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Road Trip: El Morro National Monument

El Morro, which means headlands in Spanish, is a park that we’ve had our eye on for years. So, like many others who have traveled to the incredible site for centuries, we finally got our chance to visit. Join us at El Morro’s Inscription Rock as we walk in the footsteps of Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish explorers, early settlers of the west, and many others. Enjoy!

Where is it?

El Morro National Monument is located 12 miles southeast of Ramah, New Mexico on Highway 53. Features of the park include:

  • Visitor center with park film and museum
  • Two hiking trails
  • Picnic area
  • Free campground with nine campsites – reservations not accepted
  • Visitor center and trails are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • Free admission

Access the park’s website here.

Tiny wildflowers grow among wild grasses at the base of Inscription Rock.

Inscription Rock Trail

Our visit to El Morro and Inscription Rock Trail began at the visitor center where we purchased a trail guide. Regrettably, we didn’t have the energy to tackle the moderately strenuous Headland Trail in the afternoon heat. Perhaps we will venture back to El Morro another time, but this visit was to see the famous rock we had been hearing about.

Inscription Rock Trail

Wide sidewalks and mostly level ground were a welcome sight as we had already hiked several miles that day. Fortunately, there was only one other group on the trail at the same time we were which gave us time to linger at each of the 23 points of interest defined by the trail guide. Our first stop was the pool.

The pool

One of the reasons that travelers stopped at El Morro was because of its reliable water source. The pool is not a spring, it is fed by rainwater and snowmelt that runs down from the top of the bluff. A virtual oasis, the pool is 12 feet deep and holds about 200,000 gallons of water.

A view of the bluff from the trail.

Another reason people stopped at El Morro was to leave their mark, to leave a reminder that they had been there. Some might say their writings are an early form of graffiti. There are over 2,000 inscriptions on Inscription Rock, and we’re excited to share a few of our favorites.

Ancestral Puebloans

The earliest marks on Inscription Rock are petroglyphs. These could have been chiseled into the rock by the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in a pueblo called Atsinna from about 1275 to 1350 CE. Ruins of the pueblo remain atop the bluff and can be seen from the Headland Trail. Atsinna is a Zuni word meaning writings on the rock.

Petroglyph.

Nobody knows exactly what the petroglyphs mean, however we try to make our own interpretations when we see them. Does anyone besides us think the one above looks like someone chasing or perhaps hunting a mountain lion?

More petroglyphs and other markings. Could these be the first smiley faces?

Spanish Explorers

The oldest inscription at El Morro is that of Don Juan de Oñate, the conquistador who established New Mexico as a colony of Spain. He was returning from the Gulf of California when he passed by El Morro in 1605.

A section of Don Juan de Oñate’s message on Inscription Rock.

Oñate’s message translates to “Passed by here the Adelantado Don Juan de Oñate, from the discovery of the Sea of the South, the 16th of April of 1605.”

Don Diego de Vargas

Don Diego de Vargas was a governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe (now New Mexico and Arizona). His message translates to “Here was the General Don Diego de Vargas who conquered for our Holy Faith, and for the Royal Crown, all of New Mexico at his own expense, year of 1692.”

Ramon Garzia Jurado

Jurado’s message above translates to “On the 25th of the month of June, of this year of 1709, passed by here on the way to Zuni, Ramon Garzia Jurado.”

In attempts to protect the inscriptions, early preservationists used pencils to darken them. Although their efforts were well meant, it was not a practical solution and may have done more harm than good. Despite careful protection of the markings, erosion is an ongoing concern for the park. Sadly, the inscriptions may in time succumb to the forces of nature.

Old messages darkened with pencil. The bottom one by Andres Romero is the last inscription from the Spanish colonial times and is dated 1774.

When President Theodore Roosevelt designated El Morro as a national monument in 1906, inscriptions on the rock were no longer permitted. Today it is illegal to deface any part of a national park site.

Settlers, Soldiers, and Surveyors

Many women passed by El Morro, but surprisingly, they rarely left their marks on Inscription Rock. One of them was America Frances Baley who was a member of the Rose-Baley wagon train heading west to California in 1858.

Miss A. F. Baley

Unfortunately, as they neared the Colorado River in what is now Arizona, the 60 members of the Rose-Baley wagon train were attacked by a large band of Mojave Indians. Several of the settlers were killed and many were injured. The group returned to Albuquerque or Santa Fe to wait out the winter months before trying to head west again the following spring.

Captain R. H. Orton, 1st California Cavalry.

Orton left not only his signature on Inscription Rock, but also a drawing of a church.

Some of these inscriptions were made by members of a Union Pacific Railroad surveying party.

Although the Union Pacific Railroad surveyed the area around El Morro, it never got the chance to build a railroad there. Santa Fe built a rail line 25 miles to the north thus dashing El Morro’s hopes of having its own rail stop.

Camel Corps

In the 1850s the U.S. Army needed a solution for the lack of water in the desert of the southwest while searching for a route from the Mississippi River to California. Interestingly, the idea of using camels was born. Thirty-three of the animals were acquired and brought to the U.S. along with some Arab handlers. The group became known as the Camel Corps. Men belonging to the elite corps passed by El Morrow in 1859 and inscribed their names on the rock.

E. Penn. Long, Baltimore, Maryland, perhaps the most elaborate signature on Inscription Rock.

Long was a member of the 1859 expedition tasked with finding a route from Fort Smith, Arkansas to the Colorado River. On that expedition the camels were tested for use as pack animals in the desert southwest. According to reports, they did an excellent job!

P. Gilmer Breckinridge

Breckinridge was purportedly in charge of the 25 camels who made the journey west in 1859. Sadly, he died in a Civil War battle in Virginia in 1863.

The Museum

Not only are the outdoor areas of the park interesting, but so is its wonderful museum which bears mentioning here. Since so much humanity has passed by El Morro at one time or another, the museum does an excellent job of covering all aspects of the park’s history.

Remarkable pottery pieces from Atsinna Pueblo can be found in the park’s museum along with other interesting exhibits.

Thank you for strolling along Inscription Rock Trail with us! Our closing shot is another petroglyph showing antelope among other written inscriptions.

Need more road trip inspiration? Check out these other great destinations:

Happy, safe travels, y’all.

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023

 

 

 

 

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Road Trip: El Malpais National Monument

El Malpais (pronounced El Mal-pie-EEs) National Monument will leave visitors in awe of its varied landscapes and geological wonders. Lying a few miles west of Mount Taylor, an 11,301-foot stratovolcano, El Malpais features its own lava flows, tubes, and caves, as well as cinder cones, sandstone bluffs, and other volcanoes. We hope you enjoy the journey as we visit some highlights of this intriguing park.

Where is it?

El Malpais National Monument is located south of Grants, New Mexico, just off of I-40. The physical address is 1900 East Santa Fe Avenue, Grants, New Mexico.

Park features include:

  • Visitor Center with bookstore, museum exhibits, and covered picnic area
  • Hiking trails, including a portion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
  • Scenic Drives via Highway 53 and Highway 117
  • Lava tube caving by permit
  • Backcountry camping by permit
  • Ranger programs, including bat flights during June and July
  • Ranger guided hikes
  • Periodic Cultural/Craft/Demonstration Events
  • Free Admission

Access the park’s website here.

View of Mount Taylor which is sacred to the Native American people who live in the area.

El Malpais Via Highway 117

The national monument abuts the El Malpais National Conservation Area which is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Features of the conservation area include a campground, picnic areas, a natural arch, and several trailheads. However, we chose a short hike along the Sandstone Bluffs area of the national monument because a helpful park ranger told us the scenery was spectacular.

