With an arch high enough to straddle the Nation's Capital and wide enough to allow two lanes of traffic to pass through, Rainbow Bridge stands between 290-309 feet high and from 275-278 feet wide.

   The bridge, located in Southern Utah near Lake Powell and situated among the canyons and slickrock country less than five miles from Navajo Mountain, stands as a sacred place of worship and fear for the Indians and a wondrous site to white men. In the early years, many local explorers and tour guides led groups to the site. Now, changes in the area have helped make the bridge more accessible.

The worlds largest natural bridge Rainbow Bridge stands 290 feet tall, and is 275 feet wide.  It was discovered in 1909 by Jim Mike.  (Cleal Bradford Photo)

   Plants fed by water seeping from the canyon walls grow in profusion at the foot of this great arch and include the Wild Orchid and Maidenhair Fern. The surrounding area is covered mostly with sagebrush, wild flowers, and grass.

   Rainbow Bridge began forming more than 200 million years ago, in a wet era during the Triassic Period, when sediment blown by the wind collected and formed a base. During what is called an Arid Period, dust deposits formed huge sand and sediment dunes. The formation was then subject to tropical climate conditions. The moisture led to the hardening of the sediment into what is known as Navajo Sandstone.

     For years there has been controversy over who discovered Rainbow Bridge. Some say it was Nasja Begay and others say it was Jim Mike, both Indians living in areas near the bridge. The Utah State Historical Society files shows Jim Mike as the discoverer of the bridge, however, some San Juan county residents remain firm in their belief that Nasja Begay found the bridge, because he informed the white men before Jim Mike.

   Jim Mike was born and raised in Paiute Canyon near Navajo Mountain. He lived with his father known as "Big Mouth Mike." One day Jim, his father, and a man named Nasja set out to go explore behind Navajo Mountain. They started out early one morning on horseback. The older two men grew tired later that afternoon and stopped to set up camp, but Jim decided to ride further down the canyon, where he found a huge  bridge of stone. He went back and told the two men of his discovery.

   Yet even earlier than Jim Mike or Nasja Begay, evidence suggests that the Anasazi knew of the bridge. One author wrote:

"The inspiration gained by a visit to Rainbow Bridge National Monument is supreme. The majestic beauty of the bridge affects people in many ways. The delicate balance, graceful sweep, symmetry, beautiful toning of color and superb setting of this rainbow-shaped stone arch suggest divine guidance during its creation. The Anasazi must have sensed this, for they built altars there."( )

Confluence of the Colorado and San Juan River on Lake Powell. The Rainbow Bridge is a favorite destination of hikers and boaters alike. (Kent Tibbitts photo)

   As an explanation of their worship, Navajos have many superstitions concerning what they called nonnezoshi or "great stone arch." Navajos recognize rainbows as an important element in religious ceremonies meant to insure adequate rain for survival. They believe the bridge was the abode of great spirits and often avoided the area. To pass under the bridge without chanting special sings mean certain death. If the song was not known, the traveler would have to climb over the bridge.
Rainbow Bridge was not viewed by white man until the year 1909. After Jim Mike told his father and Nasja, Nasja rode back home to tell his boys. His son, Nasja Begay, went to town to tell John Wetherill. John was a famous guide of the Four Corners country. He later told Dr. Bryon Cummings, the Dean of University of Utah, who was digging in ruins in the Kayenta area. Dr. Cummings asked Nasja Begay to lead a party of men to the bridge. Meanwhile, Jim Mike relayed his story to W.B. Douglass, a United States Surveyor. He asked Mike to take him and some other men there.
 
        Both the Cummings and Douglass parties wound their way through the maze of slickrock to be the first to officially claim the bridge. The two groups met on the way and joined parties. The twelve men on the journey were: Dr. Bryon Cummings, Donald Beauregard, Jim Mike, John Wetherill, W.B. Douglass, Malcolm B. Cummings, F. English, Dan Perkins, Jack Keenan, Gene Rogerson, Neil M. Judd, and Nasja Begay.

   The party arrived at the bridge on August 15, 1909. Dr. Cummings was named the first white man to see the bridge, with John Wetherill as the first to ride under it. W.B. Douglass measured the bridge and chose the name "Rainbow National Bridge."

   President William H. Taft and members of Congress were fascinated by this discovery. A proclamation was signed on May 30, 1910, setting aside 150 acres and declaring Rainbow Bridge a National Monument.

Journey to the Bridge

Zeke Johnson was a guide, and one of the first people to see Rainbow Bridge.  His daughter Maggie was one of the first white women to ever see the arch and she was the first to sign the register.  (San Juan Historical Comission Photo)

Maggie Johnson at about age 17. She accompanied her father Zeke on many expeditions, including the "first" trip of white men and women to Rainbow Bridge. (Kathyrn Lyman Shumway photo)

Since these first guided tours, travel to Rainbow Bridge has become easier. During the structure of Glen Canyon Dam, it was said that Lake Powell filled to its capacity would back up water in Bridge Creek through Rainbow Bridge. Geologists believed that the unnatural amount of water at the foot of the bridge would destroy it. Others discounted the possibility and the dam was built. This project made the bridge easier to visit and did not damage the formation. The trip to see the bridge is now 14 miles from Lake Powell and can be traveled in only one day.
       

Rainbow Bridge, with the world's largest natural bridge span, is one of the top-ranking wonders of the world. For years, many have enjoyed the

Map of San Juan County with Johnson route highlighted in red.

 spectacular view of this monument and the beautiful country still receives many visitors from all over the world. Zane Grey in his book, Rainbow Trail, may have summed up the feelings of all when he wrote:

    "A mile beyond, all was bright with the colors of sunset, and spanning the canyon in the graceful shape and beautiful hues of a rainbow was a magnificent stone bridge . . . this thing was glorious. It silenced me, yet did not stun or awe.  My body and brain, weary and dull from the toils of travel, received a singular and revivifying freshness . . . a rainbow magnified . . . no longer transparent and ethereal, but solidified, a thing of ages sweeping up majestically from the red walls, its iris-hued arch against the blue sky."

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