Friday, December 31, 2010
NATIONAL MONUMENTS OF THE USA PART FOUR
37. Yucca House National Monument (Colorado)
Entrance to Yucca House National Monument. [ Photo by Nationalparks / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]
Yucca House National Monument is a United States National Monument located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. Yucca House is a large, unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan archaeological site. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the site a National Monument on December 19, 1919, after the donation of 9.5 acres (38,000 m2) of land on July 2, 1919 by a private landowner. It was one of many research national monuments designated during that era to preserve them for future investigation, and not necessarily as sites expected to be significant public attractions. As a National Park Service historic area, the park was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Currently, there are no facilities or fees at Yucca House. The site is managed by Mesa Verde National Park. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)38. Dinosaur National Monument (Colorado, Utah)
Green River Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument [ Photo by Michael Rissi / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Dinosaur National Monument is a National Monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. The nearest communities are Vernal, Utah and Dinosaur, Colorado. This park has fossils of dinosaurs including Allosaurus, Abydosaurus (a nearly complete skull, lower jaws and first four neck vertebrae of the specimen DINO 16488 found here at the base of the Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation is the holotype for the description) and various long-neck, long-tail sauropods. It was declared a National Monument on October 4, 1915. The rock layer enclosing the fossils is a sandstone and conglomerate bed of alluvial or river bed origin known as the Morrison Formation from the Jurassic Period some 150 million years old. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)39. Hovenweep National Monument (Colorado, Utah)
Hovenweep National Monument [ Photo by National Park Service photo / public domain ]Hovenweep National Monument straddles the Colorado-Utah border Northeast of Bluff, Utah, United States. President Warren G. Harding proclaimed Hovenweep a National Monument on March 2, 1923. The Monument consists of six clusters of Native American ruins. Four of these are in Colorado: Holly Canyon, Hackberry Canyon, Cutthroat Castle and Goodman Point. In Utah, the two sets of ruins are known as Square Tower and Cajon. The modest Monument headquarters is located at Square Tower Group between Pleasant View, Colorado and Hatch Trading Post, Utah. In 1854, W.D. Huntington and an expedition of Mormon colonists were the first people of European descent to see the Hovenweep ruins, which were already known to the Ute and Navajo tribes. The name Hovenweep, which means "deserted valley" in Piute/Ute languages, was adopted by pioneer photographer William Henry Jackson in 1874. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)40. President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home (District of Columbia)
Lincoln Cottage in August of 2007. [ Photo by Mvincec / public domain ]President Lincoln's Cottage is a national monument on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home, known today as the Armed Forces Retirement Home. It is located in the Petworth and Park View neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.. President Lincoln's Cottage was formerly known as Anderson Cottage. President Abraham Lincoln and family resided seasonally on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home to escape the heat and political pressure of downtown Washington, as did President James Buchanan before him. President Lincoln's Cottage also served as the Summer White House for Presidents James Buchanan (1857-1861), Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881), and Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885). The historic Cottage, built in the Gothic revival style, was constructed from 1842 to 1843 as the home of George Washington Riggs, who went on to establish the Riggs National Bank in Washington, D.C. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)41. Castillo de San Marcos (Florida)
The north wall of the Castillo de San Marcos. [ Photo by Victor Patel / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]The Castillo de San Marcos site is the oldest masonry fort in the United States located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. Construction was begun on the fort in 1672 by the Spanish when Florida was a Spanish possession. During the twenty year period of British occupation from 1763 until 1784, the fort was renamed Fort St. Mark, and after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 the fort was again renamed to Fort Marion, in honor of revolutionary war hero Francis Marion. In 1942 the original name of Castillo de San Marcos was restored by Congress. The European city of St. Augustine was founded by admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés for the Spanish Crown in 1565 on a site of a former Native American village. Over the next one hundred years, the Spanish built nine wooden forts for the defense of the town in various locations. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)42. Fort Matanzas National Monument (Florida)
Fort Matanzas [ Photo by Intergalacticz9 / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Commemorated in 1924, Fort Matanzas National Monument is a United States National Monument run by the National Park Service. The Monument consists of a 1740 Spanish fort, Fort Matanzas, and about 100 acres (0.4 km²) of salt marsh and barrier islands along the Matanzas River on the northern Atlantic coast of Florida. It is operated by the Park Service in conjunction with the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and several sites in the city of St. Augustine. Fort Matanzas guards Matanzas Inlet, the southern mouth of the Matanzas River, which can be used as a rear entrance to the city of St. Augustine. Such an approach avoids St. Augustine's primary defense system centered at Castillo de San Marcos. In 1740, Gov. James Oglethorpe of Georgia used the inlet to blockade St. Augustine and launch a 39 day siege. St. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)43. Fort Frederica National Monument (Georgia)