Approaching Sandstone Bluffs.

A gravel road took us the last couple of miles to the Sandstone Bluffs parking lot, and the bumpiness was well worth the trek. The ranger was right, the scenery was spectacular! We spent an hour walking along the bluffs and admiring the scenery.

Sandstone Bluffs with Mount Taylor in the background.
A view of some of El Malpais’ lava flows.
Not-so-bad badlands with lava and mountains.

Lava flows at El Malpais date from 115,000 years ago to 3,900 years ago. At least 200 known vents from which the lava flowed created the cinder cones and shield volcanoes in the park. Interestingly, before this area became a national monument it was used by the military as a test bombing range.

La Ventana Arch

This amazing natural sandstone arch is located in the El Malpais National Conservation Area but is close to Sandstone Bluffs on Highway 117. It is one of the largest arches in New Mexico, and the surrounding scenery is as breathtaking as it is historic. La Ventana Arch spans 120 feet, and its top is 25 feet thick.

Approaching La Ventana Arch under gathering storm clouds.

According to park information, the area surrounding El Malpais once resembled the Sahara Desert. About 160 million years ago, the cliffs and bluffs we see today were sand dunes, now called Zuni Sandstone.

Zuni and Dakota Sandstone layers

Then, about 96 million years ago, the Western Interior Seaway made its way into what is now New Mexico and deposited the top layer, now called Dakota Sandstone. The two geological eras are divided by the white layer near the top of the cliffs as seen in the photo above. It is also interesting how the colors of the two sandstone layers differ.

La Ventana Arch and its surrounds. La Ventana means the window in Spanish.

A quarter-mile hike on an easy trail from the parking lot gives visitors an up-close view of the arch. Not only is La Ventana magnificent, but the colors of the surrounding rocky cliffs make for an awe-inspiring experience. Additionally, the area features a perfect place for a picnic with covered tables among the trees near the parking lot.

Spectacular colors!

El Malpais Via Highway 53

Highway 53 takes visitors along the western side of the park which also abuts the El Malpais National Conservation Area. Hiking trails, the El Calderon Volcano, and lava tubes are accessible from this road. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to hike El Calderon because we chose to visit another volcano that will be featured in separate post.

The scenery along Highway 53 got prettier the farther we drove, but it wasn’t as pretty as the scenery along Highway 117. For those who plan to visit El Malpais, note that it took us 35 minutes to backtrack from La Ventana Arch to the visitor center. Highway 53 also leads to El Morro National Monument, which is approximately 43 miles southwest of the El Malpais Visitor Center.

Fire and Ice Native American Art and Dance Gathering

One of the best things about our visit was that the park was hosting the Fire and Ice Native American Art and Dance Gathering on the day we were there. We didn’t know about the event until we arrived at the visitor center, but it was exciting to meet the artists and purchase some of their offerings.

We were also able to see a traditional dance, which was fascinating. Native American dance was something neither of us had even seen before, and the troupe was made up of dancers from various pueblos in the area.

Thank you so much for visiting El Malpais National Monument with us! We are closing the post with one more view of the fabulous La Ventana Arch.

Looking for more national park inspiration? Try these great parks:

Happy, safe travels, y’all!

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023                              

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Road Trip: Canyon de Chelly

We’re not sure there are enough pretty words in the English language to describe Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Canyon d’Shay). However, stunning, beautiful, and breathtaking immediately come to mind. As a national monument and also part of the Navajo Nation, its history is just as inspiring as its beauty. Enjoy the journey.

Where is it?

Canyon de Chelly is near Chinle, Arizona, which is located in the northeastern corner of the state.

  • Admission to the national monument is free.
  • Tours of the canyon floor require fees and are not booked through the park. Click here for a list of approved tour operators.
  • Call the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department at 928-674-2106 for campground and backcountry camping information.

Access the national monument’s website here.

Rain, Rain Go Away

We arrived at Canyon de Chelly with a reservation at the Thunderbird Lodge, a tour that had been booked through said lodge, and an 82% chance of rain. If it rained, we weren’t sure the tour would go on. It was too early to check in to our room, so we made ourselves a picnic lunch and ate on the patio in front of the office under darkening skies.

Thunderbird Lodge. We loved this hotel!

As luck would have it, it started raining about five minutes before our tour was to depart. Our guide, Fernando, insisted that the tour was a go, so we boarded an interesting open top vehicle for what was sure to be a rain-soaked adventure.

Fernando and the truck. Thunderbird Lodge guides conduct their tours in Pinzgauer troop transport vehicles that were built in Austria in the 1970s.

Fortunately, the heavens smiled down on us, and the rain stopped as soon as we grabbed our complimentary bottled water and snack from the office. Off we went, along with five other people, into a (normally) dry wash that had turned into a river along the canyon floor.

Thankfully the water wasn’t deep, but Fernando said in 40 years of living and working in the canyon he hadn’t seen so much water in the wash. Not knowing the difference, we thought the watery wash just added to the adventure.

Canyon de Chelly – The Floor

Access to the canyon floor is only permitted with a Navajo guide or a park ranger. (There is one self-guided trail that leads to a small portion of the canyon floor, but it was closed when we were there.) Besides Thunderbird Lodge, which we highly recommend, there are several other tour companies with various tour packages. Ours was a four-hour tour and we thought it was perfect for viewing the spectacular scenery and learning the canyon’s history.

This shot shows a great example of desert varnish: the drippy striations on the canyon walls where minerals have leached out and stained the rock.

Canyon de Chelly is still occupied by Navajo families who have farmed and raised livestock there for generations, though today most of them only live in the canyon seasonally.

Mostly made up of De Chelly sandstone, the canyon walls vary in height from 30 feet to 1,000 feet. All of them are spectacular.

Things Best Seen from the Canyon Floor

The National Park Service maintains a scenic drive with overlooks along the rim of the canyon. However, here is what visitors will miss by not touring the floor: closer looks at Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings! Our tour took us to seven ruins, and each one was mind boggling, especially because some of them are located so high above the canyon floor. We’ve highlighted a few of them below.

First Ruin – that’s really the name.

There are approximately 2,500 ancient dwellings in Canyon de Chelly and adjoining Canyon de Muerto. Built between 1500 BC and 1350 AD, the dwellings have survived because they’re under overhangs or in cave-like formations in the rock.

Junction Ruin, so named because it is near the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon de Muerto.
Ledge Ruin because it’s on a ledge, and that ledge is in a natural amphitheater.
Antelope House was built on the ground and was once covered in white plaster.

We saved our favorite, White House Ruin, for last. Building began at this site around 1050 AD. Over the next two centuries, more rooms were added resulting in 80 rooms and four kivas at its height. White House was originally covered in white plaster.

White House Ruin and its rock art.

Ancient Rock Art

Canyon de Chelly’s amazing rock art cannot be seen from the rims. Yet another reason a tour of the canyon floor should be included on every itinerary. Below are a few of the many pictographs and petroglyphs that we saw on our tour.

Pictographs (painted on the rock)

Antelope or deer, people – perhaps a family, and a hill or rainbow.
Cow, antelope, horses, flowing water, and perhaps an astrological symbol.
This spectacular pictograph panel depicts the arrival of Spanish explorers, including a priest.

Petroglyphs (chiseled into the rock)

This probably depicts a deer hunt on horseback.
Horses, maybe and and a figure eight which possibly has an astrological meaning.
Possible depictions of snakes and other unknown images.

Canyon de Chelly – The Rim

There are three overlooks along North Rim Drive and six overlooks along South Rim Drive. Allow a few hours to enjoy all of the overlooks when visiting the park. 

