John Otto Climbs Independence Monument

John Otto Loved the American Flag

John Otto built a pipe ladder up Independence Monument to raise the US flag on top.

Photo © Stewart M. Green

John Otto, born in 1879 in Missouri, was a true American patriot. He named many of the park’s formations for presidents or with a patriotic theme, like Independence Monument and Liberty Cap. Otto evidenced his patriotic fervor and love of country by raising flags wherever he could. One of his first flags was atop Liberty Cap on July 4th, 1909. But that wasn’t enough for Otto. He was loony enough to set his sights on scaling Independence Monument, the park’s tallest freestanding tower at 450 feet high, to raise a six- by twelve-foot flag atop its flat summit on Flag Day and Independence Day in 1911.

• Colorado National Monument
• The Monument's Geology
• John Otto: Father of Colorado National Monument
• John Otto Loved the American Flag
• John Otto's Ladder of Pipes
• The Grand Junction Daily News Reports on Otto's Feat
• John Otto Unfurls Old Glory Atop Independence Monument
• Climbing Otto's Route Today