Ruins of Frederica home [ Photo by Bubba73, Jud McCranie / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Fort Frederica National Monument, on St. Simons Island, Georgia, preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. About 630 British troops were stationed at the fort. A town of up to 500 colonial residents had grown up outside the fort. The town was named Frederica, after Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King George II. The monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In the early 18th century, Europeans called the land lying between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida the Debatable Land. Today's state of Georgia was then the center of a centuries-old imperial conflict between Spain and Britain. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)44. Fort Pulaski National Monument (Georgia)
Inside of Ft. Pulaski [ Photo by Bubba73, Jud McCranie / CC BY 3.0 ]Fort Pulaski National Monument is located between Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. It preserves Fort Pulaski, notable as the place where, during the American Civil War, in 1862, the Union Army successfully tested a rifled cannon. The success of the test rendered brick fortifications obsolete. The fort was also used as a prisoner-of-war camp. The National Monument includes most of Cockspur Island (containing the fort) and all of adjacent McQueens Island. Following the War of 1812, President James Madison ordered a new system of coastal fortifications to protect the United States against foreign invasion. Construction of a fort to protect the port of Savannah began in 1829 under the direction of Major General Babcock, and later Second Lieutenant Robert E. Lee, a recent graduate of West Point. The new fort would be located on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River. (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)45. Ocmulgee National Monument (Georgia)
The Temple Mound was built atop a bluff overlooking Walnut Creek, a major tributary of the Ocmulgee River [ Photo byVisiblyannoyed / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Ocmulgee National Monument preserves traces of over ten millennia of Southeastern Native American culture, including major earthworks built more than 1,000 years ago by Mississippian culture peoples: the Great Temple and other ceremonial mounds, a burial mound, and defensive trenches. They represented highly skilled engineering techniques and soil knowledge, and the organization of many laborers. The 702-acre (2.84 km2) park is located on the east bank of the Ocmulgee River. Present-day Macon, Georgia has developed around the site. While the mounds had been studied by some travelers, professional excavation did not begin until the 1930s, under the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) sponsored large-scale archaeological digs at the site between 1933 and 1942. (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)46. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Hawaii)
The interior of Laysan, showing its lake and the birds that nest there. [ Photo by Cindy Rehkemper, http://www.doi.gov// public domain ]The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (aka Papahānaumokuākea) is a World Heritage listed, U.S. National Monument encompassing 140,000 square miles (360,000 km2) of ocean waters, including ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, internationally recognized for both its cultural and natural values as follows: As a mixed site with natural and cultural resources, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) commented on the natural features of the monument, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) assessed its cultural aspects. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)47. World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (Hawaii, Alaska, California)
USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor [ Photo by ErgoSum88 / public domain ]The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument is a United States national monument honoring several aspects of American engagement in World War II. It encompasses 9 sites in 3 states totaling 6,310 acres (2,550 ha): The monument will be administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The actual wrecks of the Arizona, Utah, and Oklahoma are not parts of the monument, and remain under the jurisdiction of the US Navy. The monument was created on December 5, 2008, through an executive order issued by President George W. Bush under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The proclamation date was selected in anticipation of the 67th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 2008. This is the first proclamation of a national monument in Alaska since passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)48. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (Idaho)
Craters of the Moon, Idaho, USA. North Crater in winter. [ Photo by NPS image / public domain ]Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a national monument and national preserve located in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho, U.S.A. It is along US 20 (concurrent with US 93 & US 26), between the small cities of Arco and Carey, at an average elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level. The protected area's features are volcanic and represent one of the best preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States. The Craters of the Moon Lava Field spreads across 618 square miles (1,601 km2) and is the largest mostly Holocene-aged basaltic lava field in the lower 48 U.S. states. The Monument and Preserve contain more than 25 volcanic cones including outstanding examples of spatter cones. The 60 distinct lava flows that form the Craters of the Moon Lava Field range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)NATIONAL MONUMENTS OF THE USA PART THREE
