,,petrified ,,forest ,national ,monument1 ,arizona ,cover ,illustration3 ,this is 8,old ,faithful04 ,just at the top of the hill it lies in stark grandeur4 ,,descriptive--,,historical--,,illustrat ed ,by ,,dama ,,margaret ,,smith ,,copyright #aicj ,petrified ,forest ,national ,monument1 ,arizona ,by ,dama ,margaret ,smith ,the ,petrified ,forest ,in ,arizona1 that land of mystic beauties and many wonders1 lies a great tract of land that1 once upon a time1 was covered with waters of the sea4 ,how many centuries ago the ocean waves sparkled and rippled over what is now the desert1 no one can definitely say4 ,but from the nature of the stratum is which great logs are embedded1 and the fossilized reptiles found1 it is known that they were entombed during the ,triassic age1 many millions of years ago4 ,petrified logs are found over a wide area1 more than a hundred square miles being covered with varying amounts of the 8stone0 trees4 ,this fossilized 8forest0 is greater in area1 more highly colored1 and contains more petrified wood than any like deposit in the world4 ,many visitors who have heard of the 8forest0 drive through miles of the ,reservation and ask at the ,museum where they can find the ,petrified ,forest4 ,inquiry discloses that they expected to find an area of standing trees1 trunks merely turned to stone1 branches and all4 ,perhaps they have seen one or more such trunks in ,yellowstone ,national ,park and think to find hundreds of them here4 ,yet1 when they learn the story of these fallen monarchs1 and catch a glimpse of the dazzling beauties of agate and carnelian1 jasper and onyx1 no signs of disappointment are seen4 ,let the visitor but leave his car to view the logs1 and step by step he is led on by here a gleaming fragment of carnelian1 and there the soft sheen of jasper and topaz4 ,it is like the carpet of ,fairyland4 ,these trees did not grow where they lie1 or even within many miles of where they are found4 ,they were carried from a long distance to this region by flood waters1 and after whirling and drifting around in the inland sea then covering the land1 they became waterlogged and finally sank to the bottom1 where some eddy or whirlpool carried them4 ,here they lay for countless centuries1 slowly being covered by silt and sand1 while yet other logs came to rest above them4 ,thousands of years elapsed during this drifting and sinking into oblivion under the ooze of this ,triassic ,sea4 ,and then came ,old ,ocean1 later on in the ,mesozoic ,age submerging the entire region and adding its weight to the terrific pressure already brought to bear on the burial place of the giants4 ,this pressure packed the sands to stone1 and compressed the clays to shale4 ,already the logs were impregnated with a strong solution of silica1 with iron and manganese also present1 and the pressure forced it into every fiber4 ,atom by atom the cells of the wood were dissolved and replaced by the silica1 which hardened1 taking the exact shape of the cell it destroyed4 ,while the logs were probably partly petrified before the influx of the ocean waters1 a great many show that enormous pressure was brought to bear while they were yet flexible4 ,some logs recently brought to light by the summer floods1 are mashed almost flat1 cross sections measuring eighteen inches one way and more than five feet the other4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,national ,park ,service ,cross section of log showing natural fracture4 ,nature did not slight details in this work of substitution4 ,even to the most minute particular the structure of the wood was replaced by the intruder4 ,under the microscope it is possible to identify the kind of wood represented4 ,dr4 ,f4 ,h4 ,knowlton has classified the major portion of these trees as belonging to a species of conebearing tree now extinct1 related to the ,norfolk ,island ,pine4 ,the logs lay buried for numberless centuries1 but natural forces were at work bringing them to the surface again4 ,during the ,tertiary ,period1 a slow upheaval brought the submerged area to light4 ,on and upward it rose1 until it now lies more than a mile above the level of the ocean4 ,freed of its ,old ,man of the ,sea1 warmed and comforted by ,arizona's brilliant sun and searching wind1 the region lay at rest4 ,slowly the fingers of time1 tipped with wind and rain1 broke through the heavier sandstone above1 and tore away the softer layers of shale and marl4 ,bit by bit1 the covering was lifted from the buried logs1 and one by