Historic District River Trail

Charles Spencer arrived at Lees Ferry a far better salesman than miner, and the river trail traces the ruin of his ambition. Between 1910 and 1912 he sank investors' money into scheme after scheme to pull gold from the Chinle clay: a steam boiler hauled by ox-team, a mule trail to a distant coal seam, even a steamboat shipped in pieces from San Francisco. None of it worked; the gold would not separate from the mud. He left behind stone buildings and a lesson in frontier hope.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Antelope Canyon — 12 mi
  Tsé bighánílíní — where the water runs through the rock

More markers nearby

• Lees Ferry Fort — steps away
• Lees Ferry — steps away
• Upper Ferry Site — 0.5 mi
• Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness — 0.6 mi