Pipe Spring National Monument

We saw the signs for Pipe Spring National Monument on our way to Kanab UT and decided we needed a break.  If I didn’t have the National Parks pass for seniors and could get in free, we probably wouldn’t have gone any further than the visitor center.  This turned out to be an interesting place to visit
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We were just in time for a ½ hr. guided tour of “Winsor Castle” and the chance to hear some interesting bits of history.  Pipe Spring was an early Mormon outpost called a tithing ranch -  A place to raise the cattle that were tithed to the Mormon Church.  This ranch provided butter and cheese to workers building the Mormon temple in St. George UT – a four day trip away.  It also became a safe haven for Mormon polygamous wives to hide from federal authorities.  The first telegraph office in Arizona was established here.

In addition to the history and a very interesting talk by the ranger, I enjoyed the architecture of the buildings.