one1 the gem-like wonders saw the light of day4 ,and what a glorious resurrection it was6 ,as the support was plucked from about them1 they left their sleeping places in the sandstone and marl and rolled to the levels below4 ,frost tore at their vitals2 rain fell into the crevices and freezing there1 expanded1 until many of the finer logs are now merely heaps of gleaming jewels1 opaline and rose1 lavendar and mauve1 deepest brown and softest yellow1 black and purple1 blue and red4 ,in their range of color they leave the beauty lover breathless4 ,and these colors are permanent1 too1 having endured through the aeons4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,mrs4 ,adam ,hanna ,the most noted tree in the whole reservation4 ,the ,natural ,bridge4 ,about four feet in thickness this #aaa foot log measures #dd feet between the sides of the arroyo4 ,how8 ,when8 ,why8 8,how did it happen80 ,that is usually the first question asked of the rangers in the ,petrified ,forest4 ,in contact with eighty thousands or more tourists each year1 there are certain questions asked so many times that one learns what the average person is most curious about in connection with these petrified trees4 ,here are the most popular of these questions1 together with the answers1 shorn of technical terms3 ,why are none of the trees standing8 ,this is simply an exposed deposit of petrified logs that came here from a distance1 as driftwood4 ,how were they brought here8 ,probably by rivers in flood periods4 ,this region might have been the mouth of a large river as is indicated by the crossbedded sandstone4 ,why are they piled up in particular spots8 ,this was at one time an inland sea4 ,the trees floated here1 and were swept by whirlpools or strong currents into eddys where they became waterlogged and sank4 ,how long ago was that8 ,men who have made a lifetime study of it1 say it was from ten to forty million years ago4 ,what became of the sea that was here8 ,gradual upheaval of the country1 aided by earthquakes and volcanic action1 raised this area and drained it4 ,the ,sierras were probably brought to their present height during these disturbances4 ,what kind of trees are they8 ,mostly an extinct species of cone bearing tree4 7,araucarioxylon ,arizonicum47 ,how big were these trees8 ,some of them are now a hundred feet long1 and six to eight feet in diameter4 ,the ,natural ,bridge is one hundred and eleven feet long4 ,the height of some of these trees while standing was doubtless two hundred feet or more4 ,why did they turn to rock8 ,they did not really turn to stone4 ,silica and minerals in solution were forced into the wood1 dissolved it1 and replaced the wood cells with their own substance4 ,how is it polished8 ,by a process of grinding with carborundum and diamond dust1 then rubbed with leather buffer4 ,it approaches the diamond in hardness and an ordinary emery wheel will scarcely mark it4 ,what is the weight of the petrified wood8 ,about #bjj pounds to the cubic foot4 ,it varies4 ,why can't visitors take specimens away with them8 ,first3 ,because it is against the ,united ,states ,law4 ,after that comes consideration of future visitors to the ,petrified ,forest ,national ,monument4 ,when one reflects that there are about eighty thousand visitors here annually and that if each visitor took what pleased him1 it is an unrefutable fact the best specimens would speedily disappear4 ,a visitor would not be satisfied with one small piece4 ,there would be the home folks to consider2 the neighbor that fed the left-at-home cat1 and the friend who loaned his kodak for the trip4 ,these would all need souvenirs4 ,it would be difficult to choose among several beautiful pieces and so a compromise would be made by taking all of them4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,national ,park ,service ,they leave their sleeping places in the sides of the marl hills and roll to levels below4 ,what is a ,national ,monument8 ,an area set aside by the ,president of the ,united ,states to preserve regions of scientific1 historic or prehistoric interest4 ,what is the area of the ,petrified ,forest ,national ,monument8 #be1ijh acres4 ,who has charge of it8 ,the ,national ,park ,service1 one of the largest and the most important bureaus of the ,department of the ,interior4 ,a custodian and several ,park ,rangers are the immediate representatives of the ,government on the ,reservation4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,national ,park ,service ,as the soil