NATIONAL MONUMENTS OF THE USA PART ONE

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The United States has 100 protected areas known as national monuments. The government is concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Indian ruins & artifacts. However, many national monuments were changed to national parks, while others were transferred to state control or disbanded. (List & the above writing are based on a wikipedia article) 1. Russell Cave National Monument (Alabama) Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama, USA. One of the many entrances to the cave. [ Photo by NPS Photo / public domain ] The Russell Cave National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in northeastern Alabama, United States, close to the town of Bridgeport. The Monument was established on May 11, 1961, when 310 acres (1.3 km²) of land were donated by the National Geographic Society to the American people. It is now maintained by the National Park Service. The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. With a mapped length of 7.2 miles (11.6 km), Russell Cave is the third longest mapped cave in Alabama, is ranked 90th on the United States Long Cave List, and is currently listed as number 314 on the World Long Cave List. Its exceptionally large main entrance was used as a shelter by prehistoric Indians from the earliest known human settlement in the southeastern United States, through to European colonization. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 2. Admiralty Island National Monument (Alaska) Windfall harbour, a natural harbour in Admiralty Island National Monument, Alaska [ Photo by U.S. Forest Service photo / public domain ] Admiralty Island National Monument is located on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. It was created December 1, 1978, and covers 955,747 acres (3,868 km²) of Tongass National Forest in the Panhandle of southeast Alaska. The remoteness of the monument led Congress to pass legislation designating all but 18,351 acres (74 km²) of the monument as the Kootznoowoo Wilderness, ensuring that the vast bulk of this monument will be permanently protected from development. The monument is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Western Hemlock, Sitka Spruce and Western Redcedar dominate the prolific rainforest vegetation; wildlife in abundance includes both Grizzly and Black Bears, many species of salmon, whales, mountain goats, and deer. It has more brown bears than the entire lower 48 states. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 3. Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve (Alaska) Caldera of Aniakchak Volcano, Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alaska, USA. View from NE rim across Surprise Lake to Half Cone. [ Photo by Game McGimsey, Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey / public domain ] Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. National Monument and National Preserve, consisting of the region around the Aniakchak volcano on the Aleutian Range of south-western Alaska. The area was proclaimed a national monument on December 1, 1978, and established as a national monument and preserve on December 2, 1980. The national monument is 137,176 federal acres (555 km²) and the preserve is 465,603 acres (1,884 km²) of which 439,863 are federal. The area is maintained by the National Park Service. With only 285 documented recreational visits in 2004, this remote place is perhaps the least visited unit of the National Park System. Most visitors fly into the area, but the frequent fog and other adverse weather conditions make landing difficult. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 4. Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Archeological District (Alaska) Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska, USA [ Photo by National Park Service employee / public domain ] Cape Krusenstern National Monument and the colocated Cape Krusenstern Archeological District is a U.S. National Monument and a National Historic Landmark centered on Cape Krusenstern in northwestern Alaska. Founded on December 1, 1978, it is made up mainly of a coastal plain, containing large lagoons and rolling hills of limestone. The bluffs record thousands of years of change in the shorelines of the Chukchi Sea, as well as evidence of some 9,000 years of human habitation. The archeological district comprises 114 ancient beach ridges which formed approximately 60 years apart. They provide a rare sequential look at over 5000 years of inhabitation. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 5. Misty Fiords National Monument (Alaska) Misty Fjords National Monument, Alaska [ Photo by Zarxos / CC BY-SA 2.5 ] Misty Fiords National Monument (or Misty Fjords National Monument) is a protected area administered by the United States Forest Service on the Pacific Ocean coast of North America, in extreme southeastern Alaska and covering 2,294,343 acres (9,246 km²) of Tongass National Forest in Alaska's Panhandle. All but 151,832 acres (614 km²) is designated wilderness; Congress reserved the non-wilderness area for the Quartz Hill molybdenum deposit, possibly the largest such mineral deposit in the world. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 6. Rose Atoll Marine National Monument (American Samoa) Aerial View of Rose Island (American Samoa) in the Pacific Ocean [ Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service / public domain ] Rose Atoll Marine National Monument is a U.S. national monument in the South Pacific Ocean, covering 13,451 square miles (8,608,640 acres) and encompassing the Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1973 with 39,066 acres (only 20 acres (81,000 m2) emergent). Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The monument's marine areas are likely to also be incorporated in the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Rose Atoll is a small island about 170 miles (270 km) to the east of Tutuila, the principal island of American Samoa. It is a nesting site for rare species of petrels, shearwaters, and terns; and at the signing of the order establishing the monument, President George W. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 7. Agua Fria National Monument (Arizona) Highland shrubs in Agua Fria National Monument, Arizona, USA [ Photo by BLM Photo / public domain ] Agua Fria National Monument is located in the U.S. state of Arizona, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Created by Presidential proclamation on January 11, 2000, the 71,100 acre (288 km²) monument is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 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 within the new monument have been enhanced. The monument is a unit of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System. Over 450 distinct Native American structures have been identified in the monument, some of large pueblos containing more than 100 rooms each. The enhanced protection status also provides greater habitat protection for the numerous plant and animal communities. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 8. Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona) E. S. Curtis (1904): Canon de Chelly – Navajo. Seven riders on horseback and dog trek against background of canyon cliffs. [ Photo by Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952) / public domain ] Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established on April 1, 1931 as a unit of the National Park Service. It is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. It preserves ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the Ancient Pueblo Peoples (also called Anasazi) and Navajo. The monument covers 131 square miles (339 km2) and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. These canyons were cut by streams with headwaters in the Chuska mountains just to the east of the monument. Canyon de Chelly is unique among National Park service units, as it consists entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land which remains in the ownership of the Navajo Nation and is home to the canyon community, while park matters are administered by the National Park Service. (based on a wikipediaarticle / cc by-sa) 9. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (Arizona) Casa Grande ruins under shelter; shelter was built in the 1930s [ Photo by John Dodds / CC BY-SA 3.0 ] The national monument consists of the ruins of multiple structures surrounded by a compound wall constructed by the ancient people of the Hohokam period, who farmed the Gila Valley in the early 13th century. "Casa Grande" is Spanish for "big house" (Siwan Wa'a Ki: in O'odham); these names refer to the largest structure on the site, which is what remains of a four story structure that may have been abandoned by the mid-15th century. The structure is made of caliche, and has managed to survive the extreme weather conditions for about seven centuries. Graffiti from 19th-century passers-by is scratched into its walls; though this is now illegal. Casa Grande now has a distinctive modern roof covering built in 1932. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 10. Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona) Balanced rock in Chiricahua National Monument. [ Photo by Pretzelpaws / CC BY-SA 3.0 ] Chiricahua National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located in the Chiricahua Mountains. It is famous for its extensive vertical rock formations. The monument is located approximately 36 miles (58 km) southeast of Willcox, Arizona. It preserves the remains of an immense volcanic eruption that shook the region some 27 million years ago. Called the Turkey Creek Caldera eruption, it eventually laid down two thousand feet of ash and pumice, highly siliceous in nature. This eventually hardened into rhyolite tuffs, and eroded into the natural features visible at the monument today. The National Monument was designated on April 18, 1924. The national monument also preserves the Faraway Ranch, owned at one time by Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 11. Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (Arizona) Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Arizona. [ Photo by Tainter / GNU ] Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (sometimes referred to as Parashant National Monument) is located on the northern edge of the Grand Canyon in northwest Arizona. It was established by Presidential Proclamation 7265 on January 11, 2000. This remote area of open, undeveloped spaces is an impressive and diverse landscape that includes an array of scientific and historic resources. The national monument is a very remote and undeveloped place jointly managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). There are no paved roads into the monument and no visitor services. The size of the monument is 1,048,316 acres (424,238 ha), which is larger than the state of Rhode Island. The BLM portion of the monument consists of 808,744 acres (327,287 ha). (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa) 12. Hohokam Pima National Monument (Arizona) Hohokam Pima National Monument [ Photo by BruceandLetty / CC BY 2.0 ] The Hohokam Pima National Monument, which includes the archaeological site known as Snaketown, is an ancient Hohokam village within the Gila River Indian Community, near present day Sacaton, Arizona. Snaketown was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. It was further protected by its declaration as a National Monument in 1972, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The site is owned by the Gila River Indian Community, which has decided not to open this sensitive area to the public. The museum at the nearby Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, in Coolidge, Arizona, contains artifacts from Snaketown. There is no public access to the Hohokam Pima National Monument. Snaketown was first excavated in 1934 by the Gila Pueblo Foundation, under the direction of Harold S. Gladwin. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)