WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
SHINOB KIBE
Washington, Utah
A small sloping mesa that sits above the Virgin River.
LOCATION
Washington, Utah37° 7' 2" North Latitude, 113° 29' 17" West Longitude
3,228 feet (984 meters) MSL
Aerial view of Shinob Kibe and the surrounding area For a higher resolution image, click here.
HISTORY
Shinob Kibe (aka Schinnob Kibe, Schnobki) was named for a Paiute deity who was considered a protector ofthe tribes. Shinob refers to the "Great Spirit" and Kibe is "Mountain".
This mesa was a sacred place to the local Paiute Indians. It was also a place of refuge where they would come
to get away from their enemies, particularly from the Navajos who used to raid to capture women and children
for slaves.
Indian tradition supports the view that Father Escalante spoke to the Indians on this knoll in 1776.
In the 1930s, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) constructed a concrete navigation arrow on the southern edge
of the mesa. They used a trail that came up from the west to carry supplies on pack animals. Though no longer
used, the arrow still remains.
There is currently an access trail up the north side of the mesa. On the top there is a hidden geocache, a place
to register, and the old navigation arrow.
PHOTOS
WCHS-01263 Photo of the Virgin River with Shinob Kibe in the background
Other WCHS photos:
WCHS-01264 Old photo of the Shinob Kibe
Other photos on the web:
Collection of photos from the area
REFERENCES
http://shinobkibe.infoForwards to https://www.facebook.com/ShinobKibe
A narrated 22 minute hike up the Shinob Kibe
No Filter: Climbing Shinob Kibe
by No Filter Show, St. George News, June 12, 2016
BLM offers reward for information on Shinob Kibe vandalism in Washington County
by Ryann Richardson, St. George News, May 20, 2019