slowly settles beneath these giants their weight dismembers them4 ,in this way they were broken in the lengths we find them now4 ,the ,rainbow and ,third ,forests ,the ,rainbow ,forest lies eighteen miles east of ,holbrook on ,u4 ,s4 ,highway #gj1 the ,holbrook-,springerville ,road1 open and in splendid condition the year around4 ,this ,rainbow ,forest area contains a greater amount of highly colored petrified wood1 than any of the other 8forests0 included in the ,reservation4 ,the varied and decided coloring of the logs1 many of which are broken into minute chips1 is so gorgeous that it has been given this name4 ,the outstanding features of the ,rainbow ,forest are the logs themselves1 which may be seen in all stages of preservation1 some not entirely uncovered1 some lying on the sides of the marl hills waiting their time to be let down by erosion1 to the levels below1 some almost at the top of the sandstone cap1 and others in fragments at the bottoms of ravines2 the ,government ,museum1 which is free to the public1 located half a mile from the highway4 ,in this building the ,government has collected outstanding specimens of wood from all sections of the ,reservation4 ,these representative specimens1 both polished and unpolished form an interesting exhibit4 ,here too1 are ,indian relics found in the prehistoric ruins scattered throughout the area4 ,many of the sections of wood here surpass the very finest ,italian marble both in coloring and composition4 ,one huge section of a log1 weighing a ton1 holds all the colors of the rainbow and the intermediate tints4 ,one may trace woodland scenes1 ,japanese landscapes1 city skylines1 outlines of animals and trees in the polished surface of this tree4 ,this specimen was shipped to ,denver and polished there1 and required many days of grinding with carborundum and diamond dust4 ,no visitor fails to admire it4 ,another exhibit which evokes admiration is a globe about eight inches in diameter1 which was turned and polished in ,germany4 ,it was originally a big knot or burl and shows swirls of color like a child's agate marble4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,national ,park ,service ,showing work of erosion4 ,this log is becoming slowly undermined by the action of the small stream4 ,in this ,museum are fragments of wood bearing at their clusters of topaz crystals1 black crystals and beautiful purple amethysts4 ,various explanations have been advanced as to why these gemlike formations are found in the wood4 ,one authority says cavities in the logs caused by decay1 are filled by mineral crystals1 there being no wood fiber to absorb4 ,other geologists offer the theory that the resin and sap forced to the center formed into tangible shape by being crystalized4 ,be that as it may1 the semi-precious stones were very much sought after1 and a great jewelry concern in the ,east had a crew of men working in these 8forests0 blasting the precious work of nature to pieces in search of the jewels4 ,of course this vandalism ceased abruptly when in #aijf ,president ,roosevelt issued the proclamation which made this ,reservation a ,national ,monument4 ,in the ,museum is a register1 in which all visitors are expected to sign their names4 ,in this book are found names from practically every civilized nation in the world4 ,in this ,rainbow ,forest is found one of the best preserved trees with the stump1 that has been discovered4 ,it is to the ,petrified ,forest what the ,old ,faithful ,geyser is to ,yellowstone ,park4 ,it is the tourists' friend4 ,this log is the favorite picture place in the entire ,reservation4 ,here parties stop their car and visit the fallen monarch4 ,almost any hour of the day in pleasant weather1 one can see little children playing on this big log4 ,here they lunch and rest1 and here they pose for their photographs4 ,the old fellow must have many happy memories collected through the ages4 ,it lies in the sunlight at the brow of the hill1 as one drops down to the ,museum4 ,most probably before this log was broken into sections1 it measured well over two hundred feet4 ,it is now about fifty feet long1 and at its thickest portion1 measures six feet through4 ,the great stump still remains as it was when some terrific storm1 millions of years ago1 uprooted it in its native forest4 ,we call it 8,old ,faithful40 ,a mile or two east of the ,museum is the ,third ,forest4 ,here is a tangible sign that our far-removed forefathers admired the utility of the petrified wood1 if they did not