… was proclaimed a national monument 104 years ago today. It was redisignated a national historical park in 1990.
Tumacácori NHP protects three Spanish colonial mission ruins in southern Arizona: Tumacácori, Guevavi, and Calabazas. The adobe structures are on three sites, with a visitor center at Tumacácori. These missions are among more than twenty established in the Pimería Alta by Father Kino and other Jesuits, and later expanded upon by Franciscan missionaries.
Padre Eusebio Kino was active in present-day Sonora and Arizona from 1687 until he died in 1711. He first visited Tumacácori in 1691.
Kino was a prolific author and mapmaker and has been called the primo vaquero (first cowboy). His is one of the two statues representing Arizona in the National Statuary Hall collection in the U.S. Capitol.
… was designated a national historical site on this date in 1951. It was redesignated a national monument in 1958.
For over 400 years Ojibwe families of Grand Portage have tapped maples every spring on a ridge located just off Lake Superior. During the summer, Ojibwe fishermen harvest in the same areas their forefathers have. Before the United States and Canada existed, the trading of furs, ideas and genes between the Ojibwe and French and English fur traders flourished. From 1778 until 1802, welcomed by the Grand Portage Ojibwe, the North West Company located their headquarters and western supply depot here for business and a summer rendezvous. Today, Grand Portage National Monument and Indian Reservation form a bridge between people, time and culture.
… was formed 62 years ago today by combining the much smaller national park established in 1929 (which included just the Tetons and the lakes) and the Jackson Hole National Monument established in 1943. Today the park includes nearly 310,000 acres.
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range — an active, fault-block, 40-mile-long mountain front. The range includes eight peaks over 12,000 feet (3,658 m), including the Grand Teton at 13,770 feet (4,198 m). Seven morainal lakes run along the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes can be found in the backcountry.
Elk, moose, pronghorn, mule deer, and bison are commonly seen in the park. Black bears are common in forested areas, while grizzlies are occasionally observed in the northern part of the park. More than 300 species of birds can be observed, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons.
These photos were taken between Madison and Mammoth Hot Springs early Friday, August 17th. Click image for larger version.
That’s frost — in mid-August. It was 34ºF when this photo was taken.That’s neither snow nor frost. It’s rock bleached by the acid sulfate in the steam coming from the fumeroles. Fumeroles are so hot, the water turns to steam on contact. The fumeroles at Roaring Mountain hiss and rumble, though not as much, they say, as they did when it was named in 1885.The terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs were created by calcium carbonate deposited by the water that flows from above.Another view of the deposits on the terraces above Mammoth Hot Springs. The hydrothermal activity in this area moves, so vegetation springs up, then is defeated when the chemicals return.
… was established 50 years ago today (September 13, 1962).
Point Reyes National Seashore contains unique elements of biological and historical interest in a spectacularly scenic panorama of thunderous ocean breakers, open grasslands, bushy hillsides and forested ridges. Native land mammals number about 37 species and marine mammals augment this total by another dozen species. The biological diversity stems from a favorable location in the middle of California and the natural occurrence of many distinct habitats. Nearly 20% of the State’s flowering plant species are represented on the peninsula and over 45% of the bird species in North America have been sighted.
The 308-foot Lower Falls at Yellowstone, August 17, late morning. The green visible at the brink is the actual color of the water, revealed by the nature of the cut in the rock.The Yellowstone River deep in the Canyon.Yellowstone Canyon, just a bit further downstream, from Inspiration Point, around noon, August 17th.
San Juan Island is well known for splendid vistas, saltwater shore, quiet woodlands and orca whales. But it was also here in 1859 that the United States and Great Britain nearly went to war over a dead pig.
Set in the rugged beauty of the Davis Mountains of west Texas, Fort Davis is one of America’s best surviving examples of an Indian Wars’ frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and the Chihuahua Trail, and to control activities on the southern stem of the Great Comanche War Trail and Mescalero Apache war trails. Fort Davis is important in understanding the presence of African Americans in the West and in the frontier military because the 24th and 25th U.S. Infantry and the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry, all-black regiments established after the Civil War, were stationed at the post.
The larger versions you can see by clicking are much better.