Recent rains filled the wash and enhanced the “green”.
Views from the top are just as stunning as they are from the floor.
Spider Rock (center) is probably the most recognizable feature of Canyon de Chelly and rises 1,000 feet from the canyon floor.

Tragic Navajo History

Our post would not be complete without mentioning the 1863 – 1864 attacks led by Col. Kit Carson on the Navajo people who lived in and around Canyon de Chelly. In an effort to open up the western part of the country for settlement, the government decided the way to control Native Americans was to move them to encampments.

Traditional Navajo hogan (dwelling – pronounced hoe-gone) in Canyon de Chelly.

However, the Navajo, after hearing about the raid, fled to the top of a butte called Fortress Rock.

Fortress Rock – a sacred place for today’s Navajo people.

The people watched from atop Fortress Rock while Carson and his men destroyed their homes and orchards, killed their sheep, and stole their horses. Once captured, the Navajo were deemed prisoners of war and forced to walk 300 miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico – a journey that is now known as the Long Walk.

This shot shows a ladder (the two wooden poles on the right) used by the Navajo people who fled to the top of Fortress Rock.

Many Navajo people died during the Long Walk. Those who survived the trek were confined in a prison camp called Bosque Redondo. Living conditions at Bosque Redondo were horrific, and many people died of disease and malnourishment while imprisoned there. The hardships continued for four long years until a treaty was signed. Finally, the people were allowed to return to their homelands.

Thank you so much for joining us on our tour of Canyon de Chelly! Our closing shot is of a rainstorm at sunset.

Canyon de Chelly

For more national monument inspiration, check out these other great destinations:

Safe travels, y’all!

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023                          

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Tonto National Monument

We were so excited to see the lower cliff dwelling at Tonto National Monument that we checked out of our hotel early and hit the road for the 30-minute drive to the park. While we had high expectations of the park, we didn’t know how scenic the drive would be. As we drove through mountains and saguaro forests, a lake came into view. What a surprise! Tonto National Monument overlooks the stunningly beautiful Roosevelt Lake. We got a double dose of spectacular scenery when we least expected it!

Imagine topping a hill and seeing an unexpected first glimpse of a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains!

Farther down the road a left turn took us to Tonto National Monument, and due to our excitement, we arrived before the visitor center opened. However, that wasn’t a problem because we had lots of fresh air and plenty of breathtaking scenery to enjoy from the parking lot while we waited.

Scenic Roosevelt Lake and snowcapped mountains as seen from the visitor center parking lot. Little did we know that we would be driving through those snowy mountains later that day.

Where is Tonto National Monument?

Tonto National Monument is located in the Tonto Basin area of the Tonto National Forest in the far northeast corner of the Sonoran Desert. The physical address is 26260 N. Arizona Highway 188, Roosevelt, Arizona.

The park features include:

  • Visitor Center and bookstore
  • Museum
  • Park film
  • Self-guided tour of the lower dwelling
  • Guided tours are required for the upper dwelling – check with the park for information.
  • Entry fee

Click here to access the park’s website.

Lower dwelling

Why is Tonto National Monument significant?

Tonto National Monument protects the ruins of two ancient cliff dwellings that were built around 1300 CE. The cliff dwellers who occupied these sites are referred to informally as Salado people, a name which was given by archaeologists simply because they built their homes overlooking the Salt River, now Roosevelt Lake. Salado people were hunters, gatherers, and farmers, so the valley along the Salt River provided an excellent area in which to grow crops.

Archaeologists have found remains of macaws from Mexico or Central America, which indicates that the Salado were traders. Their woven cotton items and beautiful pottery would have made excellent products for trade. The cliff dwellers abandoned the site between 1400 and 1450 CE, but no one knows why they left or where they went.

Depiction of what the lower dwelling might have looked like when it was inhabited.

Interestingly, nobody knows where the name Tonto came from, though popular belief is that it came from the Tonto Apache who lived in the area, but nobody knows why they were called Tonto. President Theodore Roosevelt signed a proclamation to create Tonto National Monument in 1907, five years before Arizona became a state. Then in 1966, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Lower Cliff Dwelling

The walls of the cliff dwellings were built of stone and mud, unlike the structures at nearby Casa Grande Ruins which were made of clay-like caliche. Archaeologists theorize that several families may have occupied the 20 rooms of the lower dwelling. Each of the rooms has a fire pit or hearth which backs up the theory. Smoke residue on the cave’s ceiling can still be seen today.

Many of the walls and even a couple of ceilings remain intact. Below are some additional shots of from inside the dwelling.

Stone and mud wall
Another view of the same wall as above
Remains an upper level of the structure with the cave wall
The pine or juniper beams would have supported a roof or a ceiling.

Originally, the dwelling’s roof beams were covered with saguaro spines then topped with mud, and the cave’s floors were leveled with dirt then covered over and smoothed with clay.

Interesting geology. Not only pretty, but practical.

The caves at Tonto National Monument lie in a geologic layer called Dripping Springs Quartzite. While the caves made ideal places to build their dwellings, the rock, primarily quartz and feldspar, was utilized by the Salado to make implements and weapons.

Detail of the rock layers at Tonto National Monument.

The Museum

Tonto National Monument’s Museum should be a priority for anyone visiting the park. We learned a lot while browsing the exhibits, however, it was the pottery we were most interested in. It’s incredible that these delicate ollas, pots, and bowls survived unprotected for hundreds of years!

With such brilliant colors occurring in their natural surroundings, it’s no wonder that the Salado and other Ancient Sonoran Desert People used them in their pottery. For an interesting article about the region’s pottery, click here.

Visiting Tonto National Monument

We recommend starting out with the museum and park film for an overview of what lies high up in the caves and the people who lived in them. Ideally, the second order of business would be to hike to the lower dwelling. The paved trail is .7 miles out and back and has a 362-foot elevation gain. Hiking websites claim it is a moderately challenging trail, however, we did it with just a couple of stops and some heavy breathing. That said, if we can do it, most everyone else can do it. There are even some benches along the way for those who want to sit and catch their breath. By the time we cooled down while browsing the museum, our visit to the park had lasted about three hours.

Lower dwelling as seen from the trail.
View of the trail looking back toward the visitor center parking lot.
And the views from the top are worth all the panting to get there!

Upper Cliff Dwelling

Those who want to visit the upper dwelling can do so on a reserved guided tour. Therefore, we recommend calling the park or visiting the website for reservation information before planning a trip to Tonto National Monument. Reservations usually open on October 1 and fill up quickly. Considered moderately challenging, the unpaved trail to the upper dwelling is 2.4 miles out and back with a 646-foot elevation gain. Allow three to four hours for this hike.

The upper cliff dwelling at Tonto National Monument
National Park Service photo of the Upper Dwelling.

Our closing photo is another view of scenic Roosevelt Lake. Thank you for letting us share Tonto National Monument with you! We are truly honored to have you join us on our road trips. If you’re looking for more road trip inspiration, check these out:

Happy, safe travels, y’all!

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our opinions are our own.

©2023          

 

 

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Casa Grande Ruins

Casa Grande might have been a family home, or it could have been a trade center. Perhaps it was a religious complex or an astrological observatory. The truth is that nobody knows, but a trip to this intriguing national park site will leave visitors with an admiration for the ingenuity of the Ancient Sonoran Desert People as well as a lot to wonder about.

Where is it?

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is located at 1100 W. Ruins Drive in  Coolidge, Arizona, which is about a 1-hour drive from either Phoenix or Tucson. The park features:

  • Visitor center
  • Museum
  • Introductory film
  • Self-guided tours of the site
  • Periodic guided tours – check with the park for dates and times
  • Covered picnic tables
  • Free admission

Access the park’s website here.