25. Cabrillo National Monument (California)
Cabrillo Statue at Cabrillo National Monument (near San Diego, California) [ Photo by Kmf164 / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]Cabrillo National Monument is located at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California. It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later became the West Coast of the United States. On October 14, 1913, by presidential proclamation, Woodrow Wilson reserved 0.5 acres (2,000 m2) of Fort Rosecrans for "The Order of Panama… to construct a heroic statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo." By 1926 no statue had been placed and the Order of Panama was defunct, so Calvin Coolidge authorized the Native Sons of the Golden West to erect a suitable monument. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)26. California Coastal National Monument (California)
islands and rocks of California Coastal National Monument [ Photo by BLM-Photo / public domain ]The California Coastal National Monument is located along the entire coastline of the U.S. state of California. Created by Presidential proclamation on January 11, 2000, the monument, which covers about 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land, is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The creation of the monument ensures the protection of all islets, reefs and rock outcroppings from the coast of California to a distance of 12 nautical miles (22 km) along the entire 840-mile (1,350 km) long California coastline. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)27. Carrizo Plain (California)
A Fall view of Carrizo Plain National Monument from the Selby Campground. [ Photo by manoseca / public domain ]The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed plain, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long and up to 15 miles (24 km) across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Los Angeles, California. It contains the 250,000 acre (1,012 km²; 101,215 ha) Carrizo Plain National Monument, and it is the largest single native grassland remaining in California. It includes Painted Rock in the Carrizo Plain Rock Art Discontiguous District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the easiest places to view surface fractures of the San Andreas Fault which traverses below the plain. The plain extends northwest from the town of Maricopa, following the San Andreas Fault. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)28. Devils Postpile National Monument (California)
Rainbow fall at Devils Postpile National Monument [ Photo by Mila Zinkova / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Devils Postpile National Monument is located near Mammoth Mountain in extreme northeastern Madera County in eastern California. It was established in 1911, and protects Devils Postpile, an unusual formation of columnar basalt. Devils Postpile National Monument contains 798 acres (3.23 km2) and includes two main tourist attractions: Devils Postpile (a columnar basalt formation); and Rainbow Falls, a waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. In addition, the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail pass through the monument. Devils Postpile National Monument was once part of Yosemite National Park, but discovery of gold in 1905 near Mammoth Lakes prompted a boundary change that left the Postpile on adjacent public land. A proposal to build a hydroelectric dam later called for blasting the Postpile into the river. Influential Californians, including Walter L. (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)29. Giant Sequoia National Monument (California)
Giant Sequoia [ Photo by exquisitur / CC BY 2.0 ]The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a 328,000-acre (1,330 km2) U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the United States Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 39 Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) groves that are located in the Sequoia National Forest, about half of the sequoia groves currently in existence, including one of the ten largest Giant Sequoias, the Boole Tree, which is 269 feet (82 m) high with a base circumference of 112 feet (38 m). The forest covers 824 square miles (1,326 square kilometers). The monument is in two sections. The northern section surrounds General Grant Grove and other parts of Kings Canyon National Park and is administered by the Hume Lake Ranger District. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)30. Lava Beds National Monument (California)
Lava Beds National Monument, California at dawn [ Photo by Beej Jorgensen / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]Lava Beds National Monument is located in northeastern California, in Siskiyou and Modoc Counties. The Monument lies on the northeastern flank of the Medicine Lake Volcano, with the largest total area covered by a volcano in the Cascade Range. Lava Beds National Monument has numerous Lava tube caves, with twenty five having marked entrances and developed trails for public access and exploration. The monument also offers trails through the high Great Basin xeric shrubland desert landscape and the volcanic fields. Dripstone was created when lava splashed on the inside walls of the tubes. The leaching of minerals from pumice gravel, soils, and overlying rock provides for deposition of secondary speleothems in lava tubes. Lava Beds National Monument has the largest concentration of lava tube caves in North America. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)31. Muir Woods National Monument (California)