At the Madison Campground, the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers join to form the Madison (which ultimately joins the Jefferson and Gallatin to form the Missouri River). This is the Madison looking downstream in its first few hundred yards, taken from behind the restroom across from my campsite on Wednesday, August 15th.This photo is looking upstream at the Madison River, from almost within sight of my campsite. The damaged trees are dead from Yellowstone’s fires.The water at Yellowstone is largely melted snow that filtered into the ground and is brought back up by springs and the hydrothermal activity. It is exceptional clear. The river was cool but nearby people were relaxing in small hot springs, which I did the next day.
Staying at the Old Faithful Inn has long been on my list, but I’ve never been good at planning ahead far enough to get a reservation. I should have thought to take this shot of the space above the lobby with the wider-angle iPhone but didn’t. Hard to take it all in.The rooms on this side have a view of Old Faithful, which was behind me as I took the photo. Well, they have a view unless it’s blocked by a tree.I believe there is an overlap of just a few people between this shot and the next, but if I made it a panorama it would be too small. This was taken just before Old Faithful erupted, Saturday, August 18, at 2:34. The sign said the geyser was due at 2:32 so everybody was getting pretty anxious by 2:34. It was another 8 minutes before it really got going.I estimated more than 1,000 altogether. These photos do not show the whole seating area.
Seriously boys, can’t we take this somewhere else? August 17th, Yellowstone.“Why yes, as a matter of fact I do think I own the whole damn road.” Yellowstone, August 17th.“Yield Right of Way,” taken through the windshield on the northeast road, Yellowstone, August 17, 7:47 PM.Big Boy, Yellowstone, August 18th along road from Tower-Roosevelt to Mammoth Hot Springs
[First, a caveat. My wildlife photos are shameful, varying from mediocre to awful to unusable. Still, I hope they illustrate the story.]
Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves (Canis lupus) were native to Yellowstone but had been eradicated by a government predator control program. The last packs were reported killed by 1926, not even stragglers were seen by the 1940s, and there was no sign of wolves at all by the 1970s. They were brought back under a highly controlled program beginning in 1995. There are now thought to be about 100 wolves in the Park, in ten packs.
This was my sixth visit to Yellowstone since the wolves were reintroduced. I hadn’t seen them the first five times; it was my primary objective this trip.
The Lamar Valley is in the northeastern part of the Park. I camped at Tower Fall Friday to be near. The camp host told me that the evening before people had seen wolves (and a grizzly) at a bison carcass not far from the road into the Lamar Valley.
That evening around six I found dozens, soon to be scores, of people lining the shoulder. An Australian archaeologist working for the summer in the Park told me she had seen seven wolves harass a grizzly away from the carcass that morning. The remains were just several hundred yards away.
We waited. And waited. The wind blew over my tripod, crashing my camera to the gravel on the shoulder of the road. It seemed OK. We waited. More people arrived and some left. (I heard later that at one time there had been 80 cars lined up.) After about 90 minutes I left. I have my rules: full professors get 10 minutes; wolves and bears 90. (None showed after I left.)
Further up the road in the Lamar Valley I was shown little moving spots a mile or more away on a hill and told they were wolves. Even through a spotting-scope they were pretty vague to me. About a bazillion bison wandering around though (photos will follow in days-to-come). I wasn’t satisfied that I could add wolves to my life-list based on such an inadequate sighting.
And so, I was the first one back near the carcass the next morning — I think I was actually there before 6; what was I thinking? — the temperature was in the 30s. After about an hour of no shows, I moved back up into the Lamar.
And there they were, across the river visible when in the open to the human eye.
Lamar Valley, Yellowstone, 6:41 AM, August 18th.
We begin with this scene in the Lamar Valley (the Lamar River in the foreground). There are two bison and three wolves (that I can find) in this photo. Click the image for the larger version and see how many of the five critters you can find.
These wolves I learned were part of the Mollie Pack (named for the late Mollie Beattie, first woman to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). There were some said six on the slope stalking the bison. I saw five, though not all at one time. They eventually wandered away, deciding I guess that particular bison wasn’t vulnerable.
The Mollie’s are one of the few Yellowstone packs that know how to kill bison, a very difficult proposition. The same Mollie’s black male yearling who cavorted with Lamar Canyon 820F has been making a shopping trip through Lamar Valley’s bison herds every few days.
