I thought I was going to sit around and do nothing all day, but an open invitation to go on a hike with another guy here at the Lazy Lizard gave me the right excuse to get off my ass and do something. It helped that the hike was up...
The many settlement sites scattered throughout the monument were built by the Ancient Pueblo People, more specifically the Sinagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Anasazi. Wupatki was first inhabited around 500 AD. A major population influx began soon after the eruption of Sunset Crater in the 11th century (between 1040–1100), which blanketed...
Fort Craig, established in 1854, was one of the largest and most important frontier forts in the West. Set in the rugged beauty of Socorro County, N.M., it was one of the eight forts situated along the primary north-south road in the Rio Grande Valley. Fort Craig played a crucial...
Walnut Canyon National Monument is located about 10 miles southeast of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, near Interstate 40. The canyon rim elevation is 6,690 ft; the canyon’s floor is 350 ft lower. A 0.9 mi long loop trail descends 185 ft into the canyon passing 25 cliff dwelling rooms constructed by the Sinagua, a pre-Columbian cultural...
Southern Sinagua farmers began building this five-story, 20-room dwelling early in the 1100’s. It stands in a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley floor. They use to allow visitors to climb the ladders and roam about the castle, but that ended in the 60’s after years of people stealing...
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Casa Grande means “big house” (even I knew this). Obviously it is a very old “stick and mud” house from the natives dating back 7500 years. It is 4 stories tall and only a small part of what is known of a larger community of...
“Born in present-day Arizona, Cochise led the Chiricahua band of the Apache tribe during a period of violent social upheaval. In 1850, the United States took control over the territory that today comprises Arizona and New Mexico. Not hostile to the whites at first, he kept peace with the Anglo-Americans...
