glen Canyon. It was really a guidebook for those boating on Lake Powell and want some history of what is below their keel. Photos were pretty good. I was really looking for more into what is a lost national park, a park proposed several times, but never realized before it was flooded. This guidebook is just snippets of what was once here.

I have no idea how much gold prospecting went on in Glen Canyon. That was the big takeaway for me.

The author was in charge of the salvage survey for the dam going in. He had seven years to catalogue all the "historical" sites in the entirety of the reservoir area. I say "historical" because he was part of the written history side as opposed to the "prehistory" or archaeology. I'm not a fan of that distinction, but oh well. A book about the salvage survey would probably have been more interesting than this book.

Revisiting this book as looking as what sites are now above water would be really interesting. The Returning Rapids Project has been documenting some of this, but I don't think they have published anything on it yet.

[Zack Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, covering the historical sites now drowned under Lake Powell. (Though some of them are emerging with the current drought...) This book is the result of Crampton's extensive pre-reservoir research in Glen Canyon. He covers only the most interesting historical sites, leaving the rest in his obscure monographs published by the University of Utah.

[Alexander Jolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an early first edition of the book, without the forward by Abbey, but by Hafen.
The book is truly a delight, and contains written accounts of 65 localities, each with wonderful pictures to peak the imagination. The book takes no political stance on the matter, but presents its information in a matter-of-fact way.

[Laurie Bragg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent descriptions of Glen Canyon’s past, before the building of Glen Canyon dam. Lake Powell now covers numerous archaeological, historical, and scenic sites. In addition, the canyon sustained all forms of plant and animal life. Floating down the canyon on a raft and exploring all its side canyons, caves, and grottos are lost to the water of Lake Powell. Maybe one day this dam will come down, as others around the country have, and the Colorado can again flow freely.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me extremely angry that I didn't have a say in the building of Glen Canyon Dam and the creation of Lake Powell. Based on the photographs in this book, I would have been against it. These beautiful sites are no more. It's very sad.

[theⓋeganⒶrchist]

if nature had rights, glen canyon dam would get the death sentence.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photos (mostly black and white) of the area flooded by Lake Powell, with informative text.