appreciate its beauty4 ,the ruins of quite a castle stand on the crest of a hill overlooking the plains1 and one can almost visualize the first dwellers in this mystic land4 ,see them laboriously carrying the heavy blocks of petrified wood to the top of the hill where they are laid out in orderly rows to form rooms4 ,in the meantime1 a close watch is kept that neither animal nor human enemy may creep up unheeded4 ,the walls have fallen during the passage of time1 but each foundation can be traced4 ,shards of broken pottery in great amounts lie at the base of the hill4 ,we wonder if some angry housewife fired it out at her better half as he stumbled home from a prehistoric lodge room too late to please her8 ,here1 too1 are found the workshops of arrowmakers4 ,chips1 flaked thin as wafers1 lie like bits of rainbows about the place1 and show that they were broken from larger pieces by human agencies4 ,this1 we think1 was done by heating the rock wood to a high temperature and then touching1 lightly1 the spot to be chipped with a feather dipped in water4 ,the ,second ,forest ,leaving the ,headquarters area1 where the ,museum is located1 the visitor drives over a winding road1 beautiful in its arid desert beauty1 six or seven miles to reach the ,second ,forest4 ,were it my privilege to name this lovely section ,i should call it 8,the ,coral ,garden04 ,in this 8forest0 are many logs encrusted with coral formation4 ,some of them have broken apart and even the interiors are mossed with the coral1 soft rose in color4 ,the ground is covered with tiny round stones1 coral colored4 ,here many logs are filled with crystals and the range of coloring found in the chips strewn over the landscape is marvelous4 ,many pebbles bear the impression of seashells1 and deep in the heart of a section of petrified log was found a fossilized mussel4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,national ,park ,service ,at one place in the ,first ,forest a slender column of rock rises to the height of thirty or forty feet4 ,this is the ,eagle ,rock4 ,there is little of the sandstone cap in this area1 and the logs lie in the blue-gray marl formation4 ,here we find larger trees in greater masses than elsewhere4 ,many of the trees lie piled on top of others in the coulees and small arroyos1 carved out by wind and rain1 during the centuries since these logs first settled there4 ,one big tree1 near the road1 is mashed flat its entire length of perhaps ninety feet4 ,evidences of bark are plain on this particular log1 and where the limbs were torn off1 the grain of the wood is quite discernible4 ,one could spend hours in this area1 spellbound with the beautiful sight4 ,the ,natural ,bridge ,about eight miles from ,headquarters1 and three miles from the ,second ,forest1 is the most noted tree in the ,monument1 the ,natural ,bridge4 ,this sleeping giant lies where it was abandoned as a plaything by the waters that carried it here4 ,each end is firmly embedded in the sandstone rock1 which was formerly the sand at the bottom of the sea4 ,in the process of erosion1 which finally carried away all of the material above this log1 it ultimately came to lie on the surface of the ground4 ,as the land rises somewhat to the south of it1 water gathered there with the big log forming a natural dam4 ,this water tended to soften the sandstone1 and after a period of time it forced its way through under the log4 ,soon this became a free passage for the water1 and resulted in the formation of the gorge which the prostrate trunk spans today4 ,the ,natural ,bridge log is about four feet in thickness at the largest point in sight4 ,part of the log is still encrusted with the sandstone which wrapped it about1 before wind and rain unshrouded it4 ,the canyon is twenty-five feet deep1 and this one hundred and eleven foot log measures forty-four feet between the points at which it rests on the sides of the arroyo4 ,from the canyon beneath it1 cedar1 juniper and cottonwood trees have sprung to life and grown up to furnish shade for this comrade of another ,age4 ,they must seem mere upstarts to this old veteran6 ,a hundred yards or so to the east1 down over the rim of the mesa1 is another freak of erosion1 called the ,pedestal ,log4 ,it is a large section1 resting upon a support of sandstone1 ten or fifteen feet above the level of the surrounding plain4 ,it forms a protective cap which has kept the softer material immediately under it from washing away4 ,the ,first ,forest ,here1 again1 were ,i choosing