The Creeks Were Named For A Badger (Day 23)

September 24, 1884 - Soap Creek to Badger Creek (Vermillion Cliffs)

"It seemed that God had tried to make up in color what
he had left out in vegetation."  Juanita Brooks
(photo: jaypatelphotography.com)

Badger Creek (Vermillion Cliffs) near Badger Canyon (see map) is part of the Vermillion Cliff's National Monument  

Day 23 of 44 - Week 4 (Day 4)
Soap Creek to Badger Creek = 6 Miles: Total Miles = 429
Total Trip Average Miles per Day = 18.7: Average Miles per Day - Week 4 = 14.5 

September 24- 26

September 23 -24

Original Journal Entry (posted above)
Wednesday Sep 24
Horses came down to camp at daylight, fed grain and turned them up the canyon on good feed.  Stayed there until 3 o'clock shooting at marks etc.  Went after the horses and drove to Badger Creek 6 miles.  Sandy and rocky - water dried up - turned out on good feed - next morning there was plenty of water in the the creek.

Final Journal Entry (Charles P Anderson Journal - p 6)  Wednes. Sept. 24 horses came to camp at daylight - fed grain and turned them up the canyon on good feed - stayed there until 3 o'clock shooting at marks etc.  Went after animals and drove to Badger Creek 6 miles.  Sandy and rocky - water dried up.  Good feed.  Next morning there was plenty of water in the wash.

This was the fewest miles travelled in one day since the journey began.  They took a break at Soap Creek before they left and shot at marks.  This allowed time for the horses to rest as well. They waited until 3:00 P.M. to start for Badger Creek some six miles away. This will be one of the shorter blog posts.




Before they left Soap Creek (Cliff Dwellers) , they "went after animals."   I stayed the night before at Soap Creek and before I left, I also walked up what was probably the same canyon. It looked like there was plenty of water for the animals.  There is a video (Cliff Dweller's Lodge - Honeymoon Trail Hike).on Day 22 to follow the route up Soap Creek. 

Badger Creek was so named because Jacob Hamblin killed a badger there.  He then took it to  Soap Creek  where he attempted to make a stew of the badger.After boiling it all night in the alkaline water the stew was more soap than soup. That is how Soap Creek was named.

Badger Creek (Vermillion Cliffs)

Honeymoon Trail Road at Vermillion Cliffs

Vermillion Cliffs

Badger Creek Road at Vermillion Cliffs

Badger Creek at Vermillion Cliffs

Northern Arizona Guide Service

Lees Ferry Lodge

Lee's Ferry Lodge

Take a minute to click here and sit on the patio to see more views of the area

The journal says it was 6 miles from Soap Creek to Badger Creek as
does the map.  I won't argue but this would depend where they actually camped compared to where the map is measuring the distance.  The map is measuring from Cliff Dwellers Lodge to Lee's Ferry Lodge (and adds a little mileage for Honeymoon Trail Road).  They possibly camped nearer to Soap Creek east of Cliff Dwellers Lodge and west of Lee's Ferry Lodge.   But rounding the number would still put them at 6 miles.  They were "right on." 

The most difficult part of their journey would be at the next stop, This was the only place where they could cross the Colorado River for 260 miles.  This was due to the shale deposits which slop gently up to the river here.  Everywhere else along the Colorado from Moab, Utah to Laughlin, Nevada, the Colorado has cut through limestone and sandstone which creates vertical cliffs and gorges as it erodes, thus making it impossible to ford.  (Deseret USA).  In fact at Lee's Ferry a visitor can drive to the Colorado River, right up to the first rapid in the Grand Canyon.  A natural corridor between Utah and Arizona, Lee's Ferry figured prominently the exploration and settlement of northern Arizona.  It is now a meeting of the old and the new. (NPS)

Looking down at Lee's Ferry from the cliffs above

Additional Maps showing Soap Creek Trail, Honeymoon Trail Road and  Badger Creek Road





































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