Holbrook in Navajo County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Jasper Forest
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
1. Jasper Forest Marker
Photo Caption:
Logs of red jasper have tumbled from the bluffs to rest in Jasper Forest.
Inscription.
Jasper Forest. . The petrified wood strewn in the valley below was once encased in the bluffs around you. When erosional forces removed the softer rocks, the petrified wood tumbled and accumulated on the valley floor. Once filled with fallen logs, Jasper Forest was plundered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by commercial collectors seeking petrified wood to sell as souvenirs., Completion of the nearby railway line in 1882 provided early travelers – and relic hunters – easy access to Jasper Forest. Many tons of Jasper Forest’s petrified wood were carried away, piece by piece, in railway cars. Outrage against Jasper Forest’s devastation contributed to the establishment of Petrified Forest as a National Monument in 1906., “Wood thieves” once carried out petrified wood by wagon, buggy, and cart, sometimes using dynamite to break large logs into smaller pieces to expose hidden crystals. A mill to grind petrified wood for abrasives was built at the nearby railroad settlement of Adamana in 1892. Though the mill never operated, the appetite for commercial spoils remained., “…we had filled our hats with chips….Reached Forest #1 [Jasper] about noon, resorted our collections…Oh such a time as we did have deciding which part of the forest to leave and which part to pack out.” , -from the diary of Grace Spradling, 1917, recording her hike from Adamana through the petrified forests. Although these areas were then protected by Petrified Forest National Monument, travelers continued to remove petrified wood., Federal law prohibits the removal of any petrified wood, other fossils, or artifacts from these protected lands. Stiff penalties will be imposed upon violators.
The petrified wood strewn in the valley below was once encased in the bluffs around you. When erosional forces removed the softer rocks, the petrified wood tumbled and accumulated on the valley floor. Once filled with fallen logs, Jasper Forest was plundered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by commercial collectors seeking petrified wood to sell as souvenirs.
Completion of the nearby railway line in 1882 provided early travelers – and relic hunters – easy access to Jasper Forest. Many tons of Jasper Forest’s petrified wood were carried away, piece by piece, in railway cars. Outrage against Jasper Forest’s devastation contributed to the establishment of Petrified Forest as a National Monument in 1906.
“Wood thieves” once carried out petrified wood by wagon, buggy, and cart, sometimes using dynamite to break large logs into smaller pieces to expose hidden crystals. A mill to grind petrified wood for abrasives was built at the nearby railroad settlement of Adamana in 1892. Though the mill never operated, the appetite for commercial spoils remained.
“…we had filled our hats with chips….Reached Forest #1 [Jasper] about noon, resorted our collections…Oh such a time as we did have deciding which part of the forest to leave and which part to pack out.”
-from
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the diary of Grace Spradling, 1917, recording her hike from Adamana through the petrified forests. Although these areas were then protected by Petrified Forest National Monument, travelers continued to remove petrified wood.
Federal law prohibits the removal of any petrified wood, other fossils, or artifacts from these protected lands. Stiff penalties will be imposed upon violators.
Location. 34° 53.335′ N, 109° 48.447′ W. Marker is in Holbrook, Arizona, in Navajo County. Marker can be reached from Jasper Forest Road, on the left when traveling west. Turn left onto Jasper Forest Road from Petrified Forest Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Holbrook AZ 86025, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2013, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. This page has been viewed 625 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on September 28, 2013, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.