Swasey’s Cabin

Swasey’s cabin was built in 1921 by the Swasey Brothers (Joe, Sid, Charley, and Rod). The Swasey’s started running cattle and horses out of the area decades before they finally built the cabin, usually sleeping in the open or in shallow caves. The Swasey’s are responsible for naming many landmarks in the Swell, including Joe and His Dog, the Sid and Charley pinnacles, Rod’s Valley, Eagle Canyon, Sid’s Mountain, Cliff Dweller Flat, and more. Considered outlaws by many, their exploits were remarkable, including the one that occurred at a place appropriately named “Swasey’s Leap” where Sid, as the story goes, bet his brother Charley a small herd of cattle that Sid, on horseback, could jump 12 feet across the San Rafael River. Of course, the river was at the bottom of a gorge, 80 feet below! Sid was successful, and the cows were his.

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