Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of the White House Ruins at Canyon De Chelly, Arizona, ca.1895. Primitive building structures, dubbed the "White House Ruins", lay in the crevice of the cliff at about one third of the way up from the base. "History: the 84,000-acre park belongs to the Navajos, but has been occupied for as long as 5,000 years by humans. Before the Navajos, who once shared the canyon with the Hopis, were the ancestral Puebloans, sometimes called Anasazi. They built homes from the native rock and grew corn. Before the Anasazi were the basket makers, who were nomadic hunters and gatherers. White House Ruins, Canyon de Chelly, Arizona on the Navajo Nation. These ruins were built by the Anasazi, a Navajo word meaning the Ancient Ones." -- unknown author. "White House Ruins: The Monument is administered as part of the National Park Service but since it lies on Navajo land, admission is free. However, unsupervised access is restricted to the rim overlooks and to a single trail into the canyon, leading to the White House Ruins - for all other trips down or along the canyon, a Navajo escort is required. These ruins date from about 1200 and are some of the oldest in the canyon. The trailhead is seven miles along the south rim drive the one-mile trail is rocky and steep in places but well maintained and not too difficult - it takes between 25 and 50 minutes to get down, depending on your fitness. There are a couple of short tunnels, plenty of cacti and lizards, and the track passes a farm and an orchard before crossing the stream to the Ruins. Near the stream, just before the second tunnel, there is an interesting short cut down a narrow gully, using old foot-holes carved in the sandstone walls. Once at the White House, rest rooms and Indian jewelry sellers detract a little from the experience but the delicate well-preserved buildings beneath the 500-foot sheer cliff are well worth the trip. Despite the pleasures of walking, most visitors prefer to take the Navajo jeep tours, which visit various locations along the canyon and last for all or half of a day." -- unknown author.
Type
image
Format
2 photographs : glass photonegative, photoprint, b&w 21 x 26 cm. glass plate negatives photographic prints photographs
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