Casa Grande

Why is Casa Grande Significant?

Occupied from 450 AD to 1450 AD, Casa Grande is part of what was once a community of Hohokam (pronounced: hoho-kahm) people near the Gila River in south-central Arizona. In fact, archaeologists have found evidence of several similar communities in the area, though none have a structure like Casa Grande. Considered one of the largest prehistoric structures in North America, Casa Grande was built sometime between 1300 AD and 1350 AD. The site’s first recorded history comes from the journals of Jesuit priest Father Eusebio Kino, who arrived in 1694 and gave the Great House its name. Although, by that time the site had been abandoned for almost 250 years.

The people who lived in the Casa Grande community were farmers who grew gourds, corn, beans, tobacco, and cotton. Interestingly, an elaborate system of irrigation canals provided water for the crops and the people. The park also features a mound that is believed to have been a sports arena or some type of ball field used for the same type of games that are known to have been played by the Aztec people of Mexico. These unique sports fields have also been found in other area villages. Since the people who lived at Casa Grande left no evidence of a written language, little is known about them or where they went when they left the site.

Wooden beams and iron bars were used to stabilize the walls of the structure when the first repair efforts began in the 1890s.

The Great House

Casa Grande is built of caliche (kuh-leechee) which is a hard clay like substance made up of mud, sand and calcium carbonate and is found underneath the topsoil in dry areas such as the Sonoran Desert. Dry caliche can be as hard as concrete which is probably why the structure has survived for so many centuries.

Perhaps the Ancient Sonoran Desert People dug up the caliche while digging their irrigation canals, and then carried it to the construction site in baskets. 

Detail of the caliche.

The Community

Other remains of the Casa Grande village.

Archaeological evidence suggests that in addition to farming, Casa Grande’s people also made pottery, implements, and arrowheads. Archaeologists also know that the Hohokam people were traders. Known trade items include small copper bells, parrots, and crop seed that came from Mexico. Shells from California, which were used to make jewelry, have also been found. As cotton farmers, the residents of the Casa Grande community were also weavers. Woven cotton items likely would have been a prime commodity for trade.

Undated historical photo showing the village.

The park’s visitor center has a wonderful museum with exhibits showing some of the pottery and implements found at Casa Grande. Between 1860 and 1880, the village was on a stagecoach route originating from a railway station about 20 miles away. Unfortunately, stage passengers who stopped at the site not only vandalized the structures, but they also collected souvenirs and scratched graffiti into the walls. We can only imagine how many priceless artifacts were pilfered before the government stepped in to protect the site.

TheFlorence stage at the south side of the Casa Grande between 1888-1899. (CG-5030)
National Park Service photo of a stagecoach at Casa Grande circa 1888-1889.

Establishment of a Park

Archaeologists and anthropologists who visited Casa Grande in the late 1800s urged the government to repair and protect the site’s structures. Their convincing worked, and in 1889, congress voted to protect the site from further vandalism and erosion and began some repairs such as the rods and beams we mentioned previously.

West wall of the Casa Grande c.1880
West wall of Casa Grande, 1880. National Forest Service photo.

Three years later, President Benjamin Harrison set aside one square mile of land surrounding the Great House as the first federally protected prehistoric and cultural preserve in the U.S. and called it Casa Grande Reservation.

West wall of Casa Grande, 2023.

President Woodrow Wilson designated Casa Grande Ruins as a national monument in 1918. An electrical powerplant, the visitor center, paved park road, and paved parking lot, as well as a new steel shelter for the Great House were all completed in 1932.

Casa Grande’s 1932 steel shelter is still in great condition today.

We were fortunate to have been able to join a ranger talk during our visit to the park. One of the most fascinating parts of the presentation was the history of the steel shelter. Designed by renowned architect Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr., the structure can withstand hurricane force winds and allows airflow around the structure while not obstructing visibility of the ruins. Its four slanted legs are actually drainpipes that allow water from the roof drain into underground pipes and away from the Great House. Now, that’s ingenious!

We will close the post with one more historic photo of the Great House, courtesy of the National Forest Service.

The east side of the Casa Grande c.1900
Casa Grande circa 1900.

Thank you for taking the time to visit Casa Grande Ruins National Monument with us!

While you’re here, you might want to check out these other great national monuments:

Fort Union National Monument

Devils Tower Road Trip: Things to Do

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Safe travels, y’all!

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023        

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Chiricahua National Monument

Chiricahua (pronounced cheer-a-cow-uh) National Monument has been on our road trip radar for quite some time. Fortunately, our wish to visit finally came true during our “Vacation in Ruins” road trip, and the park was everything we expected plus a whole lot more. Even upon entering the park, we never anticipated a lush forest or gently flowing creeks. Nor did we expect a dose of history to go with the gorgeous setting. While nothing can compare to seeing Chiricahua in person, we hope you enjoy the visit through our eyes.

Where is it?

Chiricahua National Monument is located in the Chiricahua Mountains, approximately 30 miles south of Willcox, Arizona which is the closest city with accommodations, food, and gasoline. However, if you choose to visit Fort Bowie National Historic Site first, like we did, Google maps with take you down the road shown below to reach Chiricahua. Google maps will also tell you that the drive takes 29 minutes, but it took us almost an hour. Nevertheless, it was worth the drive, though we now have a dashboard squeak that we didn’t have before this road.

Road to Chiricahua from Fort Bowie.

Luckily, after about 30 minutes of driving on dirt, we finally made it to Highway 181 which led us to the turn off to the park. We truly felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere. The scenery was worth the trouble though. Note to travelers: Have a full tank of gas before venturing out to Chiricahua.

Highway 181 – lonely road, ranchland, and snowcapped peaks. We were in our element.

Chiricahua National Monument features:

  • Visitor center with exhibits, bookstore, and gift shop.
  • Hiking trails for all levels of hikers with some designated for horseback riding.
  • Faraway Ranch Historic District with ranger guided tours of the ranch house/museum.
  • Bonita Canyon scenic drive.
  • Picnic areas.
  • Campground for RV and tent camping – open year-round and requires a fee. Reservations are highly recommended.
  • Free hiker shuttle service to higher elevation trailheads during the winter and spring months.
  • No admission fees.

Access the park’s website here.

Little waterfall, Chiricahua National Monument.

Getting There

Before we left Fort Bowie to drive to Chiricahua, we heard other travelers talking to the rangers about the scenic drive being closed due to snow. Our hearts sank because missing Chiricahua was going to be a huge disappointment. The ranger told us later that we should go on to Chiricahua, after all it was a warm day with hardly a cloud in the sky. So, we took off thinking that under the sunny conditions the road would be clear by the time we arrived.

Chiricahua’s visitor center with rangers stationed outside under a much-needed heater.

Upon arrival, we found a parking place in the crowded parking lot and made our way to the visitor center. There we were met outside by one of the nicest park rangers we’ve ever encountered. She told us that the scenic Bonita Canyon Drive wasn’t closed due to snow, but it was closed due to a large fallen boulder. Then the ranger suggested some hiking trails to keep us occupied until the road was cleared. “Which could be any time,” she said with a confident smile. So, we drove to a trailhead for our first hike – a leisurely stroll, really – to see the Faraway Ranch Historic District.

We also encountered this pretty Mexican Jay near the visitor center. Apparently, they have been fed so often by park visitors, they now beg. Large signs attempt to discourage visitors from feeding them, but we suppose that rules only apply to some people.

Faraway Ranch

Windmill at Faraway Ranch, Chiricahua National Monument.

Faraway Ranch was established alongside Bonita Creek in 1886 and became the home of Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson and their children. The house that began as a one room cabin evolved over the years into a large, modern home by the 1920s.

