Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon | |
---|---|
Floor elevation | 2,828 ft (862 m) |
Length | 120 mi (190 km) |
Width | 20 mi (32 km) |
Depth | 800 ft (240 m)[1] |
Geography | |
Coordinates | 34°57′N 101°40′W / 34.950°N 101.667°W |
Rivers | Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River |
Designated | 1976 |
Palo Duro Canyon is a
Geology
The canyon was formed by the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, which initially winds along the level surface of the Llano Estacado of West Texas, then suddenly and dramatically runs off the Caprock Escarpment. Water erosion over the millennia has shaped the canyon's geological formations.
Notable canyon formations include caves and hoodoos. One of the best-known and the major signature feature of the canyon is the Lighthouse Rock. A multiple-use, 6 mi (10 km) round-trip loop trail is dedicated to the formation.[5]
Palo Duro Canyon was
The
The
The
The
Headward erosion by the Prairie Dog Town fork of the Red River, into the caprock escarpment of the Llano Estacado, caused differential erosion. This meant the more resistant Ogallala and Trujillo formations formed the steeper walls of the canyon.[8]
History
The first evidence of human habitation of the canyon dates back about 10,000–15,000 years, and it is believed to have been continuously inhabited to the present day. Native Americans were attracted to the water of the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, as well as the consequent ample game, edible plants, and protection from the weather the canyon provided.
The first European explorers to discover the canyon were members of the
A United States military team under
Soon after, in 1876, Charles Goodnight and a wealthy Ulster Scot named John Adair established the JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon. Col. Goodnight helped manage the ranch until 1890. Over the next half-century, the canyon remained in private hands but was an increasingly popular tourist spot for residents.
In 1931, a major landowner signed a two-year contract with the local chamber of commerce to allow public access to the canyon.[17] The upper section of the canyon was purchased by the State of Texas in 1934 and turned into the 20,000-acre (8,100 ha) Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Amarillo is the largest city near Palo Duro Canyon State Park, but the smaller city of Canyon is nearer. In 1976, Palo Duro Canyon State Park was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.[18]
Seven units of the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the park from 1933 until 1937. Four groups of veterans, two groups of African Americans, and one junior group took part in various construction projects, starting with the construction of Park Road 5, a two-lane road from the rim to the floor of the canyon. Other projects included the headquarters building, culverts, low-water crossings, bridges, Spring House, Well House, the Coronado Lodge interpretive center, 4 overnight cabins known as Cow Camp, and the 3 rim cabins. In addition, picnic and camping areas were built, complete with tables, seats, fireplaces, and garbage receptacles.[19]
Tourism and activities
Palo Duro Canyon is part of the Texas State Parks system under Texas Parks and Wildlife. Day entry in to the park is covered by the Texas Parks Pass.[20]
Palo Duro Canyon hosts several activities throughout the park. There are 16 trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, ranging in length from .05 miles to 4.4 miles. There are options for camping, with sites for tents with water access and RV campers alike.[21] There are also sites for keeping horses available to campers planning to horseback ride in the canyon.[22] In addition, lodging cabins are available for rent that sit on the outer rim of the canyon, providing an impressive view of both the canyon and the sunrise.[23]
Group sites and spaces are available for group retreats, youth groups, and weddings. The Mack Dick Pavilion is a popular location for weddings and receptions, as the canyon provides a beautiful backdrop.[24]
In culture
The painter
Palo Duro Canyon is the site of an outdoor historical and musical drama, titled Texas, presented annually each summer by actors, singers, dancers, and artists of the Texas Panhandle region. The spectacle, created by playwright Paul Eliot Green, premiered on July 1, 1966, at the newly constructed Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It has continued each summer through the present, making Texas "the best-attended outdoor history drama in the nation."[28]
American composer Samuel Jones's Symphony No. 3 is titled "Palo Duro Canyon." It premiered May 1, 1992, in an outdoor performance at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park's Pioneer Amphitheatre, with James Setapen conducting the Amarillo Symphony (which had commissioned the work). The composer writes: "I wanted the piece ... to conjure up an intuitive awareness of the long movements of time required for the creation of a canyon. I also wanted in some way to pay homage to Native Americans, to whom this canyon was a sacred place. And I wanted to capture in music that magical moment which everyone experiences when they first see the flat, treeless High Plains fall dizzyingly away into the colorful vastness of the Palo Duro Canyon itself."[29] A KACV-TV documentary on the canyon, composer, and symphony, titled And There Will Be Sounds, was broadcast on PBS stations nationally later that year; and a commercial recording was subsequently released by the Seattle Symphony under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.[30] A second recording was released in 2018 as part of a multichannel SACD titled 'American Symphonies' on the Swedish BIS label, with Lance Friedel conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.[31]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Palo Duro Canyon State Park Nature — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department".
