 Left behind, this lone wagon was once a part of the Mormon community of Fruita, settled by these pioneers in the late 1800s. Capitol Reef became a national park in 1971. It takes its name from a rounded dome of golden-white sandstone that Mormon pioneers thought to look similar to the United States Capitol building in Washington. The second part of the name was inspired by the 100-mile-long wall of rock, Waterpocket Fold, which the pioneers found to be a barrier to travel and which reminded them of barrier reefs in the ocean.
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