From the park’s wayside information board. The house perhaps after an 1898 expansion.

Interestingly, Emma bought the 160-acre ranch a year before she and Neil married in 1887. The newlyweds soon realized that making a living by farming was difficult, so Neil took a carpentry job 85 miles away in Bisbee, Arizona. Meanwhile Emma struggled to make a go of the farm. Soon the couple was raising three children, daughters Lillian and Hildegard and son Ben. Neil eventually returned to the ranch, and then in 1903 he became the first ranger of the Chiricahua Forest Reserve.

Faraway Ranch house today

The house underwent several renovations over the years, including the addition of electricity, heating, and indoor bathrooms by daughter Lillian’s husband, Ed Riggs. By the time Lillian had married Ed in 1923, the Erickson’s homestead had become a guest ranch. Chiricahua, called the Wonderland of Rocks by the Erickson family, became a national monument in 1924. Faraway Ranch was operated as a guest ranch until the early 1970s. In 1979, the ranch and all of its contents were sold to the National Park Service to be protected as part of Chiricahua National Monument.

View from the Bonita Creek trail on approach to Faraway Ranch. The shot includes the old barn, corrals, the windmill, and a hint of the wonderland of rocks.

The Ericksons, however, weren’t the first white family to call Bonita Canyon home. Click here to read the short story about Ja Hu Stafford, a 46-year-old man and his 12-year-old wife, Pauline, who settled in Bonita Canyon in 1880.

Lower Rhyolite Trail

Our second hike at Chiricahua was on the Lower Rhyolite Trail. We didn’t go far though, because we were anxious for Bonita Canyon Drive to open and wanted to stick close to the visitor center. However, the parts of the trail that we did experience were perfect and peaceful.

Lower Rhyolite Trail

Rhyolite Creek runs next to the trail.

We encountered a Native American woman who sat on the edge of the creek and chanted while beating a drum. It turned out that she wasn’t the only one doing the same thing. The Chiricahua Mountains were once home to, and named for, the Chiricahua Apache people.

We only wish we knew what her beautiful chants meant.

Scenic Bonita Canyon Drive

After waiting a few hours for Bonita Canyon Drive to open, we finally got access. Unfortunately, it was late in the afternoon by the time the park officials let us through, and even then, the last part of the road was closed. Still, what we got to see was well worth the wait. Some of our shots are below.

First glimpse. Now we know why the Erickson family called this the Wonderland of Rocks!

Chiricahua truly is a wonderland of rocks with its sculpted hoodoos, gigantic pillars, and precariously balanced rocks. We certainly understood why a large fallen boulder could close the road for the better part of a day.

Rocks covered in lichens that glowed neon green in the late afternoon sun.

As the road climbed in elevation, we saw more snow, but we saw these jaw-dropping balanced rocks too! It’s impossible to see these along the road and not wonder what would happen if one happened to tumble. At least that was the case for us.

The undeniable wonder of Chiricahua.

Sentinels of the mountain.

Wrinkly pillars loom high above the treetops.

Since we were unable to access the scenic overlooks, we found the photo below to show a panoramic view of this amazing park. Perhaps another trip is in order so we can actually hike among the hoodoos and pillars.

Chiricahua National Monument. Photo courtesy of R. Gray/Unsplash.

Furry Friends

If the breathtaking scenery along Bonita Canyon Drive wasn’t enough, we were so excited to encounter some of the park’s furry residents.

Chiricahua cutie!

This is a coati, also known as a coatimundi, and they are native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Southwestern US. Coatis are relatives of racoons, but unlike their nocturnal cousins, coatis prefer daytime activity and sleeping at night.

These three were obviously too busy foraging for food to stop and pose for a photo.

Black bears, mountain lions, deer, javelinas, foxes, and 20 bat species as well as many other mammals call Chiricahua home. The park’s diverse ecosystems also enable a wide variety of birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians to thrive, even in the sometimes-harsh elements.

Thank you so much for coming along with us to Chiricahua National Monument! We’re closing the post with one more view of the Wonderland of Rocks.

Love national parks? Take a look at these amazing sites:

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Colorado National Monument 
Scotts Bluff National Monument

Travel safe, y’all!

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured

New Mexico’s Salinas Pueblo Missions


Where are the missions?

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located near the town of Mountainair in central New Mexico. The national monument features:

  • Main visitor center at Mountainair with a small museum
  • Three mission sites with visitor centers and restrooms at each
  • Bookstores and gift shops at each visitor center
  • Accessible paved walking trails with wayside exhibits
  • Periodic night sky events
  • Free admission

The park’s website can be accessed here.

Snow dusted peaks near Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.

Why is this site significant?

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument preserves the ruins of three pueblos which were important trading hubs long before Spanish explorers arrived in the 1580s. Salt was harvested from nearby dry lakebeds (salinas) and became the primary commodity for trade at these pueblos. Due to the abundant salt trade, the Spanish government named the area the Salinas Jurisdiction. Other commodities such as pinion nuts and squash were used for trade purposes as well. The missions were built by Spanish priests who were sent to the Salinas Jurisdiction during the early seventeenth century to convert the Puebloan people to Christianity. Drought, famine, disease, and marauding Apaches drove the occupants of these sites away during the late 1600s. While the mission buildings remain today as important archaeological sites, there are still unexcavated mounds which contain remnants of the original pueblos.

Abo

Abo (pronounced Ah-bow) was the first stop on our visit. The site is located nine miles west of the main visitor center in Mountainair.

Spanish missionary Fray Francisco Fonte arrived at Abo in 1622 and took up residence in the pueblo until a church and convento (living quarters) could be built. Over the next six years, the Puebloans under Fonte’s direction, built Abo’s first mission church and convento, Mission of San Gregorio de Abo. In 1629, under the direction of another priest, renovations began on the original church and a larger church was built around it. The remains of the second church are what we see today.

The remains of Abo’s church and convento.

Interestingly, Abo’s church also features a kiva which is where Puebloans held their own religious ceremonies. No one knows why the priests would have allowed a kiva to be built in a Catholic church. However, popular belief is that the priests allowed the kivas as a compromise in order to aid in the Puebloans’ transition to Christianity.

Artist’s rendering of how Abo may have looked at its height.

Abo was abandoned in 1673 and remained unoccupied for over a century. Spanish sheep herders settled into Abo around 1815 only to abandon the site in 1830 because of Apache raids. Permanent settlers, namely the family of Juan Jose Sisneros, arrived in the late 1800s and claimed Abo as their home. Descendants of the Sisneros family still live in the area today. The State of New Mexico took over the site in 1938.  

Built from mission rubble, reoccupation structures were constructed and utilized from 1815 – 1830 by Spanish sheep herders.

After visiting Abo, we backtracked to Mountainair, and then it was on to our next site, Gran Quivira.

Gran Quivira

Gran Quivira (pronounced Gran Kuh-veera) is located 25 miles south of the Mountainair visitor center. The largest of the three Salinas Pueblo Missions, Gran Quivira is also the most excavated. Contact with Spanish explorers first occurred in 1583, then again in 1598 when the Don Juan de Onate expedition arrived and referred to the pueblo as Las Humanas.

Artist’s rendering of how Gran Quivira may have looked to Spanish explorers.

Gran Quivira became a satellite mission of Abo in 1629, and at that time, construction began on the first mission church, Iglesia de San Isidro. Construction of the newer, larger church, San Buenaventura, began in 1659 under the direction of its new priest, Fray Diego de Santander.

Remains of San Buenaventura and convento.

