One of the earliest additions to the national park system, and Utah's first national park, Zion, is located just north of Springdale, Utah in the southwest portion of the state. On July 31st, 1909, President Taft issued a proclamation setting aside over 15,000 acres as the Mukuntuweap National Monument. Another presidential proclamation in 1918 expanded the monument to 76,800 acres and was renamed Zion National Monument. Zion was established as a national park by congress in 1919. Kolob Canyons was added to Zion in 1956 expanding the park to over 148,000 acres (National Park Service, 2013).
The history of Zion dates back almost 12,000 years when its first human inhabitants tracked mammoth, giant sloth, and camel across southern Utah.
