My Musings: Moqui Cave and Little Hollywood

Another beautiful day in Angel Canyon!

We began our day with a volunteer shift at Cat World. Today, we were in Morgaine's Place, which is the home of a lot of sweet, senior kitties.

Since the weather was a little better today, we got to take a few of the kitties out on walks to get some fresh air. Some of the cats do really well on leashes, as long as you let them walk you not the other way around... taking cats on walks is very different from taking dogs on walks. Letting the cats have some outdoor time is really helpful for their well being, it gives them good exercise and it lets them explore a different environment.

Some cats don't do well on leashes but still like to go for walks... in special kitty strollers... I'm not going to lie, this made me giggle. But some of the cats really love it, while others hate it, cats are endlessly fascinating creatures. Taking cats out for walks in strollers is one of the kids' favorite things to do while volunteering at Cat World. There is a network of trails that weave around the different cat houses that are perfect for walks.

We had another free afternoon and the kids could NOT wait to show me the Moqui Cave. We pass by this cave multiple times a day while driving to different sections of Best Friends and every time we drive by, the kids tell me how awesome it is.

This cave has quite the unusual history, Moqui Cave was once used by Anasazi people as a shelter or food store, according to archaeological digs in the area. It was rediscovered by white settlers in the 19th century, and served as a speakeasy in the 1920s during Prohibition. In 1951, the cave was purchased by Laura and Garth Chamberlain, who opened a tavern and dance hall the following year, and it became a tourist attraction and museum. It currently contains a substantial rock collection, including many ultraviolet-fluorescent minerals, fossils, pottery, spear points, American Indian artifacts and art, dinosaur tracks (estimated to be over 140 million years old), and displays about the Anasazi. There is also display about the Ancestral Puebloan and a gift shop.

They have left the bar the way it was in it's heyday in the 1950s. The counter tops are made out of mosaics of agates and other colored stones and the stools are made out of tree stumps. Honestly, I wish it was still a working tavern and dance hall, it would have been a pretty fun place to have a unique night out. I'm glad it has been turned into a museum though and preserved instead of letting it fall into disrepair.

The old dance hall is where they keep their impressive rock collection and ultraviolet-fluorescent minerals

We found some fun treats in the gift store we were excited to try out!

While all the displays and history of the cave were pretty awesome, the best part of our visit was meeting Pipin, the most adorable black and white Pomeranian I have ever seen. He was super sweet and loved to be held, I asked if I could hold him and he fought it when I tried to put him down, he is like my dream puppy.

After visiting The Moqui Cave, we checked out another well known Kanab attraction, Little Hollywood.

"Kanab made its screen debut in 1924 when Tom Mix filmed "Deadwood Coach" along with his co-star, Tony The Wonder Horse. Since then, over a hundred Hollywood productions have taken advantage of the diverse and spectacular landscapes that make Southern Utah one of the most stunning places on Earth.

Credit for interest in Southern Utah as a Hollywood back lot goes to the Parry Brothers who leveraged their guiding business at Zion National Park into a virtual Hollywood production machine by luring influential filmmakers to the area.

Cecile B DeMille raised the profile of this location when he made "Union Pacific" here. John Ford's "Drums Along the Mohawk" proved that Kane County could stand in not only for iconic western landscapes but also as rugged eastern forest land.

Kanab became Little Hollywood central when the Parry Brothers continued to expand their Parry Lodge to accommodate the tastes and desires of the Hollywood elite. William Wellman first called Kanab Little Hollywood and the name stuck."

Little Hollywood is best known for it's Movie Museum, which consists of a variety of sets and props used in films, music videos, and TV shows all filmed in Kanab and it's surrounding areas. The museum was designed to be a fully immersive experience, and guests are encouraged to interact with all the sets, we could go in most of the buildings and could touch anything and everything. It was a very unique museum experience, perfect for any old western movie lovers.

"With its conservative Mormon values, Kanab may seem an unlikely partner for the Hollywood high life but it turned out to be a good fit. While the Mormons didn't approve of drinking alcohol, they duly opened bars and restaurants to make sure their Hollywood benefactors were well entertained, reaping the financial rewards along the way. The strong work ethic of the farmers and ranchers in the area, helped assure that when locals worked on film crews, that productions came in on time and on budget.

Hollywood reciprocated, not only by bringing more and more production to the area but also by springing for local improvements. When Frank Sinatra came to town with his Rat Pack pals, he not only paid for the swimming pool at the Parry Lodge but he bought football uniforms for the Kanab High School team."

There were signs on each of the buildings explaining which film the set was used in, I'm confused as to why I didn't take more pictures of the signs so we would all know where these sets were used, but who knows what I was thinking at the time ...

Taylor Kitsch has been to Utah! He is one of my biggest hollywood crushes.

"Movie producers continue to find cinematic gold in the surrounding hills including Clint Eastwood's 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' which used Kane County locations to stand in for locations ranging from Mexican badlands to Texas river bottoms.

Most recently, the Disney Pixar collaboration of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, "John Carter of Mars", came to town, building a fantastical Martial city near Big Water and the relic of a western town near Mount Carmel."