Gran Quivira was once a large city occupied by 1500 – 2000 people. A few yards east of the San Buenaventura church lies a small hill, now known as Mound 7. Excavations of the large mound during the mid-1960s revealed the remains of a 226-room pueblo as well as an older pueblo underneath.

Mound 7

According to the National Park Service, indigenous people lived on and around the site for 1200 years. We thought this was interesting because Gran Quivira did not have a nearby water source. Residents had to carry water from distant springs to the site.

Excavated remains of Mound 7.

By 1672 the people of Gran Quivira had gone, leaving the once grand city to lie abandoned for more than 100 years. Eventually, travelers and explorers began to show interest in the site during the mid to late 1800s. President Taft preserved Gran Quivira by establishing it as a national monument in 1909.

Now on to Quarai…

Quarai

Quarai (pronounced Quar-eye) is located eight miles north and one mile west of the main visitor center in Mountainair. Fray Juan Gutierrez de la Chica established the Quarai Mission in 1626, and under his direction construction began on the church in 1627. The church, La Purisma Concepcion de Quarai, was completed in 1632.

La Purisma Concepcion de Quarai

Like Abo, Quarai has a kiva in its convento. Spanish missionaries most likely thought it would not be a good idea to completely disregard the Puebloan’s old religion while attempting to establish new beliefs. The artist’s rendition below shows what Quarai pueblo might have looked like at its peak.

Like Abo and Gran Quivira, drought, famine, disease and attacks by hostile Apaches caused Quarai’s people to abandon the site in 1678. Settlers Juan and Miguel Lucero brought their families to live at Quarai in the early 1820s when some of the buildings were still habitable. The Lucero family made repairs to the convento and church and then built new homes which are now known as the Lucero Structures.

Some of the remains of the Lucero Structures.

Apache raiders destroyed the Lucero’s homes and burned the church in 1830, causing the Lucero family to abandon Quarai. Some of the Lucero family returned a few years later and began rebuilding as well as adding additional structures. Miguel Lucero sold the property in 1872. Today, the Hopi and Zuni people claim they are descendants of the people of Quarai.

View from inside the church.

The state of New Mexico took over Quarai in the 1930s and preserved the site as a state monument. In 1980, the National Park Service expanded Gran Quivira National Monument to include Quarai and Abo. Renaming of the monument to Salinas Pueblo Missons took place in 1988.

Visiting Salinas Pueblo Missions

There are few accommodation options in the small town of Mountainair. However, there are several options for hotels and RV parks in the cities of Socorro which is south of the national monument and Belen which is north. Both cities are less than an hour’s drive via I-25. Undoubtedly, a visit to the missions would make a perfect day trip from Albuquerque, which is just over an hour north, also via I-25.

The interstate is that way!

We didn’t find much in the way of eateries in Mountainair, but there are a couple of cafes as well as a deli in the local grocery store. Furthermore, we found only one convenience store gas station, and of course the prices were high.

Regardless of where it’s located, the national monument was absolutely worth the trip. The history, the wide-open spaces, and the scenery made for a wonderful road trip adventure. We spent about an hour at each pueblo mission site, and the drive time added another hour and a half to our visit. As always, we recommend making the visitor center the first stop. We also recommend visiting during the spring or fall as the summer heat and the winter cold may be uncomfortable for some.

This scene from Gran Quivira probably hasn’t changed much over the centuries.

Thank you so much for joining us at New Mexico’s Salinas Pueblo Missions!

Need additional road trip ideas? Take a look at these other great New Mexico destinations:

Fort Union National Monument
Albuquerque to Taos Road Trip: Things to Do
Pecos National Monument
Ruidoso Road Trip: Things to Do

 

Happy, safe travels, y’all!

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023          

Featured

Vulcan: A Birmingham Icon

Vulcan, the largest cast iron statue in the world, stands in Vulcan Park on top of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama. A depiction of the Roman god of fire and forge, he is the symbol of the city due to its locally abundant reserves of coal, limestone, and iron ore and its history of using those resources to make iron.

Standing guard over Birmingham.

Vulcan is composed of 29 separate pieces that are bolted together inside the body which stands 56 feet tall and contains 100,000 pounds of iron. 

Vulcan statue, the city symbol, Birmingham, Alabama - original digital file | Library of Congress
Vulcan holds a spear in his right hand. His left hand holds a hammer which rests atop an anvil. Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress

The Birth of Vulcan

In 1903, the Birmingham Commercial Club commissioned Italian-born artist Giuseppi Moretti to sculpt the statue that would become the city’s entry in the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Moretti made the molds, and the Birmingham Steel and Iron Company cast them to complete the statue. Vulcan and his representation of Birmingham’s iron industry was such a hit at the fair, also known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, that he won a grand prize. 

A historic image of the exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

Vulcan’s Life in Birmingham

Following the World’s Fair, Vulcan was disassembled and sent by rail back to Birmingham. Sadly, the statue’s parts were dumped next to the railroad tracks because of unpaid freight fees. Someone finally took pity on the poor guy, and he reappeared in Birmingham at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. Despite his missing spear and his arms reassembled incorrectly, Vulcan became an advertising gimmick. During his stint at the fairgrounds, he advertised Coca-Cola, ice cream, and even Heinz pickles!

Vulcan holds what we believe is a snow cone (or maybe popcorn) in his left hand.

Vulcan Gets a Permanent Home

In 1936, several Birmingham civic groups and various government agencies, including the Works Progress Administration, raised money to build a park to serve as Vulcan’s permanent home. Once the land atop Red Mountain was acquired, a park was created along with a 126-foot-tall sandstone pedestal for the statue. As Vulcan was affixed to the pedestal, it was filled to the chest with concrete for stability. Vulcan Park was dedicated on May 7, 1939, with a crowd of 5,000 people in attendance.

The first piece of the Vulcan statue, a leg and foot, is hoisted to the top of the pedestal.
Kids pose on Vulcan’s 11,000 lb. head while the statue’s pieces await their permanent home.

In 1946, a green neon light was placed in Vulcan’s right hand to promote traffic safety. Though after fatal traffic accidents, the light would glow red for 24 hours.

We believe this aerial view of Vulcan shows the traffic safety light in his right hand.

From 1969 to 1971, the park and pedestal underwent a $1 million renovation with the pedestal being clad in beige marble. Renovations included the addition of an elevator and an enclosed observation deck.

Vulcan after the 1969-1971 renovation showing the marble clad pedestal, elevator, and enclosed observation deck.

Vulcan’s Latest Restoration

In the early 1990s, engineers determined that Vulcan was at risk of collapse. Concrete and cast iron do not expand and contract at the same rate which took a toll on the aging statue, so plans began for another major facelift. This time, however, the repaired and repainted statue would be fitted around a steel framework rather than concrete for stability. Restoration efforts, which were completed in 2004, included restoring Vulcan and his pedestal to their original 1938 appearance and the construction of Vulcan Center. 

Everything old is new again!

Vulcan Park

The park features beautiful landscapes with green spaces, accessible walkways, and a terrace that is perfect for picnics.
A view of downtown Birmingham from Vulcan Park.

The park’s interesting museum, which is located inside Vulcan Center, covers the history of Vulcan as well as the history of Birmingham. For visitors who want to take home a souvenir or two, Vulcan Center also features a gift shop.

Since 1949 Vulcan Park has shared its space atop Red Mountain with two television stations and their towers, however, the park remains a beautiful oasis in their midst. For additional information, click here: Vulcan Park.

The grass terraces shown above were originally cascades, but the water features were eliminated during the renovation that was completed in 1971.

Did You Know That Birmingham Also Has a National Park?

