The other night I saw Wonderhussy’s latest video about a possible spaceport that might cover over what’s left of Cathedral Canyon. I’d never heard of this place, but when I saw it was just half an hour away from where I’m camping in Pahrump, I decided to go see it for myself.
Wonderhussy’s video, as well as this article, do a great job telling the history of the place. To summarize, Roland Wiley, who was quite influential in the growth of Las Vegas into what it is today, decided to turn this small box canyon into a religious shrine in the middle of the desert. He not only built a 20-foot tall statue of Jesus, but also a number of enclaves with other statues and texts, a waterfall, and even a suspension bridge across the middle of the canyon so you could see it all from overhead. He even wired up lights so that nighttime visitors could flip a switch and see the whole canyon light up. That must’ve been an impressive sight.
Wiley died in 1994, and had made no provisions for preserving this site, so it fell into disrepair. It is now public land, free to visit, but very little of what Wiley built is left. One of the only remaining features is what’s left of the statue, which has been shot up beyond all recognition. I’m not a religious person, but who shoots Jesus? Apparently desert people with nothing better to do.
The suspension bridge footings remain, but that’s it. The bridge itself is long gone.
Water no longer flows over the waterfall. It’s the desert, after all. A little bit of the artwork behind it remains, but it’s mostly graffiti now. Apparently, church services and even baptisms were once held here.
The frame of the main gate still remains. Tire tracks indicate that people still drive through it and into the canyon itself. I tried taking my bike down there, but the road has washed out pretty badly in places, and I didn’t want to take any risks being out here by myself. The V-Strom isn’t as capable in these conditions as my KLR was, and my dirt riding skills beyond gravel roads are a bit rusty these days. So I didn’t actually go into the canyon itself.
If you look carefully, you can see two doorways in the canyon walls. These used to be fully functional bathrooms! Wiley thought of everything here.
Adding even more to this place’s strangeness is the grave of Quehoe. He had a rough life as a half-Native, resorted to a life of crime, and is considered Nevada’s first serial killer. Some question whether he was actually responsible for these crimes or not. Legends have a way of growing a life of their own, and racist attitudes toward Natives and half-bloods could have made a scapegoat out of him. Either way, he died hiding in a cave, and was found years later by miners. After years of his bones going on display at the annual Helldorado Days celebration in Las Vegas, Roland Wiley bought them, then gave Quehoe a proper burial at Cathedral Canyon. This is pretty much the only thing left here that hasn’t been desecrated.
Was it worth the trip? Even after watching Wonderhussy’s video, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to visit. The place has an interesting story, and it would’ve been well worth seeing back in its heyday. But now there’s almost nothing left, so it’s not worth any kind of pilgrimage. For me, I was already nearby, I’m a history nerd, and it was a convenient excuse for a short bike ride. I have no regrets about going, but now that I’ve seen it I probably won’t return.
That is, unless they actually build a spaceport here. I’m also a space nerd, and I’d love to see it if it happens. I wonder if it will, though. The reason NASA launches out of Cape Canaveral is so rockets take off over the ocean. In the event of a catastrophic failure, the debris will fall harmlessly into the ocean. The same goes for launches out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is used for polar orbits, with rockets launching south over the Pacific. But here, rockets would launch over land, with Pahrump quite nearby. I’ve seen videos of failed Chinese rockets crashing into nearby villages. I can’t imagine they’d put Pahrump at the same risk. But I’ve been wrong once or twice before in my life.
Smokey Da Van 