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ZION NATIONAL PARK — It might not be the most popular sign in Utah, but it sure comes close.
"This was built in the 1930s," archaeologist Russ Cash said, “and it's part of the register of historic places."
Close to 4.5 million visitors saw the southern entrance sign to Zion National Park in 2016 — another record year for the park. But soon, because another lane of traffic is being added, the sign has to be moved.
So, Cash is digitally documenting the sign.
"This is the most accurate way to get detailed measurements of this," he said.
Cash is using 3-D laser gear to scan the entrance monument as it currently stands.
"That laser gets reflected out into the landscape somewhere and creates a point on the landscape. This machine does that thousands upon thousands of times per minute and creates this big gigantic cloud of points," Cash said.
Using those points, the monument can be re-created exactly as it is. Cash is mapping it just in case something happens to it while it's being moved.
"Say one of those little blocks breaks, or the structure itself begins to topple or falls over. We can go in the computer and we can get exact measurements of each of those individual blocks," he said.
The monument sign is only being moved about 20 feet, to a spot that will make it safer for visitors.
"We're going to create a nice little space here for people who want to come and take a picture of the monument, who won't be in the way of traffic," park spokesperson John Marciano said.
Moving the sign is another indication of just how busy Zion has become. For Cash, it’s also important it is to remember what it's like now.
"Fifty years down the road, if somebody wants to know what things used to look like, they can find out by looking at this digital model and seeing this entire area," he said.
Contributing: Xoel Cardenas
