Arguably Moab's
largest industry, at least for the last quarter century, is the tourist
industry. As early as 1906 the Grand Valley Times began promoting the
tourism possibilities of the area, and in 1909 the Moab Commercial Club
was organized to advertise the scenic attractions and recreational advantages
of the Moab region. A significant boost to tourism came with the designation
of Arches National Monument in 1929; however, the Great Depression and
World War II brought few visitors to the Moab area. After World War
II the river-running craze began slowly in the 1950s, gained momentum
in the 1960s, and became a staple of the region's tourist industry by
the early 1970s. The establishment in 1964 of Canyonlands National Park,
for which Moab serves as the northern gateway, was another milepost
along the way to Moab's becoming an important tourist and recreation
destination. During the 1980s Moab, with its hundreds of miles of slickrock
trails, gained worldwide fame as a mountain-biking center.
While the greatest
number of Moab residents are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, the community's diversity is reflected in the significant
number of other churches in Moab, including Assembly of God, Baptist,
Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Seventh-day Adventist churches. By
1980, Moab's population had reached a high of 5,333, but by 1990 it
had dropped to 3,971. More recently, the population appears to again
be on the rise as Moab increases in popularity and notoriety as a recreation
destination.
See: Raye C.
Ringholz, Uranium Frenzy--Boom and Bust on the Colorado Plateau (1989);
Fawn McConkie Tanner, The Far Country--Regional History of Moab and
La Sal, Utah (1976); and Grand County Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Grand
Memories (1972).
Margaret S. Bearnson