Palo Duro Canyon

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Lighthouse hoodoo in Palo Duro Canyon is a large pillar of rock jutting skyward from a flat base.

Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment in the Panhandle of Texas (USA). As the second largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly 120 miles long and has an average width of 6 miles, but reaches a width of 20 miles at places. Its maximum depth is 800 feet. Palo Duro Canyon has been called "The Grand Canyon of Texas," both for its size and for the dramatic geological features, including the multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa walls similar to those in the Grand Canyon.

The canyon was formed by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River which winds along the relatively flat Caprock of West Texas. Water erosion over the millennia has been aided by wind erosion to shape the canyon's geological formations.

Notable canyon formations include caves and hoodoos. One of the best known features of the canyon is the Lighthouse hoodoo. A multi-use six-mile round trip loop trail is dedicated to the formation. The middle portion of the trail can be hot with little shade, and hikers should take plenty of water.[1]

The painter Georgia O'Keeffe who lived in nearby Amarillo and Canyon early in the 20th century, wrote of the Palo Duro: "It is a burning, seething cauldron, filled with dramatic light and color."[2]

Landscape of the Palo Duro


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[edit] History

The first evidence of human habitation of the canyon dates back approximately 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 of the Red River, as well as the consequent ample game, edible plants, and protection from weather that the canyon provided.

The first European explorers to discover the canyon were members of the Coronado expedition, who visited the canyon in 1541. Apache Indians lived in Palo Duro at the time, but they were later displaced by Comanche and Kiowa tribes, who had the advantage of owning horses brought over by the Spanish. They had contact with traders in nearby New Mexico, called Comancheros.

A United States military team under Captain Randolph B. Marcy mapped the canyon in 1852 during their search for the headwaters of the Red River. The land remained under American Indian control until a military expedition led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie was sent in 1874 to remove the Indians to reservations in Oklahoma. In a lucky coup, the Mackenzie expedition was able to capture thousands of the Indians' horses and destroy them in nearby Tule Canyon. Demoralized and denied their main weapon and source of livelihood, the Comanche and Kiowa conceded and left the area.

Soon after, in 1876, Charles Goodnight established the JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon. Over the next half century, the canyon remained in private hands, but was an increasingly popular tourist spot for local residents. In 1934, the upper section of the canyon was purchased by the State of Texas and turned into the 20,000-acre 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 the Frontiersman Camping Fellowship of Royal Rangers, the West Texas District is known as the Palo Duro Chapter because of the importance of the canyon in the history of the region.

[edit] Geology

Hiking trail to the west of the rancher's dugout in Palo Duro Canyon

Palo Duro Canyon itself was downcut by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River during the Pleistocene, when the whole region was uplifted.[3] Most of the strata visible in the Canyon were deposited during the Permian and Triassic periods. From oldest to youngest, the formations are as follows:

  • Quartermaster Formation: Permian in age, this comprises the red, lower slopes of the Canyon. This layer was deposited in a shallow marine environment that alternated with dry tidal flats, indicated by ripple marks and gypsum evaporite deposits, respectively.[4]
  • Tecovas Formation: Part of the Dockum Group with the Trujillo Formation, this multicolored Triassic unit consists of shale, siltstone, and sandstone. Deposited in streams and swamps, its colors indicate varying oxidizing conditions, and the alternating dry / wet cycles typical of such environments. These rocks are fossiliferous, containing the remains of phytosaurs, amphibians, and fish.[5]
Reconstructed dugout shelter, similar to that used by Charles Goodnight when establishing the JA Ranch here
  • Trujillo Formation: This Triassic formation is harder than the underlying Tecovas, and forms many of the Canyon's ledges. Composed of coarse sandstone, river cross-bedding indicates deposition in a stream environment. Fossils are rare.[6]

[edit] The musical "Texas"

During the summer tourist season, the Paul Green historical musical drama Texas is presented in the Pioneer Amphitheater of Palo Duro Canyon. The 2009 season runs from June 5 to August 15. Texas is the official state play. It depicts the life of the pioneers of the Texas Panhandle during the latter 19th century. There are special effects, music and dance againt the canyon walls. A barbecue dinner is served before the show, which has been performed annually since 1966.[1]


See also: Ogallala Aquifer

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Logan G. Carver, "Palo Duro Canyon quick getaway from Lubbock"". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. http://lubbockonline.com/stories/060609/loc_447973076.shtml. 
  2. ^ Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas
  3. ^ Spearing, Darwin. Roadside Geology of Texas. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Co., 1991. ISBN 0-87842-265-X p. 381
  4. ^ Spearing, pp. 377, 383
  5. ^ Spearing, 384-5
  6. ^ Spearing, pp. 384-5
  7. ^ Spearing, pp. 355-6, 385

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 34°57′N 101°40′W / 34.95°N 101.667°W / 34.95; -101.667

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