National Park Service Rangers at the Museum by Moab Museum Staff |
A hiker explores the stream in Grandstaff Canyon. This Fall, a temporary exhibit at the Moab Museum highlights William Grandstaff, for whom the canyon is named. (Photo by Fran Barnes, Moab Museum Collection) |
Every year, thousands of visitors and locals alike enjoy the scenic hike and shady swimming holes of Grandstaff Canyon, located about ten minutes by car from the heart of downtown Moab. The canyon is both beautiful and historical, and a new exhibit opening at the Moab Museum in September explores the history of William Grandstaff, for whom the canyon is named.
Grandstaff has long occupied a prominent role in the region’s history: he was an early settler of the region, a Black frontiersman and cowboy who ran cattle in the late 1870s. Over the past two years, the Moab Museum has been grateful to the research efforts of musician and author Gerald Elias, as well as Nick Sheedy, Lead Genealogist of the PBS history show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. Elias and Sheedy have been able to offer fresh insights and ideas about Grandstaff’s past, supplementing what has long been known or surmised about Grandstaff with additional evidence and information to consider.
A temporary exhibit at the Moab Museum brings this genealogical research about Grandstaff to life, inviting visitors to both consider the remarkable life trajectory of one of Moab’s early settlers as well as examine the investigative work of historians who piece unknowns of the past together.
Attendees are invited to reflect: what might life have been like for Grandstaff during his time in Moab? How might his life trajectory have been similar or different from other people of his time- based on race, vocation, and other factors? How can genealogical research help us understand the past—and what mysteries may always remain unknown?
A members-only opening reception will be held on September 1st, and the exhibit will remain on display through the beginning of November.
The exhibit opening of Tracing the Story of William Grandstaff coincides with a special performance of a Gerald Elias composition entitled Grandstaff during the Moab Music Festival’s “Copland and the American West” program. This piece vibrantly imagines William Grandstaff’s life in Moab during the tumultuous time when he decided to move away. The performance date is Sunday, September 4th at Red Cliffs Lodge. Tickets and more information about this performance can be found at moabmusicfest.org.
The Moab Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tracing the Story of William Grandstaff will be on exhibit through early November. To learn more about Museum membership, programs and exhibits, and to read the Museum’s blog and explore online archives and collections, please visit moabmuseum.org
Movie & Western Memorabilia Museum at Red Cliffs Lodge |
Red Cliffs Lodge, on the banks of the mighty Colorado River, is home to the Moab Museum of Film & Western Heritage. The lodge is built on the old George White Ranch, a key location for nine of the big westerns including Rio Grande, Cheyenne Autumn, Ten Who Dared, The Commancheros, and Rio Conchos. The late George White was founder of the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission, the longest ongoing film commission in the world.
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