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Located in northeastern
Arizona,
the
Petrified Forest National Park is between
Holbrook
and Navajo along I-40. The park is a surprising land of scenic
wonders and fascinating science featuring one of the world's largest and
most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, the multi-hued badlands of
the Chinle Formation known as the Painted Desert, historic structures,
archeological sites, and displays of 225 million year old fossils.
The park consists of two large areas connected
by a north-south corridor. The northern area encompasses part of the
multihued badlands known as the Painted Desert. The southern area includes
colorful terrain as well as several concentrations of petrified wood.
Several American Indian petroglyph sites are also found in the southern
area.
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Petrified Forest
courtesy National Park Service.
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The
Petrified Forest area was designated a National Monument on
December 8, 1906. The Painted Desert was added later, and on December
9, 1962, the whole monument received national park status. Today, the
park covers 93,532.57 acres.
Landmarks include the
Agate House Pueblo, built of petrified wood; the Agate Bridge, a
petrified log spanning a wash, and the Painted Desert Inn, designated
on the National Register of Historic places.
The
Agate House is a partial reconstruction of an Indian pueblo built
around 1100 A.D. Its walls were built of petrified wood and
sealed with mud mortar. sitting atop a knoll overlooking the
vast expanse of desert, the eight room pueblo is though to have been
occupied for a brief time due to the small amount of cultural debris
found in the area. Reconstruction of its rooms occurred after
archaeological excavation in 1934.
 The
Agate Bridge is a natural formation created by centuries of scouring
flood waters that washed out the arroyo beneath this 110-foot
petrified log. The stone log, harder than the sandstone around it,
resisted erosion and remained suspended as the softer rock beneath it
washed away. Enthusiastic visitors fascinated by Agate Bridge worked
to preserve it through the establishment of
Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. Conservationists felt
this ages-old natural bridge needed architectural support and in 1911
erected masonry pillars beneath the log. In 1917 the present concrete
span replace the masonry work.
The Painted Desert Inn was built in 1924
on a high perch overlooking the Painted Desert by a man named Herbert
Lore in 1924. The two-story inn, nicknamed named the Stone Tree
House, due to the petrified wood used in its construction, was
operated as an inn and tourist attraction for almost twelve years.
Meals were served in the lunchroom, Native American arts and crafts
could be purchased in the curio shops, and a cool drink could be
enjoyed in the downstairs taproom. Rooms were available for $2 to $4 a
night. Lore also gave 2-hour motor car tours through the Black
Forest in the Painted Desert below.
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This isolated oasis in the Painted Desert was purchased
by the
Petrified Forest National Monument in 1936 and began updating its
electrical, plumbing, and heating systems. Guest rooms, a new entryway, a
dining room and a shaded porch were added to the original structure, as
well as stained glass ceiling panels, hammered tin chandeliers, and
hand-carved furniture.
During the Dust Bowl
days, thousands of heartland residents fled west on
Route 66
in search of a better life. Hollywood documented the era in The
Grapes Wrath, which included scenes at the Painted Desert Inn.
During World War II, the Inn was closed, but reopened after the war was
over. Shortly thereafter, the Fred Harvey Company took over the
management in 1947. In no time, the legendary Harvey Girls complimented
the Inn with their excellent service in the spotless dining room.
A year later, the company’s architect and interior
designer, Mary Colter, oversaw the remodeling of the dining rooms, hiring
Fred Kabotie to paint murals in two rooms that would reflect his Hopi
heritage. In the same year, the Painted Desert Inn became the
park's northern headquarters.
Following the war,
Route 66
became busier than ever as people began to experience "vacations." For many, the Mother Road included a stop at the Petrified Forest,
and a bite to eat or curio shopping at the Painted Desert Inn.
Unfortunately, after
I-40 replaced
Route 66,
a new Painted Desert Headquarters was opened and the Painted Desert Inn
was closed. Already suffering from foundation problems, the building sat
abandoned for the next 27 years. Only open for periodic events,
deterioration continued to occur and the building was nearly
demolished in 1965 and again in 1975. However, in 1975, the
Painted Desert Inn was placed on the National Register
of Historic Places and in 1987, it became a National Historic Landmark.
The building was restored and is now open as a museum.
The petrified wood of the
Petrified Forest is the "State Fossil" of
Arizona.
The pieces of permineralized wood are from a family of trees that is
extinct in the Northern Hemisphere today, surviving only in isolated
stands in the Southern Hemisphere. During the Late Triassic period, this
desert region was located in the tropics and was seasonally wet and dry.
In seasonal flooding, the trees washed from where they grew and
accumulated in sandy river channels, where they were buried periodically
by layers of gravelly sand, rich in volcanic ash from volcanoes further to
the west. The volcanic ash was the source of the silica that helped to
permineralize the buried logs, replacing wood with silica, colored with
oxides of iron and manganese.
Theft of petrified wood
has remained a problem despite protection and despite the fact that nearby
vendors sell wood collected legally from private land. Despite a guard
force of seven National Park Service rangers, and fences, warning signs
and the threat of a $275 fine, about 12 to 14 tons of the fossil wood
disappears from the
Petrified Forest every year.
Much of the striking
banded coloration of the Chinle Formation badlands that make up the
Painted Desert region is due to soil formation during the Late Triassic
period. The soil suggests that the climate was once dramatically seasonal,
with distinct very wet and very dry seasons. This climate was probably
similar to the modern monsoon of the Indian Ocean region.
Hiking opportunities are
limited. The longest established trail in the park extends for only two
miles; the others are one mile or less. Backcountry camping and hiking are
allowed by permit only.
Park activities include
the park film, museums, sightseeing, photography, walking, hiking and
wilderness backpacking. A variety of ranger programs are given year round
with an increased number during the summer.
Note: The removal
of petrified wood or other features of the park is prohibited by law. Gift
shops sell petrified wood that comes from private land, outside the park.
Contact Information:
Petrified
Forest National Park
1 Park Road
Petrified Forest,
Arizona
86028
928-524-6228
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