Once was a national monument!

I discovered this photo in Michael Medved’s book God’s Hand on America. The photograph was taken in 1873 by William Henry Jackson in Colorado. The story of him carry heavy photographic equipment and developing the picture on site was fascinating.

The cross was formed by deep fissures in the mountain that were filled with snow. Explorers had talked about seeing it since the 1840s. When Jackson and his party finally reached a point above the fog, they were rewarded by seeing the gleaming cross. As they stared, a magnificent rainbow appeared. The men were awed by this sacred sign. The site became a holy site and attracted thousands. Some attributed miraculous cures to it.

The photo was widely popular and in 1951 became a postage stamp. Unfortunately, sometime in the 1940s the right arm of the cross was lost due to rock slides. The site was a national monument from 1929 until 1950. I thought some of you might find this as interesting as I did.