a suitable name for this portion of the ,reservation ,i should not hesitate to call it 8,the ,vandal's ,paradise04 ,it has been badly denuded of its finest specimens1 and the big trees demolished by vandals4 ,here the despoiler has had full sway4 ,great trees are blown to atoms by searchers for the semi-precious jewels4 ,choice specimens have been hauled away by the carload4 ,there was no law1 other than one's own individual decency to protect these jeweled timbers lying near ,adamana1 which for years was the nearest railroad station and the only entrance to the ,reservation4 ,this 8forest0 is located five miles south of ,adamana1 and is about half a mile from the ,natural ,bridge4 ,it is composed of trees1 which are geologically speaking1 8all out of place04 ,that means they have all1 by the work of erosion1 been let down from higher levels4 ,they are badly shattered1 but1 nevertheless beautiful1 on account of the vivid coloring found in the fragments4 ,another feature of this area is the carving of the rocks into beautiful and fantastic shapes by the elements4 ,at one place a slender column of sandstone rises to the height of twenty-five or thirty feet1 and broadens at the top into a platform perhaps ten feet across4 ,here1 for years1 an eagle has nested1 and the rock bears the official name of 8,eagle ,rock40 ,quite close to this rock is the 8,snow ,lady01 a statuesque pillar against the background of an imposing cliff4 ,after an extended visit in #ahhi1 ,prof4 ,lester ,f4 ,ward1 an eminent paleobotanist1 on the staff of the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey1 recommended that this area be made a ,national ,park1 or ,reservation1 in order to preserve it from destruction and oblivion4 ,local leaders brought pressure to bear upon their representatives in ,washington1 and at least one of ,holbrook's leading men1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,clark1 made a trip to ,washington in the interest of preserving the ,petrified ,forest4 ,he saw ,president ,roosevelt in person and for half an hour talked with him concerning the reasons no action had been taken by ,congress to protect the ,forest4 ,he left with the ,president's assurance that something would be done4 ,this something was a proclamation by ,president ,roosevelt on ,december #h1 #aijf1 declaring the area to be a ,national ,monument4 ,prehistoric ,dwellers ,throughout ,arizona can be found traces of a vanished people4 ,in and around the ,petrified ,forest1 prehistoric dwellings and 8picture writings0 are plentiful1 and of great antiquity and high development4 ,probably nowhere have such pictographs been so well preserved4 ,the soft smooth sandstone was an ideal surface for the artist to work upon1 and nowhere in the world1 in that age1 could such suitable tools be found to work with4 ,here at hand were sharp pointed chisels already prepared by the fracturing of wood4 ,these chisels were hard enough to cut glass4 ,rounded pieces of the same material made excellent mallets4 ,hundreds of these have been found in the ,reservation4 ,with these rude instruments1 this unknown people left for us a record of their existence graven deep in the sandstone in sheltered places4 ,these pictures today are a lasting monument to the race that roamed this region in the gone-by centuries4 ,these sketches depict different kinds of animals1 such as antelope and mountain sheep1 snakes and turtles4 ,they are grotesque and out of proportion1 but doubtless they represent1 for the most part1 animals that formerly roamed the western plains4 ,some pictures1 however1 represent animals that could never have been seen on land and sea1 and existed only in the fevered imagination of the artist4 ,perhaps there were futurist artists even among those primitive men4 ,in one scene a herd of deer cross a plain4 ,near that a stork stands on attenuated legs and dangles what appears to be a baby in its bill4 ,this is doubtless the earliest picturization of a stork's visit4 ,in another place a long line of human figures clasp their hands and drag one another up a steep incline4 ,in the heart of the ,reservation lies a mesa almost entirely surrounded by a steep cliff that has broken and fallen in ruins4 ,on the huge boulders that have rolled to the desert below1 there are pages and pages of history could one but read what is so plainly written4 ,one figure stands alone disconsolately weeping4 ,quite monstrous tears are falling from his eyes1 and just beneath his weeping figure a six inch