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Holbrook in Navajo County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Jasper Forest

 
 
Jasper Forest Marker image. Click for full size.
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. 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.
 
Erected by Petrified National Forest Services.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural FeaturesNatural ResourcesNotable Events. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.
 
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.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Agate Bridge (approx. 0.8 miles away); From Wood to Stone (approx. 1.9 miles away); Triassic Landscape (approx. 2 miles away); Pioneers of Paleontology (approx. 4.2 miles away); Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Archeological District (approx. 5.1 miles away); Newspaper Rock
Jasper Forest Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
2. Jasper Forest Marker
(approx. 5.1 miles away); Whispers from the Past (approx. 6 miles away); A Canvas for Ideas (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Holbrook.
 
Jasper Forest Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
3. Jasper Forest Marker
Trail to the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
4. Trail to the Marker
The Valley Below the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
5. The Valley Below the Marker
Valley Below the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
6. Valley Below the Marker
Valley Below the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
7. Valley Below the Marker
Petrified Wood image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, September 2, 2013
8. Petrified Wood
 
 
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.

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Mar. 18, 2024