Morbid Thoughts at Sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park -

There are several legends surrounding the origin of Dead Horse Point State Park’s name and each is upsetting and unfortunately quite literal, having to do with dead horses. The most popular version begins in the 1800’s when the area used to have herds of wild mustangs about, living their lives as wild horses would. Enter idiot cowboys. Wanting to acquire the best of these horses to serve their own purposes, they rustled a group of mustangs through the distinguishing features that would come to draw so many visitors to this park in the nowadays. The dramatic narrow mesa, a sandstone peninsula that ends at a 2,000 foot plunge down to the Colorado River acted as a natural corral of sorts, secured by a fence. After the cowboys chose the horses they found superior, they rode off–leaving the rest of the horses on the peninsula where they were trapped by the closed fence. And they all died of thirst or in attempts to access the river below.

The image of this did not leave my head as I sat and settled in for sunset viewing. Sit back and watch the changing colors… and try not to think of the perished horses.

Though all of the legends of “Dead Horse Point” seem feasible given the well-documented evil of men in history, the death of horses en masse has caused some spiritual restlessness, as reported and seemingly corroborated by numerous campers, rangers and hikers. The horse hauntings include thundering trots in the middle of the night and heartbreaking whinnying echoes through the canyon, predominantly on the East and West Rim trails. Other paranormal reports include visual sightings of Natives going about their daily lives. Besides this historical unrest, perhaps there are more recent stirrings. As is the case with many intense landscapes, accidental deaths happen. As I researched the park I read that a man from Texas fell 200 feet to his death as he hiked (100 yards off trail) with his family just days ago.

And not to be morbid, I swore I was going to witness someone’s demise as I perched on a safe rock that gave me the height I needed to view the scenery. I imagined what those around me would call out. The sounds that would forever traumatize all the good folks who filed in to watch the sunset. Sick, I know. But there were so many people walking, posing, lounging right at the very edge. It was unnerving to watch. Millennials, of course. Selfies, of course.