Harry Goulding, Monument Valley, Hollywood and Yellowcake

Above, a sunset view of The Mittens in Monument Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Five years ago, I stayed at Goulding's Lodge Campground near Monument Valley. One could not ask for better scenery to camp near.

Thanks to Harry Goulding, the founder of Goulding's Lodge, we would not have the majestic vistas that backdropped in such movies as Stagecoach, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers and My Darling Clementine. All of these were directed by John Ford.

Above, John Wayne's Cabin at Goulding's Lodge used in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Durango Herald posted an article on Harry Goulding.

It starts with:

Born in Durango, Harry Goulding was a sheepman who marveled at the red rock monoliths of Monument Valley, Utah.

He brought Hollywood to Monument Valley and the Navajo Nation, but he also brought Geiger counters, uranium mines and decades of damage from radioactivity. How ironic that the same man who helped to create the modern image of the rugged American West and jobs for Navajo actors also urged employment for Navajo uranium miners with devastating health consequences. And it all began with sheep.

To read the full article, go here.