bowl was found4 ,although broken in half by the passage of time with its destructive elements the piece of pottery1 at least two thousand years old1 was carefully restored and has an honored place in the ,government ,museum4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy ,c4 ,j4 ,smith ,graven deep into the stone in sheltered places thousands of years ago1 these pictures are a lasting monument to the people who roamed this region in the gone-by centuries4 ,on almost every mesa are the remains of ancient dwellings4 ,there are arrowmaker's chips and fragments of pottery1 and crude colored beads that may have delighted some wee maiden with their brilliance4 ,the pottery shows two distinct varieties1 the finger-nail decorations covering the blackened bowls which seem to have served as cooking utensils1 and the finer pottery1 on which the black and white tracings are as startlingly vivid today1 as they were so many1 many centuries ago when they were drawn by the day-dreaming housewife as she sat in the sun and painted the fanciful designs4 ,historical ,by virtue of the ,gadsden ,purchase1 at the close of the ,mexican ,war1 what is now ,arizona came into possession of the ,united ,states4 ,at this date1 #ahdh1 there was no record of the ,petrified ,forest ever having been seen by white men4 ,in #ahec ,lieut4 ,whipple1 engaged in surveying a railroad route to the ,pacific1 discovered the deposits lying to the north of the present ,reservation4 ,he did not1 however1 discover the deposits of petrified wood south of ,adamana1 and there is no definite record of just when1 and by whom1 these 8forests0 were first seen4 ,john ,muir claims to have discovered the ,blue ,forest4 ,an ,indian legend tells that one of their ,goddesses wandered into the place which is now the ,petrified ,forest4 ,she was hungry1 cold and exhausted4 ,when she saw the hundreds of logs lying around she was delighted and managed to kill a rabbit with a club1 expecting to have a delicious supper4 ,when she attempted to kindle a fire to cook her kill1 the logs were wet and would not burn4 ,in anger and her disappointment1 she cursed the spot and turned the logs into stone that they might never burn4 ,as travel became more plentiful over the ,santa ,fe ,railroad and across country1 great amounts of the fossilized wood were carried away or destroyed1 and the people of the ,territory became alarmed about their unprotected treasure4 ,in #ahie the assembly sent this ,memorial to ,congress4 ,house ,memorial ,no4 #d ,,to ,,the ,,senate ,,and ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america ,,in ,,congress ,,assembled3 ,we1 your memorialists1 the eighteenth legislative assembly of ,arizona1 beg leave to represent to your honorable bodies3 ,,first3 ,that there is in the northern part of this ,territory1 lying within the borders of ,apache ,county1 near the ,town of ,holbrook1 a wonderful deposit of petrified wood commonly called the 8,petrified ,forest0 or 8,chalcedony ,park04 ,this deposit1 or forest1 is unequalled for its extent1 the size of the trees and the beauty and great variety of coloring found in the logs4 ,the country ten miles square is covered by the trunks of trees1 some of which measure over two hundred feet in length and from seven to ten feet in diameter4 ,ruthless curiosity seekers are destroying these huge trees and logs by blasting them in pieces in search of crystals1 which are found in the center of many of them1 while carloads of the limbs and smaller pieces are being shipped away to be ground up for various purposes4 ,,second3 ,believing that this wonderful deposit should be kept inviolate1 that future generations may enjoy its beauties and study one of the most curious and interesting effects of nature's forces1 ,we1 your memorialists1 most respectfully request that the ,commissioner of the ,general ,land ,office be directed to withdraw from entry all public lands covered by this forest until a ,commission1 or officer appointed by your honorable body1 may investigate and report to you upon the advisability of taking this forest under the charge of the ,general ,government and making a ,national ,park or ,reservation of it4 99 99 99 ,j4 ,h4 ,carpenter1 ,,speaker ,a4 ,j4 ,doran1 ,,president ,filed in the office of the ,secretary of the ,territory of ,arizona this #aath day of ,february ,a4 ,d4 #ahie1 at #aa a4 m4 ,this appeal was effective and ,congress appointed ,prof4 ,lester ,f4 ,ward to visit the ,petrified ,forest and make a report4 ,the report