06/19/2026 — Shalana Battles
A Canyon Wedding, 115 Years Later: Joyce B. Lohse Pens Among Canyon Shadows
Some love stories last a lifetime. Others last a single summer—but leave their name on a canyon forever.
A Wedding in the Shadows
On the morning of June 20, 1911, a small wedding party made its way into Monument Canyon. A dozen or so guests arrived on horseback and in horse-drawn buggies, picking along a winding, rocky trail that John Otto himself had cleared and built. When the route finally gave out, they walked the last stretch on foot to reach a rustic stone altar at the base of Independence Monument.
There, beneath the spire he loved more than almost anything, Otto married Beatrice Farnham.
Join Us June 20
Author Joyce B. Lohse will be signing copies of her book Among Canyon Shadows: An Eastern Artist in Western Colorado on the back porch of the Saddlehorn Visitor Center, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
She’ll be joined by our Community Artist in Park, Katelyn Pierce, for a full morning of stories, art, and conversation on the rim.
It’s an open house—no registration required.
Just a few things to know before you come:
🎟️ Park passes are required for entry to the Monument
🚗 Carpooling is encouraged
⛅ The event may be cancelled or postponed due to weather
The Man Who Found the Heart of the World
Most visitors know John Otto as the founding father of Colorado National Monument—the tireless, eccentric trail builder who flooded Washington with letters until President Taft proclaimed the monument on May 24, 1911, and who went on to serve as its first custodian for a salary of one dollar a month.
“I came here last year and found these canyons, and they felt like the heart of the world to me.”
— John Otto, 1907
Far fewer know the story of the woman he married barely a month after that proclamation.
Beatrice’s Side of the Story
Beatrice Farnham was an independent Boston artist who came west in 1911 to paint this dramatic canyon country. By the accounts of her day, she was unconventional and outspoken—a woman who piloted her own motorboat down midwestern rivers and never shied from speaking her mind.
She and Otto camped near one another while she painted and he worked, and over that summer, they decided to marry. His wedding gift to her wasn’t a ring, but a burro. The couple planted a tree together and declared it would grow as long as their love lasted.
It did not grow long.
By late August, Beatrice had returned East—unable, as she later put it, to live with a man to whom even a cabin felt like an encumbrance.
The marriage was over within weeks. But the canyon where they wed has carried the name Wedding Canyon ever since.
Among Canyon Shadows picks up where the legend usually stops. Rather than leaving Beatrice as a footnote in Otto’s biography, the book follows her own artistic journey, the full story of that eventful summer, and the surprising life she built after she left the canyons—and her trailblazer partner—behind.
About the Author
Joyce B. Lohse brings a journalist’s eye and a historian’s patience to her work, writing historical biographies for readers of all ages. A former administrator for Women Writing the West, she has contributed history articles to magazines including True West, Steamboat, Colorado Central, and Women Out West.
She’s also a fiber artist and a proud member of the Colorado National Monument Association—which makes this signing a true homecoming.
Come Stand Where the Story Happened
Free and open to the public (park pass required for monument entry)
Get Your Copy of Among Canyon Shadows – Available All Summer
If you’re visiting us in person, copies are available at the CNMA Bookstore inside the Saddlehorn Visitor Center.
You can also purchase your copy from the comfort of home through our online Rim Rock Shop. Visit our online store to order your copy today.
Take a journey into the stories and landscapes that make Colorado National Monument so special.
