Provo Canyon
AA-2026-F14219
On the image
Travelling to see grand natural wonders in the 1970s meant you were often relying on a film camera that had a limited ability to convey the true scale or sharpness of what you were witnessing. The human eye is a superior optical device, but it lacks a shutter button.
This photographer, likely on a vacation or scenic drive through Provo Canyon, aimed to capture the majestic twin cascades of Bridal Veil Falls. The slightly blurred, deep blue tones were a common aesthetic outcome of certain film types and amateur camera operation of the era, where the promise of "vivid colour" often translated to a single dominant hue.
What results is a perfectly representative document of the journey: the impressive mountain, the insistent water, and the knowledge that the actual memory was probably much clearer than the photograph, a common paradox of analogue photography.
The historian's note
Bridal Veil Falls is a prominent natural landmark located in Provo Canyon, Utah, within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The falls feature a double cataract that plunges 607 feet into the Provo River, making it one of the tallest waterfalls in Utah. During the 1970s, the falls were a popular and easily accessible roadside attraction, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for both locals and tourists.
The area around Bridal Veil Falls has a rich history, including the operation of an aerial tramway from 1961 until it was destroyed by an avalanche in 1996. The falls are a significant geological feature of the Wasatch Range, attracting visitors for their natural beauty and the surrounding hiking trails. The blue colour cast in the image is characteristic of certain film emulsions or photographic processes common in the 1970s, which sometimes resulted in shifts towards cooler tones.
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Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-F14219. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/bridal-veil-falls-provo-canyon-utah-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026F14219,
title = {Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-F14219},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/bridal-veil-falls-provo-canyon-utah-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-F14219 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/bridal-veil-falls-provo-canyon-utah-1970s ER -
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