This publication does not attempt to describe the scenic beauty of Palo Duro Canyon, for this must be seen to be appreciated. Rather, it discusses the geologic setting and origin of the canyon, the methods by which some of the more interesting geologic features were formed, and briefly reviews the history of the area. Hopefully, it will enable the visitor to understand better the meaning behind the canyon scenery, thereby enhancing his visit.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have assisted in the preparation of The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon, and their help is gratefully acknowledged: Professor Jack T. Hughes, Dr. Frank W. Daugherty, Dr. Robert C. Burton, Meade Humphries, and Jim Hughes of the West Texas State University Geology Department provided much information about the area and assisted in the field; help was also provided by Mr. Pete Cowart, Mr. Earl Burtz, Mr. Jerry Tschauner, Mr. Bob Watson, Mr. King, and other park personnel; Mr. C. Boone McClure, of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, furnished some of the photographs; Mr. J. Dan Scurlock, Mr. Bill Collins, and Mr. Harold Allums, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, made available certain maps and statistical data; Mrs. Ples Harper of Canyon assisted in assembling information and photographs for the Pioneer Amphitheatre; and the aerial photograph of Palo Duro Canyon was taken by Mr. W. A. Hester and made available through the courtesy of Mr. Charles A. Wolflin of Amarillo.
Drs. Peter T. Flawn, Peter U. Rodda, and Ross A. Maxwell of the Bureau of Economic Geology read much of the manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions, and Mr. A. Richard Smith provided special information on caves in the Palo Duro area. Special thanks are due to Miss Josephine Casey who edited the manuscript and to Mr. J. W. Macon, cartographer, who assumed responsibility for preparing the maps. Thanks are due also to my wife, Jennie, who critically read the manuscript and took a number of the photographs. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. J. Daniel Powell of The University of Texas at Arlington for invaluable assistance in the field and his enthusiastic co-operation throughout the project.
PARK HISTORY
Palo Duro Canyon’s long and colorful past has created considerable interest among historians, archeologists, and geologists. Historians have traced the written history of man and his effect on the Palo Duro area, but archeologists have delved much further into the past. They have sought out and studied the more enduring records of the canyon’s early inhabitants—their tools, utensils, and weapons. The geologist, however, is interested in history that far antedates even the most primitive human inhabitant of the canyon. The earth scientist has probed the geologic record of the Palo Duro area, using [rocks], [minerals], and [fossils] as clues to the geologic history and development of the canyon.
Palo Duro Canyon is unique among Texas’ State parks because of its many contributions to history, archeology, and geology. Here the written record, the artifacts of prehistoric man, and the [geologic formations] overlap and complement each other in many respects. Although this guidebook is primarily concerned with the geologic history of the canyon, a brief review of its human history is also included.
ANCIENT MAN IN PALO DURO CANYON
Archeological studies indicate that the earliest known inhabitants of Palo Duro Canyon lived in the canyon from about 10,000 to 5,000 B.C. These early men apparently hunted the bison and now-extinct elephant-like mammoths that roamed the Palo Duro area during the [Ice Age] of [Pleistocene] time (see [geologic time scale], [fig. 6]). Their stone weapons and other artifacts have been found in and around the canyon. It is assumed that these primitive people—like those who came later—were attracted by the streams and springs that are found in the canyon and by game that came there to feed. There is also evidence that the Indians took advantage of certain of the canyon’s geologic features. They fashioned tools, weapons, and utensils from the [rocks] exposed in the canyon and used certain of the shallow caves and rock shelters as their homes.