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