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Dead Horse Point at Sunrise
Dead Horse Point, near Moab, Utah, gives visitors a spectacular insight into the power of flowing water when it is given 150
million years to do its patient, inexorable work. From the canyon rim, where this photo was taken, to the Colorado River
far below is a precipitous drop of 2,000 feet. The lone Utah juniper, growing from a crack in the arid rock, illustrates
how tenacious life must be to survive in this harsh yet beautiful landscape. According to legend, Dead Horse Point got
its name because the mesa top served as a natural corral with tall vertical cliffs on every side but one. Only a narrow
neck of land some 30 yards wide connected Dead Horse Point to the much larger mesa called the Island in the Sky, now part
of Canyonlands National Park. Local ranchers herded the wild mustangs living nearby onto Dead Horse Point, then closed
the gate on the short stretch of fence they built across the neck of land to prevent the horses' escape. After selecting
the best horses for their own use, the culls, called broomtails, were allowed to escape. On one occasion, however, either
the gate was left closed or the horses were unable to find their way out. All died of thirst within sight of the Colorado
River flowing through the abyss below.
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