TnT (Terry & Teri) Travels: Flagstaff to Kanab, Utah

This is Blue trying to figure out what I am up to and why aren’t I helping. I am decamping the sewer, water, electrical etc. so we can be on our way today.

We did not get very far this morning before we ran into Sunset Crater National Monument.

Sunset Crater National Monument

from Wikipedia

Sunset Crater is a volcanic cinder cone located north of Flagstaff in U.S. State of Arizona. The crater is within the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

Sunset Crater is the youngest in a string of volcanoes (the San Francisco volcanic field) that is related to the nearby San Francisco Peaks.^[3]

The date of the eruptions that formed the 340-meter-high cone (1,120 ft) were initially derived from tree-ring dates, suggesting the eruption began between the growing seasons of A.D. 1064–1065. ^[4] However, more recent geologic and archaeological evidence places the eruption around A.D. 1085. ^[5] The largest vent of the eruption, Sunset Crater itself, was the source of the Bonito and Kana-a lava flows that extended about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) NW and 9.6 kilometers (6 mi) NE, respectively. Additional vents along a 10-kilometer-long fissure (6.2 mi) extending SE produced small spatter ramparts and a 6.4-kilometer-long lava flow (4 mi) to the east. The Sunset Crater eruption produced a blanket of ash and lapilli covering an area of more than 2,100 square kilometers (810 sq mi) and forced the temporary abandonment of settlements of the local Sinagua people.^[2] The volcano has partially revegetated, with pines and wildflowers.

The lava flow.

Wupatki National Monument

The Wupatki National Monument is only a few miles from Sunset Crater so we unhooked the Honda and drove the loop through Wupatki National Monument, then back to the motorhome.

Wupatki was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.^[3]

The many settlement sites scattered throughout the monument were built by theAncient Pueblo People, more specifically the Sinagua, Cohonina, and Kayenta Anasazi. Wupatki was first inhabited around 500 AD. Wupatki, which means "Tall House" in the Hopi language, is a multistory Sinagua pueblo dwelling having more than 100 rooms. Secondary structures, including two large, apperantly uncovered kivalike structures, stand nearby.^[4] A major population influx began soon after the eruption of Sunset Crater in the 11th century (between 1040–1100), which blanketed the area with volcanic ash; this improved agricultural productivity and the soil's ability to retain water. By 1182, about 85 to 100 people lived at Wupatki Pueblo and by 1225, the site was permanently abandoned. It was a 100-room pueblo with a community room and ball court; making it the largest building for nearly fifty miles. There have also been nearby secondary structures uncovered, including two kivalike strctures. Based on a careful survey of archaeological sites conducted in the 1980s, an estimated 2000 immigrants moved into the area during the century following the eruption. Agriculture was based mainly on corn andsquash raised from the arid land without irrigation. In the Wupatki site, the residents harvested rain water due to the rarity of springs. Around 800 years ago, the Wupatki site was the largest pueblo around.

The dwelling's walls were constructed from thin, flat blocks of the local Moenkopi sandstone giving the pueblos their distinct red color. Held together with mortar, many of the walls still stand. Each settlement was constructed as a single building, sometimes with scores of rooms. The largest settlement on monument territory is the Wupatki Ruin, "Tall House" in the Hopi language, built around a natural rock outcropping. With over 100 rooms, this ruin is believed to be the area's tallest and largest structure for its time period. The monument also contain ruins identified as a ball court, similar to the courts found in Meso-America and in the Hohokam ruins of southern Arizona; this is the northernmost example of this kind of structure. This site also contains a geological blowhole. Other major sites are Wukoki and The Citadel.

Today Wupatki appears empty and abandoned. Though it is no longer physically occupied, Hopi believe the people who lived and died here remain as spiritual guardians. Stories of Wupatki are passed on among Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and perhaps other tribes. Members of the Hopi Bear, Sand, Lizard, Rattlesnake, Water, Snow, and Katsina Clans return periodically to enrich their personal understanding of their clan history. Wupatki is remembered and cared for, not abandoned.^[5]

Amidst what would seem a generally inhospitable area due to the lack of food and water sources several artifacts have been located at the site from far away locations, implying that Wupatki was involved in trade. Items from as far as the Pacific and the Gulf Coast have been located at the site. Many different varieties of pottery have been found at the site during numerous excavations stretching back to it's exploration in the mid-1800s.^[6]