The Virgin River begins its 160-mile journey at an elevation of about 9,500 feet above sea level atop the Markagunt Plateau in southwestern Utah. As the river makes its way southwest toward its confluence with the Colorado River, it drops an astounding 7,800 feet at an average rate of forty-eight feet per mile, making it one of the nation's fastest-flowing rivers. Throughout its journey, it has carved steep canyons through the Colorado Plateau's sandstone. The most torrential section of the river occurs as it passes through Zion Canyon. Here, the river drops seventy-one feet per second through narrow slot canyons before briefly leveling off as it passes through the communities of Springdale, Rockville, and Virgin. Thunderstorms at the Virgin's headwaters funnel water through these canyons and unleash destructive flash floods downstream. At other times, the arid climate dramatically reduces the river's flow.1
James Jepson Jr., who lived in the...