Bullfrog
Marina is approximately 95 miles (153km) uplake from
Glen Canyon Dam, with the Waterpocket Fold on one
side and the Henry Mountains on the other. It offers
the largest array of services of any of the uplake
marinas.
What's
In a Name? Many people wonder where the bullfrogs
are in Bullfrog. It is uncertain just exactly how
Bullfrog got its name. In the days before the dam,
there was a small rapids on the Colorado River at
the mouth of Bullfrog Creek (now Bullfrog Bay). The
rapids were named Bullfrog Rapids, probably after
the creek. Older maps, however, show Bullfrog Creek
on the east side of the river. The drainage that is
now Bullfrog Bay was called Pine Alcove Creek on these
maps. The most probable scenario was that Bullfrog
was (mis)named for Bullfrog Creek.
Another story, probably apocryphal, is that Bullfrog
was named for a rock formation found on Mount Elsworth,
in the Henry Mountains just north of Bullfrog. Though
there is no evidence to support this theory, you can
see what appears to be a large frog stretched out
on the west face of Mount Elsworth when driving south
to Bullfrog on Highway 276. This formation is especially
visible in the late afternoon sun.
Early
Days. Like many of the places in Glen Canyon,
the Bullfrog area has a history prior to Lake Powell
and Glen Canyon Dam. One of the most fascinating stories
recalls the efforts of Robert Brewster Stanton and
the Hoskaninni Mining Company to wrest gold from the
waters of the Colorado River.
There have been several attempts to take gold from
the Colorado and San Juan rivers - none of them successful.
Robert Brewster Stanton, a young engineer who had
made survey trips down the Colorado, decided that
a dredge was the key to success. In 1900 he formed
the Hoskaninni Mining Company (named for a famous
Navajo leader) and established Camp Stone (named after
company president Julius F. Stone) in the Bullfrog
drainage near the mouth of a creek which today bears
his name.
The
dredge was hauled, in pieces, from the railhead in
Green River, Utah, across the Henry Mountains for
over a hundred miles to the rim of Glen Canyon. A
steep trail was blasted into Stanton Canyon (today
Stanton Creek) and the dredge was hauled down and
assembled at Camp Stone.
The
dredge did not work as Stanton had hoped. He reported
gold worth $30.15 in April and $36.80 in May - well
short of an investment reportedly in excess of $100,000!
The operation was soon abandoned after that and no
attempt was made to salvage any of the equipment.
It was reported that in 1938, former company president
Julius Stone was on a river trip with some other companions
and complained to them that he had never seen any
return on his investment in Stanton's dredge. The
group stopped at the dredge site and pulled out enough
lumber to build a fire and boil a pot of coffee. According
to reports, Stone drank a cup and told his friends,
"This is the only return I ever had from the
Hoskaninni investment. This cup of coffee cost me
$5,000!"
The
dredge, along with the other abandoned equipment,
remained in mute testimony to the futility of trying
to capture the fine "flour gold" of the
Colorado until the 1960's. It now lies 335 feet (104m)
under the waters of Lake Powell.
Bullfrog
Today. Today, Bullfrog Marina offers the widest
variety of services on the lake outside of Wahweap.
There is a National Park Service visitor center which
contains several exhibits relating the geological
and human history of Glen Canyon. Books, maps, posters
and videos about the area are for sale and personnel
are on hand to answer questions. This center is open
intermittently in March and 8 am - 5 pm daily from
April through October. It's closed November through
February.
This
same building also houses National Park Service offices
for the uplake District and Bullfrog Subdistrict.
In addition, a medical clinic operates from this building
from May through September. A physician's assistant
staffs this facility and provides emergency medical
care. NPS medics are on duty year-round. Emergency
medical evacuation by helicopter and fixed wing aircraft
is available.
The
National Park Service also provides a launch ramp,
portable toilet dump station, free boat pump-out station,
picnic area, fish cleaning station, and paved landing
strip for aircraft.
The
concessioner, ARAMARK, provides a full complement
of visitor services, including: a lodge, housekeeping
units, food services, gift shop, grocery store, 2
campgrounds (one with hook-ups), laundry, showers,
service station, boat rental, boat tours, and boat
repair. There is a post office in Bullfrog.
The
State of Utah maintains a regularly scheduled ferry,
capable of carrying cars, trucks, rv's and trailers,
which runs between Bullfrog and Halls Crossing. This
is a fee service and is available on a first come,
first served basis. The ferry is occasionally out
of service for repairs. If ferry service is crucial
to your trip, we recommend you call ahead to verify
that it is in service. See a ferry schedule and price
list.
