WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
POEM: CASTLE CLIFF
by Alice Lowe Corbett, Jun 1995
Men have built of brick or stone.
But one, balanced on the desert edge,
Is most truly natures' own.
By whom was it made? not human hand.
God fashioned it ages ago.
Standing guard over wastes of rock and sand
It can view the world below.
First, a silent partner with sun and sky---
Then a home for owls and hawks.
Here desert tortoises shuffled by
Jack rabbits --- the wary fox.
Bats and swallows roamed nristy caves,
As it stood for eons alone.
None comprehended the majesty of
That ancient tower of stone.
Then came men who loved its' thunder.
From a far off land they came.
Dear Uncles, Aunts, who felt its' wonder,
Gave it the new romantic name.
It looked like a land they'd left behind them
So with no question; but, or if---
They built where all the world would find them,
And aptly named it "Cast1e Cliff."
They called it home, and home it was---
So for many years to come,
They lived their lives in tune with nature.
Here in this spot they made things 'hum."
They piped water from the mountains
Searing desert winds to tame;
Attractive terraces... and fountains
Soon refreshed the ones who came.
A gas station served the autos.
Food, soft drinks, the people fed.
They had fish ponds, caves, and grottos.
They built rock cabins, with a bed.
World travelers, friends, and loved ones---
Summer, winter; Rain or shine
Came from seashore, desert, mountains
In a never-ending line.
When they spied the trees and flowers,
Part of the journey had an end.
They stopped and rested 'neath the bowers.
Each traveler became a friend.
Time has power life to arrange
Fate and history enter in.
People grow old, and highways change---
Thus to affect 'what might have been'.
"They" are still here in mem'ry for us,
As we fondly live it o,er.
We see the ancient cliff before us,
With the desert for a floor.
Wildflowers are yet more lively
Than they were in days gone by---
Owls still sleep in the "Witches Chimney"
Tortoises still lumber by...
CASTLE CLIFF awaits in grandeur
Where the desert meets the sky.