10/23/2026
FYI!
Tuesday, October 27th is a free entrance day in honor of Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthday. As the 26th president of the United States, one of Roosevelt’s top priorities was conservation of our natural resources. He used his authority to protect approximately 230 million acres of public land, including five national parks and 18 national monuments.
Capitol Reef National Monument was established by a relative of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, the area would have never received national attention without the tireless efforts of local booster groups and civic leaders. One leading figure was Ephriam Pectol, a local entrepreneur and by the 1930s, a Utah Legislature representative. He would be the key local representative responsible for the eventual creation of Capitol Reef National Monument in 1937. Today, the geologic feature, Pectol's Pyramid, bears his name as a tribute to the decades he spent working to preserve Capitol Reef for past, current and future generations to enjoy.
NPS / S. Donnelly