One morning, as he passed by a bison cow and calf, he suddenly grabbed the calf by the neck, and the race was on. Together they galloped, side by side, with the wolf clamped on the calf’s neck, for about 45 seconds.
Just as the wolf brought the calf down and it appeared to be all over (and I was wondering where the heck the calf’s mother was), a thundering herd of bison bulls rushed in to save the day! Unbelievably, the cow had actually run off to get help!
The bulls chased off that wolf and swarmed around the calf, literally scooping it back into the vortex of the roiling group of bulls. The calf, apparently unharmed (thanks to incredibly thick neck skin, a quick-witted mom and her pals), helped lead the group back to the main herd, with quite a story to tell. The whole thing was simply amazing.
Two Wolves, one black, the other gray to its right (your left). Click image for larger version.Bison munching, wolf behind him on haunches. What could they each be thinking? Click image for larger version.
And five minutes later, still close.
Predator and Prey, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone, August 18, 6:46 AM. Click image to enlarge.
Like the wolves, I too wandered away, ultimately back down the road to the carcass. There I saw — and heard! — three wolves, also from the Mollie Pack, but my photos (the camera was acting weird — I will say that) are worthless. Well, not to me.
Two large waterfalls on the Yellowstone River mark its drop from the Hayden Valley into Yellowstone Canyon — the Upper Falls and the — wait for it — Lower Falls. This is the taller of the two, Lower Falls — the river drops 308 feet (94 m). The “yellow stone” that gave the Lake, the River and the Park its name is visible. Also, especially if you click for the larger version, you can see tourists that were willing to make the hike down to the brink — I’ve been, but not this time. It’s a long trek back up. Photo taken August 17th at 11:17 am, focal length 70 mm (105 mm/35 mm).
The Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone, is the largest hot spring in the U.S., third largest in the world, about 370 feet (112.8 m) in diameter and over 120 feet (37 m) deep. The colors come from bacteria that grow near the edges; the center is sterile. The spring discharges 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of water at 160 °F (70 °C) every minute. Photo taken August 18th. Click for larger version.
Yellowstone is known for its hydrothermal systems, its wildlife and wilderness, and its pure natural beauty. The best time for all three is early in the morning before the mists burn off, the animals become too warm and the tourists clot. This image was made at 7:06 am. It’s Nez Perce Creek between Madison and Old Faithful. Click for the larger version.
Once the largest army post in the southwest, Fort Union is now little more than a shadow of its former self set among beautiful grasslands north of Las Vegas, New Mexico. For 40 years in the second half of the 19th century, it was the Santa Fe Trail equivalent of an interstate truck stop and regional warehouse.
When New Mexico became United States territory after the U.S.- Mexican War, the army established garrisons in towns scattered along the Rio Grande to protect the area’s inhabitants and travel routes. This arrangement proved unsatisfactory for a number of reasons, and in April 1851, Lt. Col. Edwin V. Sumner, commanding Military Department No. 9 (which included New Mexico Territory), was ordered “to revise the whole system of defense” for the entire territory. Among his first acts was to break up the scattered garrisons and relocate them in posts closer to the Indians. He also moved his headquarters and supply depot from Santa Fe, “that sink of vice and extravagance,” to a site near the Mountain and Cimarron branches of the Santa Fe Trail, where he established Fort Union.
Old Faithful, on time, August 18, 2:42 PM. Neither the biggest nor the best, but certainly the most reliable and famous of Yellowstone’s geysers. I’ve watched Old Faithful several times, including twice in August. This eruption seemed larger than most; the height can vary from 106 to 185 feet (32 to 56 meters) and volume from 3,700 to 8,400 U.S. gallons (14 to 32 kL). On Thursday morning at 9:15 there were maybe 300-350 watching; on Saturday afternoon when this photo was taken, more than 1,000.
The battle of Glorieta Pass concluded 150 years ago today (1862). Union troops from Fort Union, New Mexico, joined by volunteers from Colorado, effectively ended Confederate attempts to march north up the Rio Grande and on to the gold fields in Colorado.
Estimated casualties: Union 142, Confederate 189.