This is a beautiful picture of sunlight shining through sequoia trees in Muir Woods. [ Photo by Richs5812 / public domain ]Muir Woods National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service on the Pacific coast of southwestern Marin County, California, 12 miles (19 km) north of San Francisco and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It protects 559 acres (226 ha), of which 240 acres (97 ha) are old growth Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, one of a few such stands remaining in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Monument is an old-growth coastal redwood forest. Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the forest is regularly shrouded in coastal fogs, contributing to a wet environment that encourages vigorous plant growth. The fog is also vital for the growth of the redwoods as they use moisture from the fog during the dry summer. The Monument is cool and moist year round with average daytime temperatures between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 21 °C). (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)32. Pinnacles National Monument (California)
Rock formations at w:Pinnacles National Monument [ Photo by Mbz1 / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Pinnacles National Monument is a protected mountainous area located east of central California's Salinas Valley. The Monument's namesakes are the eroded leftovers of half of an extinct volcano. Pinnacles NM lies about 40 miles (64 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean and about 80 miles (130 km) south of the San Francisco Bay Area. The monument is in the southern portion of the Gabilan Range, part of California's Coast Ranges. The climate is Mediterranean, typical on the Southern and Central California coast. The Santa Lucia Mountains lie between the Monument and Pacific Ocean, blocking much of the moderating influence of the Ocean. In comparison to the nearby coast, temperatures have a daily larger range that can be 50 °F to 100 °F (10 °C to 38 °C). The average rainfall is 16 inches (410 mm) per year. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)33. Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (California)
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, California, USA. North face of San Jacinto Mountains [ Photo by Geographer / CC BY 1.0 ]The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a National Monument in Southern California. It includes portions of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto ranges, the northernmost of the Peninsular Ranges, west of the Coachella Valley. The national monument covers portions of Riverside County. It is located approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Los Angeles. Many species within the national monument are state and federal listed as threatened or endangered, including the Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, a subspecies endemic to the Peninsular Ranges. More than 200 cultural resources have been recorded on federally-managed lands within the monument including the Martinez Canyon Rockhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The differences in elevation, temperature, and moisture gives rise to diverse vegetation. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)34. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (Colorado)
Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. [ Photo by Nationalparks / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Colorado, and is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. Created by a Presidential proclamation on June 9, 2000, the monument encompasses 164,000 acres (663 km²) and surrounds three of the four separate sections of Hovenweep National Monument, which is administered by the National Park Service. Canyons of the Ancients was set aside to preserve and protect the largest concentration of archeological sites in the United States. As of 2005, over 6,000 individual archeological sites had been identified within the monument. Stone towers which may have been lookout or sentry posts, are found scattered throughout the monument. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)35. Colorado National Monument (Colorado)
Independence monument in Colorado National Monument with Fruita, Colorado in the background [ Photo by Daniel Schwen / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Colorado National Monument (locally referred to as The Monument) is a part of the National Park Service near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Spectacular canyons cut deep into sandstone and even granite–gneiss–schist rock formations, in some areas. This is an area of semi-desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinion and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks and golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor center on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are magnificent views from trails and the Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau. Nearby are the Book Cliffs, and the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, the Grand Mesa. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)36. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (Colorado)
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument [ Photo by Huebi / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is a national monument noted for its fossils in Teller County, Colorado, United States. It is located in a mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak and holds spectacular remnants of prehistoric life. The fossils are contained in the Florissant Formation of Eocene age. Huge petrified redwoods and very detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different landscape in Paleogene Colorado. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions— now designated the Thirtynine Mile volcanic area— buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there. A lake formed in the valley, and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)NATIONAL MONUMENTS OF THE USA PART TWO
13. Ironwood Forest National Monument (Arizona)
