Palo Duro Canyon
The Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon in the Texas Panhandle in Texas near Amarillo .
It is the second largest canyon in the United States. It is approx. 193 km long and has an average width of 10 km, which in some places increases up to 37 km. The maximum depth is 244 m. The Palo Duro Canyon is popular because of its size and impressive geological features, including a. of the multicolored layers of rock, also known as the Texas Grand Canyon .
The canyon was formed by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River , which meanders through the relatively shallow Caprock Gorge of west Texas. The geological formations of the canyon, u. a. Caves and peaks have been formed over the millennia by water and wind erosion.
history
The first evidence of human settlement dates back around 10-15,000 years. The canyon has been inhabited continuously since then. Native Americans were likely drawn to the waters of the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and the abundant wildlife and weather protection that the caves provided.
The first European scouts to discover the canyon were members of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition , who visited the canyon in 1541. At that time, Apache Indians lived in the canyon, who were later displaced by Comanche and Kiowa .
A military force under Captain Randolph B. Marcy surveyed the canyon in 1852 in search of the sources of the Red River. The land remained under Indian control until a military expedition led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie in 1874 drove the locals to reservations in Oklahoma. By chance Mackenzie succeeded in driving thousands of Indian horses to their death in the nearby Tule Canyon, thereby robbing the Indians of an important weapon of war. Demoralized and deprived of one of their main weapons, the Comanche and Kiowa left the area.
A short time later, in 1876, Charles Goodnight founded the JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon. The canyon remained in private hands for the next 50 years, but enjoyed increasing popularity with local residents. In 1934, the upper portion of the canyon was purchased by the State of Texas and converted into Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Amarillo is the largest city near the state park . In 1976 the site was registered as a National Natural Landmark .
References
Web links
- Palo Duro Canyon State Park Official website of the park
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: Palo Duro Canyon
- Portal to Texas History
- Texas Online Handbook: Palo Duro Canyon
Coordinates: 34 ° 57 ′ 0 ″ N , 101 ° 40 ′ 0 ″ W.