When the Great White Throne was scaled for the first time

  The Great White Throne, top left, in Zion National Park, with Angels Landing in the center.


IT was on June 30, 1931 when the Great White Throne, a 3,200-foot-tall momument in Zion National Park was successfully climbed for the first time.
According to the Salt Lake Telegram of July 3, 1931, Dan Orcutt of Los Angeles started his climb at 6:30 a.m. and used a smoke signal to signify his goal at 10:30 a.m.
However, Orcutt said he almost fell to his death. He slipped some 40 feet on the way down before regaining his hold.
W.H.W. Evans of Pasadena, Calif., was the only other known person to 
try and climb the Great White Throne previously. He slid some 1,000 feet down the cliffs and was believed to have perished until park rangers found him in critical condition. Searchers had to create an improvised stretcher out of ropes and tree branches to get the man down, according to the Salt Lake Telegram of June 30, 1927. They also had great difficulty in reaching his location. However, he did recover from his fall.