Lodge History

Before Cliff Dwellers was a vacation destination, travelers came because it was the only place where the Colorado could be crossed for hundreds of miles on either side. Captivated by the Vermilion Cliffs and endless blue skies, settlers chose to homestead in such an inimitable environment because it spoke to something deep within them. The Arizona Strip, with it isolation and solitude, offered a unique way of life for travelers seeking the mythological freedom of the American west. For Blanche and Bill Russell, the original homesteaders at Cliff Dwellers, this was no exception. They established a small trading post at Cliff Dwellers in 1920 after crossing the Colorado at Lees Ferry. Their original home still stands at the end of property. They established camp next to Soap Creek where they constructed the unique rock house for which the community received its name. The cowboys who drove cattle on the AZ Strip called the Russell homestead ‘Cliff Dwellers’ because of its proximity to the Vermilion Cliffs. There are no prehistoric cliff dwellings at Cliff Dweller. The tribes which inhabited the region constructed pit-houses or hogans.

The Russell family stumbled into a unique money making opportunity at Cliff Dwellers. In 1877, the Mormon Church constructed a temple in St. George, UT so followers living in Arizona could be properly married in a confirmed church. Hordes of Mormons flocked across the border and the Russell Family was there to cater to their travel needs. Later, the rock house and trading post were sold to Jack Church. Jack added his own individual touch to the location by bringing a bar to the original trading post. Needless to say, this change brought in new clientele. The young cattlemen who drove livestock for “Uncle Jim” Owens at the foot of the Kaibab Plateau became regulars at Cliff Dwellers. After these ranch hands finished driving cattle and bison on the AZ Strip, they would retire to the small rock house and partake in both the evening festivities and Church’s bootleg liquor. The next proprietor of Cliff Dwellers expanded their financial repertoire by starting one of the first river guide operations on the Colorado River. Beginning in 1943, Art Greene Senior and his family ran trips from Lees Ferry upriver to Navajo Bridge. The early river operations were primitive at best with Art Greene running the 60 mile trip in a 450 horse power everglades fan boat. His boat burned 30 gallons per hour, and it took him three days to reach the natural bridge. He took every other trip up river solely to stash fuel reserves. The Greene family continued to manage the trading post at the rock house until they expanded their operation and built the original lodge at Cliff Dwellers.

We still operate Cliff Dwellers Lodge and Lees Ferry Anglers in the same spirit of its forefathers. The lodge continues to provide food and a place to stay for intrepid travelers heading to the Kaibab Plateau, and our guided fishing trips take adventure-seekers into the same spectacular reaches of the Colorado in which Art Greene ran his guide operation. The canyons have since become a destination for families and vacationers alike. People venture to the AZ Strip to visit its challenging hiking trails, fish the Colorado River, and launch rafting trips into the Grand Canyon.

Here are some links to interesting pages devoted to the history of the area including old black and white photos of the canyon prior to, and during the building of Glen Canyon Dam. There are also a couple of photos of the original Cliff Dwellers Lodge when it was home to Art Greene and his family.

http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives/discovering.htm

http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives/movingwaters.htm