was favorable to preservation1 and acting with his usual promptness1 ,president ,theodore ,roosevelt issued the proclamation which created the ,petrified ,forest ,national ,monument4 ,illustration3 ,photo by ,c4 ,j4 ,smith ,the surrounding country has washed away in the passing of years and leaves this mammoth cross section thirty feet or more above the plain4 ,this proclamation1 in part1 follows3 ,,by ,,the ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america1 ,a ,,proclamation4 ,,whereas1 it is provided by section two of the ,act of ,congress1 approved ,june #h1 #aijf1 entitled1 8,,an ,,act ,,for ,,the ,,preservation ,,of ,,american ,,antiquities01 8,,that ,,the ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,is ,,hereby ,,authorized1 ,,in ,,his ,,discretion1 ,,to ,,declare ,,by ,,public ,,proclamation ,,historic ,,landmarks1 ,,historic ,,and ,,prehistoric ,,structures1 ,,and ,,other ,,objects ,,of ,,historic ,,or ,,scientific ,,interest ,,to ,,be ,,national ,,monuments 99 99 99 ,and1 whereas the mineralized remains of ,mesozoic forests1 commonly known as the 8,petrified ,forest01 in the ,territory of ,arizona1 situated upon the public lands owned and controlled by the ,united ,states1 are of the greatest scientific interest and value1 and it appears that the public good would be promoted by reserving these deposits of fossilized wood as a national monument with as much land as may seem necessary for the proper protection thereof2 ,now1 therefore1 ,i1 ,theodore ,roosevelt1 ,president of the ,united ,states of ,america1 by virtue of the power in me vested by section two of the aforesaid ,act of ,congress1 do hereby set aside as the ,petrified ,forest ,national ,monument 99 99 99 ,warning is hereby expressly given to all unauthorized persons not to appropriate1 excavate1 injure1 or destroy any of the mineralized forest remains hereby declared to be a ,national ,monument or to locate or settle upon any of the lands reserved and made a part of said ,monument by this proclamation4 ,in witness whereof1 ,i have hereunto set my hand and caused the ,seal of the ,united ,states to be affixed4 ,done at the city of ,washington1 this #hth day of ,december1 in the year of our ,lord one thousand nine hundred and six and the ,independence of the ,united ,states the one hundred and thirty-first4 ,,theodore ,,roosevelt4 ,in #aiaa1 ,president ,taft made a new proclamation reducing the extent of the ,petrified ,forest ,national ,monument to its present size of #be1ijh acres4 ,the ,blue ,forest ,while the ,blue ,forest was included in the ,national ,monument originally it is now several miles outside the present boundary4 ,it is from this section that much of the wood used commercially is obtained4 ,many find this weird formation the most interesting spot in the entire country4 ,miles and more miles of blue-gray mounds1 varying in size1 formed of the crumbling marl have been beaten and blown into a semblance of numberless haystacks4 ,it is arduous climbing to reach the top of this ,blue ,forest1 but the view obtained is well worth the skinned knees and twisted ankles produced by rolling shale4 ,from the highest elevation there is a view that beggars description4 ,one cannot put into words his feeling of desolation1 of helplessness1 that comes in looking over the formation4 ,vanishing in the distance the mounds lie in rows that grow gradually smaller and smaller until they melt into the level landscape below4 ,on the tops of these cold1 blue mounds great trees lie prone1 many of them shattered and cascading their jeweled hearts down the slope4444 ,here great piles of splintered1 colorless wood are found1 looking as if the chopper had just left the scene of his labors1 the chips of his day's work lying scattered about4 ,again1 a big tree broken open by the frost1 or other agencies1 discloses a lining of gleaming crystals1 glittering and sparkling in the ,arizona sun4 ,here the great dinosaur lived and died1 and from his tomb fossil bones have been carried to universities far and wide4 ,here the phytosaurus and the stegosaurus breathed their last1 and from here was taken the wicked looking upper jaw of a phytosaurus which had weathered the ravages of time and elements4 ,this lies in a glass case in the store at ,headquarters1 where all may see it and be thankful such creatures roam this region no longer4 ,here1 the rattlesnake lies coiled in the shade of the sombre hued cones1 and scarcely troubles to sound his warning when visitors intrude4 ,overhead