Silver Canyon
Encyclopedia
Silver Canyon is a novel
written by Louis L'Amour
set in south-central Utah Territory
in 1881. It was originally published in a shorter version, named Riders of the Dawn, in the magazine Giant Western in June 1951, and then published in hardback in 1956 by Bouregy and Curl and in paperback by Bantam Books
in 1957. Bantam Books
republished the short version in 1986 along with two other stories ( The trail to crazy man which was expanded later to Crossfire Trail and Showdown on the Hogback, the original version of Showdown at Yellow Butte) under the title The Trail to Crazy Man.
Silver Canyon takes place in modern day San Juan County
, just east of the Colorado River
, in what is today the Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area and the Canyon Rims Recreation Area, not many miles upstream from Hite, Utah, which is mentioned in the story. The plot revolves around a young rider and gunfighter, Matt Brennan, who drifts into the town of Hattan's Point and immediately falls in love with a local rancher's daughter, Moira Maclaren. The town and the area around it are dominated by two large ranches, the Boxed M owned by Rud Maclaren, Moira's father, and the CP Ranch owned by the Pinder brothers. With a reason to stay in the area, Brennan buys into the Two-Bar Ranch, owned by old man Ball. The Two-Bar is sandwiched between the Pinder and Maclaren Ranches, and being squeezed out, as the two bigger ranches prepare for their showdown with each other.
L'Amour demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the terrain and the West in general, and you can today almost ride (or hike) to the same locations in which the events of the story took place. Some of the key features:
Hattan's Point, both the mesa and the town, are located on what is today called Middle Point, approximately 12 miles east and 5 north of Hite
, above Cataract Canyon
on the Colorado River
. The Boxed M Ranch headquarters was located just north of Bowdie Canyon (Cottonwood Wash in the story) on Bowdie Point, northeast of Hattan's Point. The Pinder Ranch was headquartered on modern Lean-To Point on the edge of Dark Canyon Primitive Area. Two-Bar Canyon is a branch off the north side of Bowdie Canyon, both of which drain Dark Canyon Plateau which rises to the summit of the Sweet Alice Hills. Located almost due west of Monticello, Utah
, access to the area is difficult, requiring use of a series of backcountry trails over the Abajo (Blue) Mountains
or off State Route 211 near Newspaper Rock, or by boat and foot/horseback northeast from Hite Marina on the upper end of Lake Powell. The terrain can be as deadly today as it was in the 1880s.
This area is the setting of a number of other L'Amour novels, including Dark Canyon
and Kilkenny
.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour
Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
set in south-central Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
in 1881. It was originally published in a shorter version, named Riders of the Dawn, in the magazine Giant Western in June 1951, and then published in hardback in 1956 by Bouregy and Curl and in paperback by Bantam Books
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
in 1957. Bantam Books
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
republished the short version in 1986 along with two other stories ( The trail to crazy man which was expanded later to Crossfire Trail and Showdown on the Hogback, the original version of Showdown at Yellow Butte) under the title The Trail to Crazy Man.
Silver Canyon takes place in modern day San Juan County
San Juan County, Utah
As of the current census of 2010, there were 14,746 people and 4,505 households. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 50.4% Native American, 45.8% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% African American and 2.3% reporting two or more races...
, just east of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, in what is today the Glen Canyon
Glen Canyon
Glen Canyon is a canyon that is located in southeastern and south central Utah and northwestern Arizona within the Vermilion Cliffs area. It was carved by the Colorado River....
National Recreation Area and the Canyon Rims Recreation Area, not many miles upstream from Hite, Utah, which is mentioned in the story. The plot revolves around a young rider and gunfighter, Matt Brennan, who drifts into the town of Hattan's Point and immediately falls in love with a local rancher's daughter, Moira Maclaren. The town and the area around it are dominated by two large ranches, the Boxed M owned by Rud Maclaren, Moira's father, and the CP Ranch owned by the Pinder brothers. With a reason to stay in the area, Brennan buys into the Two-Bar Ranch, owned by old man Ball. The Two-Bar is sandwiched between the Pinder and Maclaren Ranches, and being squeezed out, as the two bigger ranches prepare for their showdown with each other.
L'Amour demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the terrain and the West in general, and you can today almost ride (or hike) to the same locations in which the events of the story took place. Some of the key features:
Hattan's Point, both the mesa and the town, are located on what is today called Middle Point, approximately 12 miles east and 5 north of Hite
Hite, Lake Powell
Hite is located at the north end of Lake Powell along the Colorado River in Utah. Lake Powell, and all of its points of interest, is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service and available to the public for recreational purposes.Hite Marina is named...
, above Cataract Canyon
Cataract Canyon
Cataract Canyon is a long canyon of the Colorado River located within Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah. It begins on the upstream end at the confluence with the Green River and ends at the confluence of the Dirty Devil River...
on the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
. The Boxed M Ranch headquarters was located just north of Bowdie Canyon (Cottonwood Wash in the story) on Bowdie Point, northeast of Hattan's Point. The Pinder Ranch was headquartered on modern Lean-To Point on the edge of Dark Canyon Primitive Area. Two-Bar Canyon is a branch off the north side of Bowdie Canyon, both of which drain Dark Canyon Plateau which rises to the summit of the Sweet Alice Hills. Located almost due west of Monticello, Utah
Monticello, Utah
Monticello is a city located in San Juan County, Utah, and is the county seat. It is the second most populous city in San Juan County, with a population of 1,958 at the 2000 census. The Monticello area was settled in July 1887 by pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, access to the area is difficult, requiring use of a series of backcountry trails over the Abajo (Blue) Mountains
Abajo Mountains
The Abajo Mountains, also called the Blue Mountains, is a small mountain range west of Monticello, Utah, south of Canyonlands National Park and north of Blanding, Utah. The mountain range is located within the Manti-La Sal National Forest...
or off State Route 211 near Newspaper Rock, or by boat and foot/horseback northeast from Hite Marina on the upper end of Lake Powell. The terrain can be as deadly today as it was in the 1880s.
This area is the setting of a number of other L'Amour novels, including Dark Canyon
Dark Canyon Wilderness
Dark Canyon Wilderness, in the heart of southeast Utah's canyon country, is named for its high steep walls that narrow in the lower section so that they block the light in the morning and late afternoon...
and Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
.