Kanab, Utah: Mysterious Concrete Totem Pole (Gone)

It's a shame, but the totem pole is no longer there. Vandals ruined it. You have to have written permission to look.

Two statues carved out of rock; one is intact, and one is partially destroyed. This is on private property. You can't get real close to the statues, but there is a small parking space in front of them.

A half-mile north of Moqui Cave, on the west side of Highway 89, is the fenced-off remains of campground. Inside the fence is a 20-foot-tall dyed concrete totem pole that looks more Aztec than Pacific Northwest.

A humble snail is what doomed the park. The Kanab Amber Snail is an endangered species that inhabits the pond on the property. Utah Fish and Game told the owners that they had to kill some geese that someone had dumped there and send them the contents of their stomachs. If they found snail remains, the owners were to be subject to some large fines. However, when Utah Fish and Game showed up to do the deed, they decided not to due to all the media that had shown up to document the slaughter. It was later determined that the geese posed no threat to the snails and they were spared. As far as I know the snails and geese are still happily coexisting.

The area is fenced off and the totem pole is easy to miss against the red rock background. You can park and look, but it will be pretty hard to see at night.