Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “duh shay”) is located in NE Arizona. It consists of 83 million acres, all owned by the Navajo Tribal Trust. Visitors must be accompanied by a park ranger to access the valley floor. However, most visitors come by car and view the Canyon on the North Rim and South Rim drives. Two of the most viewed sites are White House Ruins and Spider Rock, seen here in 1873 photos by Timothy O’Sullivan.
Heaps Canyon
Heaps Canyon, named for an early settler, is located in Zion National Park, Utah. While the first photo is dated 1871, it was not until 110 years later that the first descent into the Canyon was made! This may be due to the 12-24 hours it takes to make the descent, the last 290 feet of which is free hanging as seen in the third photo.
Sabino Canyon
Sabino Canyon is located in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. It is a desert environment with extremely diverse plant and animal life. Sabino Creek’s headwaters are at 9,000 feet. The boulders in the creek came from an 1887 earthquake in Mexico that sent them tumbling down the shear cliffs into the creek. The first photo is dated late 1800s.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is located near Montrose in western Colorado. The tall, narrow rock walls make for almost constant shadows; hence, the name. The first photo by Timothy O’Sullivan is dated 1871. For much more, see this blog August 2017.