View of Ragged Top Mountain, described as the biological and geological crown jewel of the Silver Bell Mountains in the Ironwood Forest National Monument. [ Photo by http://www.photos.blm.gov / public domain ]Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in the Sonoran Desert and the U.S. state of Arizona. Created by Bill Clinton by Presidential Proclamation 7320 on June 9, 2000, the 129,022 acre (522 km²) monument is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. Although the National Monument status applies only to federal lands, the monument perimeter surrounds about 189,000 acres (765 km2) contiguous of federal and private land holdings, including Arizona State School Trust lands. A significant concentration of Ironwood (also known as Desert Ironwood, Olneya tesota) trees is found in the monument, along with two federally recognized endangered animal and plant species. More than 200 Hohokam and Paleoindian archaeological sites have been identified in the monument, dated between 600 and 1450. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa)14. Montezuma Castle National Monument (Arizona)
Montezuma Castle National Monument, en:Arizona. [ Photo by Postdlf / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Montezuma Castle National Monument, located near Camp Verde, Arizona, in the Southwestern United States, features well-preserved cliff-dwellings. They were built and used by the Pre-Columbian Sinagua people around 700 AD. Several Hopi clans trace their roots to immigrants from the Montezuma Castle/Beaver Creek area. Clan members periodically return to their former homes for religious ceremonies. When European Americans discovered them in the 1860s, they named them for the Aztec emperor (of Mexico) Montezuma II, due to mistaken beliefs that the emperor had been connected to their construction. (See also Montezuma (mythology).) It was one of the four original sites designated National Monuments by President Theodore Roosevelt after the passage of the antiquities act. The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)15. Navajo National Monument (Arizona)
Betatakin Cliff Dwellings at Navajo National Monument in Arizona, United States [ Photo by Jon Sullivan / public domain ]Navajo National Monument preserves three of the most intact cliff dwellings of the ancestral puebloan people (Hisatsinom). The Navajo people who live here today call these ancient ones Anasazi. The monument is high on the Shonto plateau, overlooking the Tsegi Canyon system in the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. The monument, located west of Kayenta, Arizona, features a visitor center, two short self-guided mesa top trails, two small campgrounds, and a picnic area. Rangers guide visitors on free tours of the Keet Seel (Kitsʼiil) and Betatakin (Bitátʼahkin) cliff dwellings. The Inscription House site (Tsʼah Biiʼ Kin), further west, is currently closed to public access. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)16. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Arizona)
Organ Pipe & antler, OPNM. [ Photo by Miguel Angel de la Cueva / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. National Monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona which shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. The park is the only place in the United States where the Organ Pipe Cactus grows wild. Along with Organ Pipe, many other types of cacti, as well as other desert flora native to the Yuma Desert section of the Sonoran Desert region grow here. The Park is a beautiful preservation of the American Southwest. Land for the graded through the Monument was donated by the Arizona state legislature to the federal government during Prohibition knowing that the north-south road would be improved and make contraband alcohol easier to import from Mexico. In 1937 the land was officially opened as a national monument. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)17. Pipe Spring National Monument (Arizona)
Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona, USA. Winsor Castle, a mormon ranch [ Photo by NPS Photo / public domain ]Pipe Spring National Monument is located in the U.S. state of Arizona, and is rich with American Indian, early explorer, and Mormon pioneer history. The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, and the boundaries of the Pipe Spring National Monument Historic District (a portion of the monument) were expanded in October 2000. The water of Pipe Spring has made it possible for plants, animals, and people to live in this dry desert region. Ancestral Puebloans and Kaibab Paiute Indians gathered grass seeds, hunted animals, and raised crops near the springs for at least 1,000 years. Pipe Springs was discovered and named by the 1858 Latter-day Saint missionary expedition to the Hopi mesas led by Jacob Hamblin. In the 1860s Mormon pioneers from St. George, Utah, led by James M. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)18. Sonoran Desert National Monument (Arizona)
Vegetation in Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona [ Photo by BLM Photo, http://www.blm.gov/ / public domain ]Sonoran Desert National Monument is located south of Goodyear and Buckeye and east of Gila Bend, Arizona. Created by Presidential proclamation on January 17, 2001, the 496,337 acre (2,008 km²) monument is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management already managed the lands, however under monument status, the level of protection and preservation of resources is enhanced. Sonoran Desert National Monument protects but a small portion of the Sonoran Desert, which is 120,000 square miles (311,000 km²), and extends well into California and the country of Mexico. The North Maricopa Mountains, South Maricopa Mountains and the Table Top Wildernesses protect the richest regions of desert habitat from any future development. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)19. Sunset Crater Volcano (Arizona)
