The railroads' role in building up and promoting the nation's national parks is almost forgotten today. E.H. Harriman's son Averell, who went on to a distinguished career as politician and diplomat, played a major part in managing the Union Pacific after Harriman senior's death in 1909, and one of his projects was the promotion of the national parks of southern Utah, including development of Zion National Park with its famous Zion Lodge. This blanket was unexpectedly encountered during a stay in 1970 and speaks volumes about the UP's former role in this area.
