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PROVO, Utah (AP) -- A tram line leading to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon has been cut down.
The line was damaged in a July 25 fire that authorities say was human-caused, though they haven't determined whether it was intentional.
The tram, which led visitors to a mountaintop restaurant, hadn't been open for more than a decade.
After the fire, the Utah County sheriff's office ordered the owners to pull down the remaining cable, fearing people would use it to try to scale the rocky face along the 607-foot waterfall.
"This one could've lasted forever," said David Grow, 69, whose family operated the tram during the 1970s and 1980s and was hoping to restore it. "I'm really mad at somebody."
The Grow family has owned 22 acres surrounding the falls since 1974. The tram line has had a succession of owners since it opened in 1961.
The tram line was damaged by an avalanche a dozen years ago. Since then, the resort has become a haven for vagrants and daring teenagers. Graffiti sprawls over the sides of the tram station at the base. The Grow family planned to restore the lodge, but each attempt has failed for one reason or another. The latest push in 2007 hit a wall when the Forest Service required a $100,000 environmental study before it could be reopened. "It was the tram that made everyone nervous," Grow said.
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Information from: The Daily Herald
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