Visitors to Birmingham should not miss the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as an integral part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The monument is relatively new and still under development, however, visitors to the park can visit several historic sites. The Civil Rights Institute is a Smithsonian Institution affiliate and features exhibits covering the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. Visitors will need to purchase timed tickets online.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, 16th Street Baptist Church is where four young girls were killed in a racially motivated bombing in 1963.

This is just one of nine national park sites in Alabama. We are anxious to visit the rest of them and, of course, we will share them with you. Thank you so much for joining us in Birmingham!

Looking for more American road trip ideas? Check these out:

Fort Union National Monument

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Franconia Notch State Park

  Safe travels, y’all. We will see you on the road.

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023        

 

 

Featured

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver National Monument turned out to be a delightful diversion from our Route 66 journey through Missouri. We thought our visit would be short because we arrived with few expectations and very little knowledge about the site or the man. However, this turned out to be one of the best stops of our road trip, and while we spent more than two hours at the park, we could have stayed much longer.

Beautiful drive into the extremely well-maintained national park site

Where is it?

The monument is located at 5646 Carver Road in Diamond, Missouri.

Features of the site include:

  • Visitor center and gift shop
  • Introductory film
  • Three levels of museum exhibits with a special area for kids
  • Guided and self-guided tours of the one-mile Carver Trail
  • Junior Ranger programs
  • Picnic area

Link to the monument’s website here.

The gorgeous gardens and grounds at George Washington Carver National Monument were worth the stop alone.

Why is this national monument significant?

The monument preserves the birthplace and honors the extraordinary life of George Washington Carver. It was on the site that George was born to an enslaved woman named Mary in 1864. No records exist to show his exact birthdate, and very little is known about Mary except that she was about thirteen years old when she was purchased by Moses Carver. What is known, however, is that George Washington Carver faced a great deal of adversity throughout his younger life. Though despite the odds, he became one of the most respected environmental agriculturalists and teachers the country has ever known. Furthermore, George Washington Carver National Monument is the first national monument to an African American.

This structure represents the approximate location of Mary’s one room log cabin and the birthplace of George Washington Carver.

George’s Early Years

George’s parents, Giles and Mary, were purchased in 1855 by Moses Carver, a German American immigrant who farmed in southwestern Missouri. Giles, who by some accounts was actually owned by a neighbor, died in an accident before George was born. When George was only a few weeks old, Arkansas night riders, who were known to terrorize blacks, kidnapped him, his mother, and his sister. George’s brother, James, somehow escaped the kidnapping, but the other three were taken to Kentucky and sold. Moses Carver hired a man to find them, but he was only able to find George, and Carver had to “buy” the baby back by rewarding the man with a $300.00 horse. The Carvers raised George and James as their own children and gave them their name. No one knows what happened to Mary or her daughter.

“Boy Carver Statue” by Robert Amendola, 1961

George’s Boyhood Years

As a boy, George enjoyed a daily trek into the woods where he would pray and absorb the beauty of his surroundings. With an innate sense of curiosity, he became interested in the plants that grew near his home. Moses Carver and his wife Susan had taught George and James the basics of reading and writing. However, young George yearned for more – he wanted to go to school. Black children could not attend the public school in Diamond, so at about age twelve George left home and walked eleven miles to Neosho, Missouri where he knew there was a school that would accept him. Information about James is unclear, but he left the Carver’s farm and went to Fayetteville, Arkansas around the time George went to Neosho. Later, he may have worked as a house painter or plasterer in Missouri. James died of Smallpox in 1883 at the age of 23.

The Carver Homestead

This is a restored version of the Carver’s second home built in 1881. George likely visited the Carvers here, but he never lived in the house.

Excerpt from a park information board:

“In the 1860s and 1870s Moses Carver grew hundreds of bushels of oats, corn, hay, and Irish potatoes in these fields. The farm where young George played and worked also produced fruit, wool, beeswax, honey, molasses, and livestock. When he left, G. W. Carver carried with him the conviction that farmers should be self-sufficient and good stewards of what had been entrusted to them…ideas he learned living here.”

The Carver family cemetery where Moses and Susan Carver, along with other members of the family as well as neighbors are buried. The last burial here was in 1919.

A Thirst for Knowledge

After spending two years in Neosho under the care of a woman named Mariah Watkins, George left to travel to Kansas with a group of people who were traveling west. Over the next few years, he traveled around the Midwest attending secondary school and working, usually as a domestic. He graduated from Minneapolis High School in Minneapolis, Kansas. In the late 1880s, George found himself in Winterset, Iowa where he enrolled in nearby Simpson College to study the fine arts of painting and music. One year later, he enrolled in the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm in Ames, Iowa, now Iowa State University. It was there that he earned a bachelor’s degree in in 1894 and a graduate degree two years later. After graduation, he became the first black faculty member of the university.

Black and white image on George Washington Carver as a teenager.
George as a teenager – National Park Service image

Tuskegee Institute

In 1896 Booker T. Washington asked George to head the agriculture department at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. George accepted and spent the next 47 years educating students as well as farmers. Although he was sometimes referred to as Dr. Carver, he never earned a doctorate degree. However, Selma University and Simpson College each awarded him with honorary doctorates of science. In 1994 Iowa State University issued a doctorate of humane letters posthumously.

The national monument has recreated Carver’s Tuskegee Institute classroom in its museum.

The Peanut Man

In addition to teaching, Carver did extensive plant research, especially with peanuts. He established an agricultural extension service, later issuing a bulletin entitled “How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption” and encouraged cotton and tobacco farmers to rotate their crops with peanuts in order to restore nitrogen to their soil. With the invasion of boll weevils, many southern cotton farmers followed Carver’s advice by turning to peanuts. As a result, former cotton mills retooled to become peanut oil mills. Some say George Washington Carver saved the south’s farm economy due to his crop rotation and soil enrichment methods. His tireless research resulted in over 300 uses for peanuts and hundreds of uses for other food plants such as soybeans and sweet potatoes.

An exhibit from the museum at the national monument

Some of Carver’s uses for peanuts included:

  • foodstuffs such as mayonnaise, carmel, chili sauce, and coffee
  • cosmetics such as shampoo, face powder, and hand lotion
  • industrial items such as rubber, plastic, insecticides, and paint

George Washington Carver (center front) and staff, 1902 – Library of Congress image

There is no doubt the man was a brilliant biologist. However, in addition to his teaching and research career, Carver was a promoter of racial equality and traveled throughout the South spreading his message. He never married, and he spent his life living in a dormitory on the Tuskegee Institute campus. When George got older, his good friend and automotive manufacturer Henry Ford had an elevator installed in the dormitory so that George would be able to access his lab without having to use the stairs. Sadly, George died on January 5, 1943, after falling down the stairs in his home. He is buried next to Booker T. Washington on the campus of Tuskegee University.

The National Monument

The national monument is interesting on the inside and beautiful on the outside. Below are some additional photographs of the site.

A perfect reflection of nature, this creek would have piqued the interest of a curious little boy. It certainly piqued ours!

While it isn’t a peanut plant, this stunning zinnia would have undoubtedly been of interest to George.

Turtles sunning themselves on a log during an algae bloom in their pond.

Beautyberry

Trail through the woods. Perhaps we walked in George’s footsteps here.

White clematis

Thank you so much for joining us on our visit to George Washington Carver National Monument!

Want to visit more national monuments? Click on these interesting destinations:

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Colorado National Monument

Travel safely, and we will see you on the road!

Mike and Kellye

IMG_0254

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured

Devils Tower Road Trip: Things to Do

Black Hills, South Dakota

This airport to destination road trip to Devils Tower begins in Rapid City, South Dakota. Distance between Rapid City and Devils Tower: 107 miles/1.75 hours. In this post we will be highlighting four bonus stops along the way and listing things to do at each stop. We’re even including a bonus road trip! Let’s check out Rapid City before we hit the road.