a tireless buzzard hangs suspended4 ,no other signs of life are seen in this dead gray waste1 the burial plot of the ,dark ,ages4 ,the ,painted ,desert ,many of the ,petrified ,forest visitors are intensely interested in the ,painted ,desert1 lying only a few miles from ,adamana4 ,on ,u4 ,s4 ,highway #ff1 six miles from the ,rio ,puerco1 one comes to a sign3 8,painted ,desert ,inn04 ,a mile from the highway this inn is stationed4 ,but before reaching the building1 an abrupt climb brings one to the top of the mesa1 and spread out before the eyes is the world's most magnificent palette1 with the colors ready mixed1--,the ,painted ,desert4 ,it is a breath-taking vision that bursts on one's sight1 this 8,el ,pintado ,desierto0 that ,coronado stumbled upon and named in #aedj4 ,as far as one can see colors mingle and glow4 ,from the most delicate lavendar to the deepest purple1 from palest pink to flaming red1 greens1 browns1 chocolate and blues1 all the colors are here4 ,this desert does not lie in level sandy stretches1 but is formed of mounds and hills1 and varying sizes of 8haystacks04 ,with each hour1 as the light changes in the sky1 so change the colors of this wonderland4 ,it is truly the foot of the rainbow4 ,walk down the trail and there is the bewildered feeling that one has strayed into an immense paint factory which has just been badly wrecked6 ,the sand underfoot is light1 almost like burnt earth1 but the colors are there1 mixed by the ,super ,artist4 ,this ,painted ,desert is a fitting frame for the ,petrified ,forest4 ,how ,to ,reach ,the ,petrified ,forest ,the ,petrified ,forest is one of the most popular and accessible units of the ,national ,park ,service1 open every day in the year4 ,westbound tourists traveling by automobile may choose between two great continental highways that will lead directly to the 8,forest04 ,u4 ,s4 ,highway ,no4 #ff passes on the north and tourists may enter the ,forest either from ,adamana or ,holbrook4 ,this highway brings the traveler by the famous ,painted ,desert4 ,u4 ,s4 ,highway ,no4 #gj on the ,carlsbad-,petrified ,forest-,grand ,canyon ,route1 winds through the foothills of the ,white ,mountains by way of ,springerville1 and passes through one of the most interesting sections of the ,petrified ,forest4 ,eastbound tourists enter the ,forest from ,holbrook where ,highways ,no4 #ff and #gj meet4 ,the ,santa ,fe railroad1 carrying ,the ,chief1 ,the ,navajo1 ,the ,california ,limited and the ,grand ,canyon ,limited runs through ,holbrook and ,winslow4 ,either east or west bound travelers on any of these trains may obtain a twenty-four hour stopover4 8,la ,posada0 at ,winslow combines all the romance and fascination of the old ,spanish regime with the most modern conveniences for the comfort of those wishing to make it their home while visiting surrounding attractions4 ,from this hotel1 the well known ,harveycar ,motor ,coaches1 each with its charming girl courier1 conveys guests to the ,petrified ,forest4 ,for those wishing to visit the ,forest and resume their journey the same day1 arrangements have been made to meet eastbound ,navajo ,no4 #b1 at ,winslow1 take the guest to 8,la ,posada0 for breakfast1 drive from there to the ,petrified ,forest1 where the most interesting points1 including the ,museum1 are visited1 and then rejoin the train at ,holbrook4 ,the program is reversed with west bound tourists on ,navajo ,no4 #i4 ,the coaches meeting the train at ,holbrook make the 8,petrified ,forest ,detour0 and drive to ,winslow for luncheon at the hotel1 resuming train travel there4 ,this trip affords a convenient and inexpensive means of seeing the 8,forest0 and is a pleasant interruption of a long train journey4 ,any tourist agency or ,santa ,fe ticket office can furnish additional information4 ,rainbow ,lodge1 near the ,museum at ,headquarters of ,petrified ,forest1 is prepared to accommodate overnight visitors4 ,new rock cabins and food supplies are available4 ,a public camp ground is provided by the ,government4 ,illustration3 ,view of the ,painted ,desert1 near ,holbrook4 ,,price #be ,,cents ,postpaid ,anywhere in ,united ,states ,,dama ,,margaret ,,smith ,holbrook1 ,arizona ,,press ,,of ,,winslow ,,daily ,,mail ,,winslow1 ,,arizona ,transcriber's ,notes --,retained publication information from the printed edition3 this e,book is public-domain in the country of publication4 --,silently corrected a few palpable typos4 --,in the text versions only1 text in italics is delimited by underscores4