The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Battle Summary: Glorieta Pass provides somewhat more detail on the three days, including this:
Glorieta Pass was a strategic location, situated at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, southeast of Santa Fe, and on the Santa Fe Trail. . . . Both Slough [Union] and Scurry [Confederate] decided to attack and set out early on the 28th to do so. As Scurry advanced down the canyon, he saw the Union forces approaching, so he established a battle line, including his dismounted cavalry. Slough hit them before 11:00 am. The Confederates held their ground and then attacked and counterattacked throughout the afternoon. The fighting then ended as Slough retired first to Pigeon’s Ranch and then to Kozlowski’s Ranch. Scurry soon left the field also, thinking he had won the battle. Chivington’s men, however, had destroyed all Scurry’s supplies and animals at Johnson’s Ranch, forcing him to retreat to Santa Fe, the first step on the long road back to San Antonio, Texas. The Federals had won and, thereby, stopped Confederate incursions into the Southwest. Glorieta Pass was the turning point of the war in the New Mexico Territory.
Navajo National Monument preserves three intact cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people. A visitor center, museum, three short self-guided trails, two small campgrounds, and a picnic area provide service to travelers.
Descendants of the Hopi people who built these places are called Hisatsinom. Zuni, also pueblo builders, know that several of their clans began in this area. Later, San Juan Southern Paiute, famous for their baskets, moved into this area and lived near the cliff dwellings. Today, this place is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, as it has been for hundreds of years.
… was authorized on this date in 1936. The park includes the 160-acre claim filed by Daniel
Freeman under The Homestead Act of 1862. It is one of five National Park Service Units in Nebraska.
It is the purpose of our government “to elevate the condition of men, to lift artificial burdens from all shoulders and to give everyone an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life.” President Abraham Lincoln, July 4, 1861.
The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the most significant and enduring events in the westward expansion of the United States. By granting 160 acres of free land to claimants, it allowed nearly any man or woman a “fair chance.” Homestead National Monument of America, located in Southeast Nebraska, commemorates this Act and the far-reaching effects it had upon the landscape and people.
One of the first people to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862 was Daniel Freeman. The site of his claim is now the site of Homestead National Monument of America. This site commemorates the lives and accomplishments of all pioneers and the changes brought about by the Homestead Act. Legend has it that Daniel Freeman filed his claim 10 minutes after midnight at the Land Office in Brownville, NE on January 1, 1863, the first day the Homestead Act went into effect.
… was proclaimed on this date in 1918. It incorporated Mukuntuweap National Monument. On November 19, 1919, Zion National Monument became Zion National Park.
Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, you need to walk among the towering cliffs, or challenge your courage in a small narrow canyon. These unique sandstone cliffs range in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons.
Immutable yet ever changing, the cliffs of Zion stand resolute, a glowing presence in late day, a wild calm. Melodies of waters soothe desert-parched ears, streams twinkle over stone, wren song cascades from red rock cliffs, cottonwood leaves jitter on the breeze. But when lightning flashes water falls erupt from dry cliffs, and floods flash down waterless canyons exploding log jams, hurling boulders, croaking wild joyousness, and dancing stone and water and time. Zion is alive with movement, a river of life always here and always changing.
Everything in Zion takes life from the Virgin River’s scarce desert waters. Water flows, and solid rock melts into cliffs and towers. Landscape changes as canyons deepen to create forested highlands and lowland deserts. A ribbon of green marks the river’s course as diverse plants and animals take shelter and thrive in this canyon oasis. From the beginning people sought this place, this sanctuary in the desert’s dry reaches. The very name Zion, a Hebrew word for refuge, evokes its significance.
Salem Massachusetts was once one of the most important ports in the nation. The historic buildings, wharves, and reconstructed tall ship at Salem Maritime tell the stories of the sailors, Revolutionary War privateers, and merchants who brought the riches of the Far East to America.
The three wharves that extend into Salem Harbor at Salem Maritime are the best examples of the over fifty wharves that once lined the harbor during the height of Salem’s international trade.
Derby Wharf, the longest of the three wharves, was begun in 1762 by Richard Derby, Sr., one of Salem’s wealthiest merchants. Over the years, as the Derby family’s trade expanded, they extended the wharf, until in 1806 it reached its current half-mile length. Hatch’s Wharf, the shortest wharf, was built in 1819, and Central Wharf was built in 1791 by Simon Forrester. Derby Wharf Light Station was built in 1871.