Badlands National Park

Lying just east of the Black Hills National Forest in western South Dakota, Rapid City was settled by prospectors during the Black Hills Gold Rush days of the late 1800s. From its humble beginnings on the banks of Rapid Creek, Rapid City has grown into a flourishing metropolitan area. Nicknamed the City of Presidents because bronze statues of every U.S. president can be found on downtown streets and because of the city’s proximity to Mount Rushmore. As a vacation hotspot, Rapid City has practically anything a visitor could want in the way of accommodations, dining, shopping, and entertainment.

Custer State Park, South Dakota

Things to do in Rapid City

Click the venue name for information about these family favorites:

When to go? Anytime, but we recommend May, June, July and September. Note that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally takes place during the first two weeks of August. Visiting during this time is not recommended unless you plan to participate in the rally.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Things to Do near Rapid City

Rapid City is also a perfect road trip “home base” due to its proximity to several state and national parks. (Click the park name for information.)

Now, let’s begin our road trip to Devils Tower…

Getting There

Take I-90 west toward Sturgis via Black Hawk. Distance between Rapid City and Sturgis: 29 miles/30 minutes.

Bonus Stop: Sturgis, South Dakota. Home of the world’s largest motorcycle rally. The city has some interesting stops whether you are interested in motorcycles or just a little history.

Things to do in Sturgis

  • Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame – 999 Main St, Sturgis
  • Saab Heritage Car Museum USA – 940 Dickson Dr, Sturgis
  • Black Hills National Cemetery – 20901 Pleasant Valley Dr (3 miles east of Sturgis)
  • Old Fort Meade Museum – 50 Sheridan St, Fort Meade, SD (1.5 miles east of Sturgis via Highways 34 and 79)

No road trip to Sturgis would be complete without a visit to the world’s largest biker bar. Full Throttle Saloon (19942 Hwy 79, Vale, SD) is the real deal. While you’re there, grab a bite to eat, an ice-cold beverage, and a souvenir or two. Most of the time the bar is open from 8:00 am to around 8:30 pm. If in doubt about the hours, give them a call – (605) 423-4584. Distance between Sturgis and Full Throttle Saloon: 20 miles/20 minutes.

Continue west on I-90 toward Spearfish. Distance between Sturgis and Spearfish: 21.7 miles/22 minutes.

Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Canyon

Bonus Stop: Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway via Exit 10 or Exit 14 off of I-90. US Highway 14A is the 19-mile-long Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. Without stops, the drive takes approximately 30 minutes, but we recommend allowing 1-1.5 hours for sightseeing along this beautiful byway. The canyon features three waterfalls, wildlife, and hiking trails as well as steep cliff walls and a variety of trees and other plant life. Free to visit.

Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

Things to do in Spearfish

  • High Plains Western Heritage Center (museum) – 825 Heritage Dr, Spearfish
  • D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery – 423 Hatchery Cir, Spearfish
  • Spearfish Rec & Aquatics Center (water park) – 122 Recreation Ln, Spearfish

Bonus Road Trip: Deadwood, South Dakota. Back during the gold rush Deadwood was a rambunctious Old West town that catered to the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Their gravesites in the Mount Moriah Cemetery are a popular stop for tourists. Today, this National Historic Landmark town features a lively Main Street with gun fight reenactments and plenty of shopping and dining.

Things to do in Deadwood

  • Gambling resorts and gaming halls
  • Museums
  • Gold mine tour
  • Tatanka, Story of the Bison – exhibit featuring bronze sculptures depicting a bison hunt
  • Northern Plains Peoples Interpretive Center

Distance between Spearfish and Deadwood: 15 miles/18 minutes – via US Highway 85 south.

Continue west from Spearfish on I-90 toward Beulah, Wyoming. Distance between Spearfish and Beulah: 15 miles/15 minutes.

Welcome to Wyoming

Wyoming’s welcome centers are definitely worth a stop. The Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center at Beulah includes museum-type exhibits, free maps and other tourist information, clean restrooms, and extremely helpful employees. Travelers can also enjoy a paved walking trail and wayside information boards that detail interesting historical facts about the area.

Bonus Stop: Vore Buffalo Jump. This active archaeological site is located approximately 3 miles west of Beulah on the US Highway 14 access road. See archaeologists at work recovering bison bones and other artifacts left by the Plains Indians in a trap/sink hole dating to 1500-1800 AD. The site is open daily June 1 through Labor Day, but tours may be able to be arranged during other times of the year by calling (888) 945-7676.

Continue west on US Highway 14 toward Sundance, Wyoming. Distance between Beulah and Sundance: 18 miles/20 minutes

Statue of the Sundance Kid in Sundance, Wyoming

Bonus Stop: Sundance, Wyoming. Sundance is the county seat of Crook County, Wyoming. Harry A. Longabaugh was an outlaw who served time in the Crook County Jail for theft. He joined Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch Gang after being released from prison around 1896 and became known as the Sundance Kid. It is widely believed that Butch and Sundance both died in Bolivia in 1908 during a shootout with the Bolivian army. Crook County Museum – 120 North 4th Street – holds an array of historic relics from the area, including some exhibits about Longabaugh, and also features an art gallery. Admission is free and the museum is well worth the stop. Allow 1-1.5 hours.

Continue west on US Highway 14, then take Highway 24 north to Devils Tower. Distance between Sundance and Devils Tower: 27 miles/31 minutes.

Destination: Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower as seen on approach to the park

What is it? The result of ancient volcanic activity, Devils Tower is a rock butte rising 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River. The National Park Service explains:

“We know that the Tower is formed of a rare igneous rock, phonolite porphyry, and is the largest example of columnar jointing in the world.”

Devils Tower is sacred to Northern Plains Indian tribes who traditionally refer to the butte as Bear Lodge. The tower has been called by other names, but Bear Lodge or Bear Lodge Butte is what appears most commonly in early explorers’ notes and maps. Somehow through explorers’ translations of Lakota Indian words, the probable misinterpretation of “bad gods tower” evolved into Devil’s Tower. The government entity that manages place names officially proclaimed the monument Devils Tower and dropped the apostrophe due to their policy against possessive names. President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devils Tower as our country’s first national monument in 1906.

View of Devils Tower from Tower Trail

  • Website link: Devils Tower National Monument
  • The park is open 24 hours every day
  • Cost: $25.00 per car for a 7-day pass – credit card only or purchase pass online

Note that parking at the visitor center is limited and can be difficult for maneuvering long RVs and travel trailers. Check the website for information regarding RV parking.

Another trail view of Devils Tower

Things to do at Devils Tower

  • Stop at Devils Tower Trading Post just before entering the park to pick up snacks or souvenirs and then take some postcard worthy shots of the tower
  • Camp – RV and tent camping available at the Belle Fourche River Campground – first come only, no reservations
  • Picnic – large picnic area with tables
  • Hike – several trails available
  • Join a ranger program or night sky program
  • Visit the park’s resident prairie dogs at Prairie Dog Town
  • Climb. Climbing is permitted with registration of climbers. Note: during the month of June when Native American rituals and religious services take place, climbers are asked not to climb due to the sanctity of the site.

One last Devils Tower shot

Thank you so much for joining us on our road trip to Devils Tower!

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road or at a national park.

Mike and Kellye

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Need more US road trip inspiration? Click on these other exciting destinations:

Abilene, Texas Road Trip: Things to Do

Albuquerque to Taos Road Trip: Things to Do

 

 

 

 

 

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As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

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