![]() The first living specimen to do this was the Flanigan family dog, Darkey. Many perilous stories are associated with the Draw Works, as curious onlookers wondered what it would be like to ride the wire down. These materials were used in buildings and homesteads throughout the canyon and nearby settlements, including the original Zion Lodge. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of feet of board lumber were transported down the mountain. The baling wire was replaced with a braided steel cord, and a steam-powered sawmill was built nearby. In 1908, the operation was sold to Frank Petty, a sawmill operator. By September 1901, the tram began carrying its first loads of lumber. The Draw Works was powered entirely by gravity and used braking devices to lower material. The bottom set involved two structures to receive the timber loads. The upper structure was a rectangular framework and a braking mechanism used as a loading terminal. Two sets of structures made from hand-hewn wood were separated by 3,300 feet, and over 2,000 feet vertically. The operation involved a system of drums and pulleys and some 50,000 feet of baling wire to form a single-line tramway. Citrus joe cable mountain trial#After much hard work, trial and error, and skepticism, his method was proven to be feasible. He discovered a suitable location above the eastern canyon rim, and with the help of his brother, would haul thousands of pounds of wire and materials through narrow canyon walls and vertical terrain. As a local resident and logger, Flanigan thoroughly explored Zion Canyon, and had hoped to find a natural channel through which timber could be transported. Inspired by a Mormon prophecy, a man named David Flanigan searched for a solution to this problem. However, the canyon's steep terrain required long wagon trips, sometimes a week or longer, to deliver lumber from one location to another. Above the cliffs were large swaths of forests with sturdy pine, spruce, and fir, which were much better suited for building materials. The canyon's cottonwoods, ash, and other tree varieties were not ideal for construction. In the mid-to-late 1800s, settlers of Zion Canyon and local communities faced difficulties acquiring lumber. The Draw Works involved a wire and pulley tramway that extended between Cable Mountain down to the area near Weeping Rock, over 2,000 feet below. The Cable Mountain Draw Works was a mechanism used for transporting timber from the mesas above Zion Canyon to the valley floor. Zion National Park, Museum Catalog Number ZION 12423. Rosencranz at edge of cable works, east rim of Zion Canyon. ![]() The Cable Mountain Draw Works above Zion Canyon, with William L. ![]()
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