Independence Monument is a 5,739-foot-elevation (1,749 meter) sandstone pillar located in

Colorado National Monument Colorado National Monument is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorad ...

, in Mesa County of western

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, United States. This iconic 450-foot-high landmark is situated one mile southeast of the monument's visitor center, and west of the community of Grand Junction, where it towers above the floor of Monument Canyon and Wedding Canyon. It is a popular climbing destination, and can be seen from Rim Rock Drive.

History

John Otto first arrived in the Grand Junction area in 1906. He lived alone in the canyons and used a pick and shovel to carve out trails. Otto is remembered as Colorado National Monument's founder, and its first custodian. A fervent patriot, he named the rock features after great heroes and historic events, with Independence Monument still bearing the name he bestowed. John Otto wedding

John Otto made the

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

of Independence Monument on June 14, 1911, flying Old Glory from the summit for Flag Day. That flag was presented to Otto by President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

. Subsequently, he would make the ascent on July 4 each year to again display the flag to celebrate Independence Day. But it wasn't climbing as is commonly practiced today. His method involved drilling holes and pounding in pieces of pipe to create a ladder. The pipes Otto attached were removed in the mid-1950s by the Park Service, but handholds and steps which he carved into the sandstone remain. John Otto married Boston artist Beatrice Farnham on June 20, 1911, at the base of Independence Monument in Wedding Canyon. It has become an annual tradition among climbers to raise the flag on the summit on July 4th each year.

Climbing

Established rock climbing routes on Independence Monument: * ''Otto's Route'' – – 5 pitches – First Ascent 1911 (by John Otto) * ''Independence Chimney'' – class 5.8 – 6 pitches – FA 1970 (by Mike Dudley and Fletcher Smith) * ''South Face Direct'' – class 5.9 – 5 pitches – FA 1971 (by Mike Dudley, Art Howells, Don Doucette) * ''Sundial Dihedral'' – class 5.11b – 6 pitches – FA 1986 (by Ed Webster and Peter Athans) * ''Dependence'' – class 5.10+ – 5 pitches – FA 1994 (by Jon Butler, Cam Burns, and Luke Laeser) * ''Geezer Highway'' – class 5.9+ – 6 pitches (by Mike Dudley and Dennis Willis)

Geology

This monolith is the remnant of a differentially eroded

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

composed primarily of cliff-forming

Wingate Sandstone The Wingate Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Glen Canyon Group of the Colorado Plateau province of the United States which crops out in northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Geology Wingate Sandstone is particularly ...

, which consists of wind-borne, cross-bedded quartzose sandstones deposited as ancient sand dunes approximately 200 million years ago in the

Late Triassic The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch of the Triassic Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch and followed by the Early Jurassic Epoch. ...

. The thin

caprock Caprock or cap rock is a more resistant rock type overlying a less resistant rock type,Kearey, Philip (2001). ''Dictionary of Geology'', 2nd ed., Penguin Reference, London, New York, etc., p. 41.. . analogous to an upper crust on a cake that is ha ...

at the summit consists of fluvial sandstones of the resistant

Kayenta Formation The Kayenta Formation is a geological formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the Colorado Plateau province of the United States, including northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Traditionally has been suggested ...

. The slope around the base of the Independence Monument is Chinle Formation.Stanley William Lohman, ''The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument'', Geological Survey Bulletin 1508, pages 18, 28-29. The floor of the canyon is Precambrian basement rock consisting of gneiss, schist, and granites. Precipitation

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock marke ...

from this geographical feature drains to the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

, approximately two miles to the northeast.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Independence Monument is located in a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

zone. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold with some snow. Temperatures reach on 5.3 days, on 57 days, and remain at or below freezing on 13 days annually. The months April through October offer the most favorable weather to visit.

Gallery

File:Wingate Sandstone (Lower Jurassic; Independence Monument, Monument Canyon, Colorado National Monument, Colorado, USA) 1 (23968808032).jpg File:Independence Monument, Colorado.jpg File:Wingate Sandstone (Lower Jurassic; Independence Monument, Monument Canyon, Colorado National Monument, Colorado, USA) 4 (23968823082).jpg, Climbers nearing the summit, Note the steps John Otto carved into the rock. File:Colorado National Monument (0c99a16c-539a-499d-bb5f-b235638f40f6).jpg File:Colorado's Independence Monument.jpg File:Independence Monument, CNM.jpg File:Independence Monument view from south.jpg File:US flag on top of Independence Monument.jpg File:Scenes from Rimrock Drive in Colorado National Monument 2.jpg, Independence Monument (left), Kissing Couple (right) File:View from Rim Rock Drive (9f1671cb-c2c7-42a8-9eb6-52a9f044b963).jpg, Pipe Organ (left), Independence Monument (right) from Rim Rock Drive File:The sandstone cliffs and spires of Colorado National Monument attract hundreds of climbers a year. (b3311955-b2a3-4cd5-ba8b-81d7355987bb).jpg, Climbers at the top of the first pitch of Otto's Route File:Independence Monument in a desert canyon.jpg, Left to rightː Egypt Rock, Kissing Couple, Grand View Spire, Independence Monument (centered), Pipe Organ (right). File:Colorado National Monument aerial.jpg, Aerial view with Independence Monument centered

References

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