Cathedral crumbles: Religious sanctuary near Pahrump closes

Stacy J. Willis

Wednesday, April 14, 1999 | 11:04 a.m.

Some called it quirky: monuments to Abe Lincoln, Jesus Christ, a Flathead Indian chief, Albert Einstein and evangelist H.L. Moody together, standing along a canyon trail beside a neon-painted Virgin Mary statue and a couple of dirt-lodged, stained-glass windows.

Above Roland H. Wiley's folk-art religious sanctuary was a sign welcoming anyone who found himself on the stretch of nothing-but-desert Southern Nevada highway to stop and commune with God.

Cathedral Canyon, near Pahrump, was one man's distinct vision of a spiritual oasis. And over the course of 28 years, thousands of visitors shared it with him.

The canyon has been closed. Today, "Keep Out" signs are posted. A fence is wrapped around the entrance. Many of the placards, statues, and photos have been removed. The owners, survivors of Wiley, said through their attorney that the canyon was closed in March because it had been vandalized. Still, the religious displays had been deteriorating for several years -- since Roland's 1994 death -- and many longtime visitors had hoped to restore it.

"There have been a lot of people who were interested in saving it, but we all hit a brick wall with the family," said Marge Taylor, executive director of the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce, who spearheaded an effort to preserve the canyon.

Taylor received letters from son Roland J. Wiley indicating a reluctance to undertake a preservation project. "I had a lot of people who were behind me that wanted to save it. I went to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and they were prepared to help. But the last letter I got from the son said that if I wanted to save it, I should buy it," said Taylor. "But the Chamber doesn't have that kind of money."

Cathedral Canyon sits on a small portion of a 12,000-acre plot that straddles the California-Nevada border and is owned by multiple members of the Wiley family. Amidst a flurry of residential building in Pahrump's outlying areas, the land has been the subject of development speculation for years.

"We're not commenting on any discussion of sale of the property," said Wiley family attorney Steven Scow. "It has been closed because it was vandalized. The family is disappointed. It's not the first time it's been vandalized. Lights were broken, and statues were stolen or damaged.

"If people wanted to suggest a fund to help pay for it, that would be fine," Scow said. "If people want to donate to having it repaired, that would be nice, but I haven't heard of anyone who would be interested in doing that."

The 1972 creation of the canyon was the culmination of a dream for attorney Roland H. Wiley, who put more than $75,000 into its construction and insisted that it be open 24 hours a day and free to anyone who wanted to visit.

A sign at the top of the canyon, written by Wiley, reads: "Lest we forget, the true value of our coming to this place lies not in finding a new landscape but in having new eyes. It is my hope that this cathedral under the skies will give to you a set of new eyes, and a whole new way of seeing things."

"It meant a tremendous amount to people from all over the world. It was a religious sanctuary. It's really very, very sad," Taylor said.

"It was just the sort of shrine that people really enjoyed from all around the world. We have tourists come in to the chamber all the time who want to see it. It was one of the favorite places to go and see in our area. "When I heard they had the stairs roped off, I was sick," said Taylor.

"I'll remember most the peace and serenity out there. There was a wonderful, peaceful feeling there in that canyon. It was like it was gifted. I just loved to go out there."