Zion National Park beginning project to preserve historic cabins

ZION NATIONAL PARK — This week Zion National Park is beginning a project to stabilize two log cabins within its designated wilderness. The two cabins were built in 1929 and 1930.

The cabins were built by Southern Utah State College (now Southern Utah University) professors, who also had homes in nearby Cedar City. The families came to Kolob Canyons seasonally to graze their sheep and goats along the Middle Fork of the Taylor Creek.

The park's cultural resource staff was joined by an American Conservation Experience crew, a nonprofit conservation corps who bring together American and international volunteers to work on outdoor projects in national parks, national forests and wilderness areas in the West.

Southern Utah University, as part of an educational agreement with the park, is documenting the stabilization of the Taylor Creek Cabins. The finalized project is expected to be a short film exploring the park's efforts to balance the needs of the Wilderness Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.