Sunset Crate National Monument, Arizona, USA. Cinder cone. [ Photo by NPS Photo, http://photo.itc.nps.gov/ / public domain ]Sunset Crater is a volcanic cinder cone located north of Flagstaff in U.S. State of Arizona. The crater is within the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The eruptions forming the 340-meter-high cone (1,120 ft) were initially considered from tree-ring dating to have begun between the growing seasons of 1064–1065 AD; however, more recent paleomagnetic evidence places the onset of the eruption sometime between about 1080 and 1150 AD. The largest vent of the eruption, Sunset Crater itself, was the source of the Bonito and Kana-a lava flows that extended about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) NW and 9.6 kilometers (6 mi) NE, respectively. Additional vents along a 10-kilometer-long fissure (6.2 mi) extending SE produced small spatter ramparts and a 6.4-kilometer-long lava flow (4 mi) to the east. The hiking trail below the summit skirts the substantial Bonito Lava Flow. (based on awikipedia article / cc by-sa)20. Tonto National Monument (Arizona)
Lower Cliff Dwelling, Tonto National Monument, Roosevelt, Arizona, USA [ Photo by Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]Tonto National Monument is a National Monument in central Arizona, United States. The area lies on the northeastern edge of the Sonoran Desert, which is generally arid land with annual rainfall of about 16 inches (400 mm) here. The Salt River runs through this area, providing a rare, year-round source of water. Well-preserved cliff dwellings were occupied by the Salado culture during the 13th, 14th, and early 15th centuries. The people farmed in the Salt River Valley and supplemented their diet by hunting and gathering native wildlife and plants. The Salado were fine craftsmen, producing some of the most flamboyant polychrome pottery and intricately woven textiles to be found in the Southwest. Some of the artifacts excavated nearby are on display in the visitor center museum. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)21. Tuzigoot National Monument (Arizona)
Walls of Pueblo in Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona [ Photo by NPS Photo / public domain ]Tuzigoot National Monument (Western Apache: Tú Digiz) preserves a 2 to 3 story pueblo ruin on the summit of a limestone and sandstone ridge just east of Clarkdale, Arizona, 120 feet (36 m) above the Verde River floodplain. The pueblo has 110 rooms. The National Park Service currently owns 58 acres (230,000 m2), within an authorized boundary of 834 acres (3.38 km2). Tuzigoot is Apache for "crooked water", from nearby Peck's Lake, a cutoff meander of the Verde River. Historically, it was built by the Sinagua people between 1125 and 1400 CE. Tuzigoot is the largest and best-preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo ruins in the Verde Valley. The mounment is located on land once owned by United Verde/Phelps Dodge. The corporation sold the site to Yavapai County for $1, so that the excavation could be completed under the auspices of federal relief projects. (based on a wikipedia article /cc by-sa)22. Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (Arizona)
The Wave, Arizona [ Photo by Greg Bulla, gregbulla.com / public domain ]Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is located in Arizona, immediately south of the Utah state line. This National Monument, 294,000 acre (1,189 km²) in area, protects the Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes, and Paria Canyon. Elevations in the Monument range from 3,100 feet to 6,500 feet above sea level (944 to 1,981 meters). Established on November 9, 2000, by a Presidential proclamation by Pres. Bill Clinton, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was carved from existing lands already under the management of the U.S. Government in extreme northern Coconino County, Arizona, immediately south of the border with the state of Utah. The monument is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Vermilion Cliffs themselves run along the southern and eastern edges of this National Monument. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)23. Walnut Canyon National Monument (Arizona)
Ancient cliff dwellings of the Sinagua people on Island Trail at Walnut Canyon National Monument. [ Photo by Ken Thomas, KenThomas.us / public domain ]Walnut Canyon National Monument is a United States National Monument located about 10 mi (16 km) southeast of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, just off Interstate 40. The canyon rim lies at 6,690 ft (2,040 m); the canyon's floor is 350 ft lower. A 0.9 mi (1.4 km) long loop trail descends 185 ft (56 m) into the canyon passing 25 cliff dwelling rooms constructed by the Sinagua, a pre-Columbian cultural group that lived in Walnut Canyon from about 1100 to 1250 CE. Other contemporary habitations of the Sinagua people are preserved in the nearby Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle national monuments. The Sinagua, who inhabitanted the dwellings in Walnut Canyon, left mysteriously around 1250 CE. It is thought that the Sinagua left because of fear of neighboring tribes or droughts, but it is not certain. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)24. Wupatki National Monument (Arizona)
Wupatki Ruins Ball Court [ Photo by Dspetc / public domain]
The Wupatki National Monument is a National Monument located in north-central Arizona, near Flagstaff. Rich in Native American ruins, the monument is administered by the National Park Service in close conjunction with the nearby Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The many settlement sites scattered throughout the monument were built by the Ancient Pueblo People, more specifically the Sinagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Anasazi. Wupatki was first inhabited around 500CE. A major population influx began soon after the eruption of Sunset Crater in the 11th century (between 1040-1100), which blanketed the area with volcanic ash; this improved agricultural productivity and the soil's ability to retain water. By 1182, about 85 to 100 people lived at Wupatki Pueblo and by 1225, the site was permanently abandoned. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)
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