Green River locals know there’s always someone looking over their shoulders. From a certain angle, the side of the rock formation that overlooks the town resembles a man’s face in profile.
It’s Mansface Hill, and it’s a local Green River landmark one can’t unsee once it’s pointed out. The face of a man gazing up into the heavens has a housing development, a strip mall and liquor store all named for the unique rock formation.
Former State lawmaker Stan Blake said it's become a local tradition to haul a Christmas tree up to the hill every year and light it up.
Dave Mead, executive director of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, said a local Boy Scout troop is responsible for the Christmas tree placed annually near the rock formation. The tree generally appears shortly after Thanksgiving. It's a tradition that dates back to the 1970s.
Why ‘Mansface?’ It’s Obvious
"The way it was named is fairly obvious," Mead said. "I can see it out of my window and it looks just like a man's face.
Dick Blust, museum services specialist at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, said the Christmas tree tradition started in the late 1970s by a group of Green River High School students.
“Mike Harris, Lynn Herr, Jan Meeboer, Jeannie Gilmour and Stacey Gilmour started the tradition with the help of Jeannie and Stacey's father, Hal Gilmour," Blust wrote in an email to Cowboy State Daily. "He helped design and install the original tree stand and power supply. Later, the project was taken over by the Boy Scouts, then Al Harris organized a group of local citizens to erect the tree.”
Harris was presented with a community service award from the city of Green River last year for his efforts.
A Local Landmark
Inside the museum there are dozens of photographs with the Mansface rock formation in the background, Mead said.
One of those photos is of a camp used by the John Wesley Powell expedition in 1869.
Major Powell, a Civil War veteran, left from Green River on May 29, 1869, to begin the expedition to explore the Colorado River drainage. The expedition included 10 men in four wood boats.
The museum also holds several historic photographs of small airplanes flying into an airstrip at the base of Mansface Hill.
"It was the first airport in this area," Mead said. "They flew the mail in in small single engine airplanes. You can clearly see Mansface in the background of several photographs. At that time there was nothing but sage brush up there."
An Easy Climb
Along with watching over the town and being the focus of Green River’s Christmas spirit, Mansface Hill has a reputation in rock climbing circles as a place to easily access for a few of good climbs.
The Mountain Project lists two climbing routes worth trying on Mansface Hill, one called Liar Liar and known as Unknown Crack 1.
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