Arizona National Monuments
Chiricahua
Twenty seven million years ago a volcanic eruption of immense
proportions shook the land around Chiricahua National Monument.
One thousand times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount
St. Helens, the Turkey Creek Caldera
eruption eventually laid down two thousand feet of siliceous
ash and pumice. This mixture fused into a rock called rhyolitic
tuff and eventually eroded into the spires and unusual
rock formations of today.
The first inhabitants arrived about 10,000 years ago, nomadic
Paleo-Indians
who hunted ice-age animals and gathered fruits and nuts.
They evolved into the agriculture-based Mogollon
culture, which eventually merged with other southwestern
cultures, particularly the Anasazi,
by 1100 or 1200 A.D. The Chiricahua Apaches followed about
400 years ago. Led by famous chiefs Cochise and Geronimo,
they carried out the last major attacks on white settlers
before the surrender of Geronimo in 1886. Visitors can tour
historic Faraway Ranch, a pioneer homestead and later a
working cattle and a guest ranch.
Designation Date: April 18, 1924, by President Calvin Coolidge
Questions
- How were the rock formations of the Chiricahua Monument
formed?
- Why was this a good place for the Apaches to dwell?
- What happened to the Chricahua Apaches?
- What unique wildlife live in the Chiricahua Monument?
Resources
Chiricahua
National Monument - National Park Service
Beneath
the Chiricahuas: Past and Present - created by by the
San Simone school district.
Chiricahua
National Monument travelogue
The
Chiricahua web site - a private site with information
about the flora and fauna found in the Chiricahua mountains.
A
Chiricahua Apache's Account Of The Geronimo Campaign of
1886
Media
National
Park Service Digital Image Archives
Photographs from the private collection of Robert
Schantz
Educational Activities
Geology
Visit the Volcano
World site at the University of North Dakota and you
will find a variety of activities including a demonstration
on the origins of volcanos
and calderas.
History
Visit the National
Archives and Records Administration and search
for pictures of Chiricahua tribal members and chiefs. What
do these pictures tell you about the Chiricahua people?
Explore a collection of Chiricahua
and Mescalero Apache texts in both English and Apache.
What do these stories tell you about the peope?
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