  Twenty-one years after Bryce Canyon became a national park, a “coming of Age” party was celebrated at Bryce Canyon on September 15, 1949. The Utah Parks Company acted as host. The Park Service cooperated by inviting to the celebration all those that could be found who were present at the dedication in 1928. The guests began arriving at Bryce Canyon the day before the celebration. A group that met in the dining room that evening included M. R. Tillotson, Regional Director of the Park Service; P. P. Patraw, Assistant Director and former Superintendent of Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks; Dr. Harold C. Bryant, Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park; Dr. Angus M. Woodbury, Professor of Zoology, University of Utah, formerly Park Naturalist of Zion and Bryce; their wives and Mr. Victor Petrosso, formerly manager of El Tovar Lodge at Grand Canyon. Others arrived next day including B. J. Finch, formerly District Engineer of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads; W. P. Rogers, Manager of the Utah Parks Company; Joel L. Priest, Jr. and E. C. Schmidt of the Union Pacific; Mr. and Mrs. David Rust of Provo, Utah; Mr. and Mrs. M. V. Walker, Naturalist of Zion and Bryce National Parks; Jack Christensen of Cedar City; D. C. Dix of the Salt Lake Tribune; and other officials of the Park Service and Utah Parks Company, making a total of 41. Many other invited guests expressed regret at not being able to attend. Those that were present at both the 1928 and 1949 celebrations included the Tillotsons, Finch, Woodbury, Christensen, Schmidt and the Rusts. Festivities started at noon with a luncheon in the Lodge dining room, after which, about 40 guests were taken on a tour in an ultra modern luxurious Utah Parks bus by Park Naturalist M. V. Walker along the Bryce Rim as far as Rainbow Point and Yovimpa View where everyone enjoyed the friendly greetings of old acquaintances, the superb natural sculptures and the marvelous vistas from the high points where the Aquarius Plateau, the Henry Mountains, the Kaiparowits Plateau, Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab were all to be seen in the unsurpassed landscape. At 7 p.m., the group converged on the superintendent’s residence where Mr. and Mrs. Smith held open house and dispensed hospitality lavishly. At 8:15 p.m., the group moved to the lodge dining room where a sumptuous banquet given by the Utah Parks Company was followed by a program at which Superintendent Smith presided and interestingly introduced the speakers. Ranger in charge, John G. Lewis gave the address of welcome. Reminiscences of the early days in the Utah National Parks were related by Dr. Woodbury, who also referred to the outstanding work which Mr. B. J. Finch, formerly of the Bureau of Public Roads, did in pioneering the Zion-Mt Carmel Highway and Tunnel. Lean-to Natural Bridge overlooking Springdale in Zion Canyon. Courtesy U. S. National Park Service. Mr. Tillotson gave the main speech of the evening, in which he called attention to the great growth in travel into Bryce from 21,977 in 1929 to 189,493 in 1949, and pointed to the fine work of the Utah Parks Company in making this possible. He also reported that Dr. Thomas H. McDonald, Commissioner of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, who had been present in 1928 but could not come in 1949, wrote that “Bryce Canyon, since I first saw it, has been to me one of the most delightful places in the West. I have long felt that a vacation road from Southwest Colorado crossing the Colorado River and coming into Bryce Canyon through Escalante, if properly developed and controlled, offers the best opportunity in the west ...” and thus kindled a fire under the hopes of all Bryce enthusiasts for it would open up the heart of the great scenic area of southeastern Utah, of which, Zion, Bryce and Wayne Wonderland are on the outskirts. Mr. W. P. Rogers responded with a witty talk about old times, spoke of the fine cooperation of the Park Service and proposed a further reunion in another five years. The next day, the writer retraced old trails in Zion Canyon and visited the museum and park headquarters where Naturalist Walker explained the developments taking place. Especially prominent was the great increase in the literature available to the public provided by the Natural History Association that had been organized by the writer in 1929. This included pictures, colored slides and publications, among which the works of Dr. H. E. Gregory on the geology of the region were outstanding. (uncaptioned)
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