Contents
[Introduction] 1 [Acknowledgments] 2 [Park history] 3 [Ancient man in Palo Duro Canyon] 3 [Indians of the Plains] 3 [Advent of the White Man] 3 [Regional setting] 8 [The geologic story] 10 [The canyon’s rocks and minerals] 10 [Unraveling earth history] 10 [The geologic column and geologic time scale] 12 [Geologic formations exposed in Palo Duro Canyon] 16 [Quartermaster Formation] 17 [Tecovas Formation] 19 [Trujillo Formation] 22 [Ogallala Formation] 23 [Rocks of the Pleistocene] 28 [How the canyon was carved] 29 [The geologic work of running water] 29 [Weathering and gravity add the final touch] 30 [Weathering] 30 [Mass-wasting] 31 [Differential erosion] 31 [What to do and see at Palo Duro Canyon State Park] 33 [Park Entrance] 33 [Coronado Lodge and Observation Point] 33 [The Scenic Drive] 33 [Pioneer Amphitheatre] 33 [Sad Monkey Train Ride] 35 [Triassic Peak] 35 [Spanish Skirts] 37 [Catarina Cave] 37 [Santana’s Face] 37 [The Sky Ride] 37 [The First Water Crossing] 39 [Colonel Charles Goodnight’s Dugout] 39 [The Lighthouse] 39 [Capitol Peak] 40 [Fortress Cliff] 40 [The Rock Garden] 40 [The Devil’s Slide] 40 [The Turnaround] 41 [Hiking] 43 [Horseback riding] 43 [Camping and picnicking] 43 [Photography] 43 [Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum] 45 [Selected references] 47 [Glossary] 48 [Index] 50
Illustrations
Figures— Page [1. Aerial View of Palo Duro Canyon] Frontispiece [2. Place map of Palo Duro Canyon] 4-5 [3. Indian carving on sandstone boulder] 6 [4. War dress of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker] 7 [5. Generalized geologic map of the Texas Panhandle] 9 [6. Geologic time scale] 11 [7. Generalized geologic map of Palo Duro Canyon State Park] 14-15 [8. Joints and gypsum veins in Quartermaster Formation] 17 [9. Syncline in Quartermaster red beds] 18 [10. Reduction halos in Quartermaster shale] 20 [11. Cross-bedded boulder of Trujillo sandstone] 20 [12. Panoramic view of canyon showing major rock units exposed in canyon] 21 [13. Phytosaur skull] 22 [14. Skeleton of Buettneria] 24 [15. Mortar hole made by Indians] 25 [16. Rock pedestal near the Lighthouse] 25 [17. Outcrop of Ogallala caliche] 26 [18. Life-sized model of shovel-jawed mastodon] 27 [19. Fossilized carapaces of Pliocene tortoises] 27 [20. Talus slopes and “hoodoo” on Capitol Peak] 31 [21. Entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park] 34 [22. Coronado Lodge] 34 [23. Pioneer Amphitheatre] 35 [24. Train on Sad Monkey Railroad track] 36 [25. South face of Triassic Peak] 36 [26. Spanish Skirts] 37 [27. Catarina Cave] 38 [28. Santana’s Face] 38 [29. Picnic area at first water crossing] 39 [30. Colonel Charles Goodnight’s Dugout] 40 [31. The Lighthouse] 41 [32. Capitol Peak] 42 [33. Fortress Cliff] 42 [34. The Rock Garden] 43 [35. The Devil’s Slide] 44 [36. Campsite in south end of park] 44 [37. Entrance to Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum] 45
Fig. 1. Aerial view of Palo Duro Canyon showing location of major points of interest: (1) Coronado Lodge; (2) Triassic Peak; (3) Timber Mesa; (4) Capitol Peak; (5) Fortress Cliff; (6) Prairie Dog Town Fork of Red River; (7) The Turnaround (termination of Park Road 5). (Courtesy of Charles A. Wolfin; photograph by W. A. Hester.)