Crossing of the Fathers

Crossing of the Fathers is a historical river crossing of the Colorado River, in Utah, between Kane and San Juan Counties. It lay on the Colorado River at an elevation of approximately 3,180 feet. The crossing was a series of sand bars across the river at a great bend in the river overlooked by Padres Butte. The crossing was located a mile west of the butte which is now at the tip of Padre Point on the south shore of Lake Powell.^[1] The crossing is now under nearly four hundred feet of water in Padre Bay in Lake Powell, named for the padres Dominguez and Escalante, whose expedition crossed the Colorado River there.

History

The Crossing of the Fathers was named after the two Spanish padres, who led the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition of 1776 who first used and reported it. The Colorado River crossing used by the Armijo Route of the Old Spanish Trail established in 1828.^{[1] [2]:6-7, Appendix C, Map 5} The crossing has been submerged under Padre Bay in Lake Powell following the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam.^[1]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Crossing of the Fathers (historical)
2. National Park Service (2001). Old Spanish Trail National Historic Trail Feasibility Study and Environmental Assessment.

Coordinates: 37°02′56″N 111°18′14″W / 37.04889°N 111.30389°W