Symbol of Nature’s handiwork, this central and most magnificent of Zion’s features still echoes the distant footfall of Spanish padre and American Frontiersmen passing unwittingly by its dooryard; it is mindful of the day when the first Mormon pioneer lifted uncomprehending eyes to the solitude of its summit, and of that other day when religious fervor called it Zion, the dwelling place of peace. Men have come, cutting their trails, building their roads, roofing their shelters, dreaming their dreams. The human tide around its base has ebbed and flowed, according to human wont, but it remains serene, aloof, alone. It will be so a thousand years from now. EPILOGUE 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.