John Lee spent only three years at Lees Ferry. He was arrested in 1874, tried and executed in 1877 for his part in Mountain Meadows. Emma, however, continued to operate the ferry until May 1879, when the Mormon church purchased it. EmmaΓÇÖs Cabin and a succession of buildings are part of the Lees Ferry and Lonely Dell Historic District.
The ferry continued to operate until 1928, when it was abandoned after it capsized with a Model T Ford, two passengers, and the ferryman onboard. All three men drowned and the ferry was not rebuilt because of the pending completion of Navajo Bridge just downstream at Marble Canyon.
