Turning the pages -
Laura's National Park Sketches ( P - W )
PETROGLYPH NATIONAL MONUMENT protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and for the descendants of the early Spanish settlers.
RAINBOW BRIDGE is one of the world’s largest known natural bridges. The span has undoubtedly inspired people throughout time–from the neighboring American Indian tribes who consider Rainbow Bridge sacred, to the 85,000 people from around the world who visit it each year.
The SAND CREEK MASSACRE: profound, symbolic, spiritual, controversial, a site unlike any other in America. As 675 cavalrymen came around a prairie bend, the camps of Chiefs Black Kettle, White Antelope, and Left Hand lay in the valley before them. Chaotic, horrific, tumultuous, and bloody, the events of November 29, 1864 changed the course of history.
Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, SCOTTS BLUFF has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. Rich with geological and paleontological history as well as human history, there is much to discover while exploring the 3,000 acres of Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Before the first African American military pilots became known as the “Red Tails” they wore striped tails as they began their flight training in the Army’s PT-17 Stearman bi-plane. Their flying adventure started at Moton Field, in TUSKEGEE, Alabama, where the Army Air Corps conducted a military test to determine if African Americans could be trained to fly combat aircraft.
VALLEY FORGE is the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army. The park includes 3,500 acres of monuments, meadows, and woodlands that commemorate the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation, and honors the ability of citizens to pull together in order to overcome adversity during extraordinary times.
VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK is more than just beautiful beaches. Hike to historic plantation sites to learn about a time when sugar dominated the island. Visit the ancient petroglyphs carved by the Taino Indians. Come snorkel the coral reefs to discover hidden marine life. Two-thirds of the island of St. John is national park, making it a unique destination for visitors from around the world
Bison, elk, and other wildlife roam the rolling prairie grasslands and forested hillsides of one of America’s oldest national parks. Below the remnant island of intact prairie sits WIND CAVE, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world. Named for barometric winds at its entrance, this maze of passages is home to boxwork, a unique formation rarely found elsewhere.