CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT Arizona
photos June 1970	Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "dee-shay") is a very impressive National Monument in northeast Arizona. Sand-bottomed canyons wind among sheer red cliffs, and there and there are some really dramatic prehistoric ruins from peoples that lived here between AD350-1300. A huge natural spire, Spider Rock, rises in the center of one canyon. Many of the archaeological sites can only be visited on special ranger guided tours, often using big-wheeled trucks to get through the deep canyon sands.
established 1931 administered by National Park Service	clockwise from top left: canyon from Tsesi overlook; canyon tour by truck with oversized sand tires; Antelope House Ruin [swastika-like symbol on back wall is an ancient Navajo symbol]; White House ruin tucked into niche (lower left) in huge cliff face

CASA GRANDE RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT Arizona
photos June 1970	clockwise from top left: Casa Grande ruin, distant view of Casa Grande ruin and cover
established 1918 administered by National Park Service	Casa Grande National Monument has been under federal protection since 1892; it was obvious that this ruin of a 4-story building was impressive. It was built by the Hohokam peoples about 650 years ago. Today, a space-age umbrella protects it from the elements, giving it a surreal appearance from a distance in the flat desert south of Phoenix. There are about 60 prehistoric sites located within the monument.

CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT Arizona
photos June 1970	clockwise from top left: 'Punch & Judy' rocks; Echo Canyon; Pinnacle Rock (this is with a self-timer as I try to dash up to stand next to it...)
established 1924 administered by National Park Service	Chiricahua National Monument is a wonderland of rock formations on the west slope of the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. I would think it would be a great place to take kids on hikes because there are so many weird and fun rocks. The rocks themselves were laid down in a volcanic eruption 27 million years ago, and then weathered to these shapes over the eons. There is great biodiversity in the park, and just over the ridge, on the east slopes of the Chiricahuas, are some of the best birding sites in the U.S. (they are outside the park).

CORONADO NATIONAL MEMORIAL Arizona
photos June 1970	clockwise from top left: view from Montezuma Pass looking south into Mexico along what is believed to be the route of the Coronado expedition; painting of Vasquez de Coronado on a sign in the park; Coronado Peak
established 1941 as International Memorial redesignated 1952 administered by National Park Service	Coronado National Memorial commemorates the first major exploration of the American southwest by Europeans, the 1540 explorations of Vasquez de Coronado in search of gold and treasure. My visit in 1970 was simply a drive-through enroute to southeast Arizona, but I do recall grasslands, oak woodlands, and juniper groves with some overlooks with sweeping vistas into Mexico in this 4750 acre memorial.

FORT BOWIE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Arizona
photos June 1970	clockwise from top left: ruins of Ft. Bowie from stables; memorial to the capture of Geronimo in 1886 on AZ-NM border (not in this historic site]; photo of Geronimo on sign at historic site
authorized 1964 but formally established 1972 administered by National Park Service	Ft. Bowie preserves the ruins of Ft. Bowie, an important U.S. military post from the 1850s into the 1880s in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona. The historic site includes the locale of Bascom Affair, a wagon train massacre, and the Battle of Apache Pass, in which Chiricahua Apaches under Mangus Colorados and Cochise fought California volunteers. Military operations centered here during efforts to subdue the Apaches, eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. The surrender monument is not part of the historic site but I visited it during the same day back in 1970. At that time, the historic site was not developed for tourists and one hiked in off a dirt road. Another important site, "Cochise's Stronghold," is now a state campground where I camped.

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK Arizona
photos July 1968, Nov 2004	above: clockwise from top left: early morning view from Moran Pt.; view westward from inside 'Watchtower' at Desert View with Indian pottery; Colorado River view from Mojave Pt. below left to right: Havasupai Falls; afternoon view of pinnacle near Wachita Pt.  All the views shown are from the South Rim.
established 1893 as forest preserve, then as Nat'l Monument 1908 established as National Park in 1919 administered by National Park Service	Grand Canyon is the most spectacular example of a river-eroded canyon in the world. The Colorado River has gouged a canyon that is up to a mile deep and 18 miles wide through 1.8 billion-year-old rock. The different rock layers provide ever-changing color panoramas as the light changes through the day. I found it particularly awesome with snow along the rim during a Thanksgiving visit, but even then crowds can be annoying [the park can be packed with tourists, especially in summer]. When I was 16, my dad and I hiked down an arm of the canyon at Supai, to the blue-green water of the creek that goes over Havasupai Falls. It is a very different experience to be down in the canyon.

MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL MONUMENT Arizona
photos July 1970	"Montezuma Castle" is, of course, a misnomer. Early white settlers gave the ruin this name on the mistaken belief it was built by Aztecs on their way south of Mexico. In fact, the five-story, 20-room dwelling was built by Sinagua farmers in the 12th century. It is one of the best preserved prehistoric structures in the Southwest. A detached unit of the Monument protects Montezuma Well, a limestone sink that supplied irrigation water to the prehistoric people.
established 1906 administered by National Park Service	clockwise from top left: Montezuma Castle; closer view Montezuma Castle; reflections in Montezuma Well

More National Parks, Monuments, Battlefields and Historic Sites are arranged geographically by these links:

PHOTOS: All photos on this page are © 2004 Don Roberson; all rights reserved.

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