- ^ "Palo Duro Canyon State Park — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". Tpwd.state.tx.us. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ "Palo Duro Canyon State Park". Palodurocanyon.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ Christopher Adams (February 24, 2023). "What is the most visited state park in Texas? Here's the top 10 countdown". KXAN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Logan G. Carver, "Palo Duro Canyon quick getaway from Lubbock"". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
- ISBN 0-87842-265-Xp. 381
- ^ Spearing, pp. 377, 383
- ^ a b c d e Guidebook of Palo Duro Canyon. West Texas State University: West Texas State University Geological Society. 1980.
- ^ a b c d Matthews, William (1969). The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon, Guide Book 8. Austin: Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. pp. 17–28, 35–38.
- ^ Spearing, 384-5
- ^ Spearing, pp. 384-5
- ^ Darton, N.H. 1898. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian. In: Walcott, C.D. (ed), Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1897-1898, Part IV, pp. 719-785.
- ^ Rex C. Buchanan, B. Brownie Wilson, Robert R. Buddemeier, and James J. Butler, Jr. "The High Plains Aquifer". Kansas Geological Survey, Public Information Circular (PIC) 18.
- ^ Spearing, pp. 355-6, 385
- ^ Carmichael, David. "We do not forget; we remember: Mescalero Apache origins and migration as reflected in place names". From the Land of Ever Winter to the American Southwest: Athapaskan Migrations, Mobility, and Ethnogenesis.
- ISBN 9780758117069.
- ^ , Steely, James Wright. Parks for Texas: Enduring Landscapes of the New Deal. Austin: U of Texas, 1999. Print.
- ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
Year designated: 1976
- ISBN 9781623492960.
- ^ "Park Passes — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Palo Duro Canyon State Park Campsites — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Palo Duro Canyon State Park Horse Sites — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Palo Duro Canyon State Park Lodging — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Palo Duro Canyon State Park Group Sites — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas
- ^ Michael Abatemarco (April 29, 2016). "Birth of the abstract: Georgia O'Keeffe in Amarillo". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ^ Kathryn Jones (November 2013). "Georgia O'Keeffe: Canyon and Sky". Texas Highways magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ The Texas Observer; Austin, Texas; July 13, 2015. Reinventing Texas, by Robyn Ross. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Samuel. Notes to Symphony No. 3 ("Palo Duro Canyon"). Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ Schwarz, Gerard (conductor); Seattle Symphony. Jones: Symphony No. 3 "Palo Duro Canyon," Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra. Naxos 8.559378, 2009.
- ^ Dan Morgan. "Walter Piston, Samuel Jones, Stephen Albert American Symphonies – BIS2118 [DM] Classical Music Reviews: June 2018 –". Musicweb-international.com. Music Web International.
External links
- Palo Duro Canyon State Park official website
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Palo Duro Canyon
- Read Exploration of the Red River, by Randolph Marcy, 1852, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
- Handbook of Texas Online: Palo Duro Canyon
- Public domain images of the Llano Estacado and West Texas
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Palo Duro State Park
- Unique Perspectives of Palo Duro Canyon; Pictures and Panoramas
- Film of Palo Duro Canyon from Adventure at Our Door on the Texas Archive of the Moving Image