Walnut Canyon National Monument in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Tension and Harmony
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 8, 2010
1. Tension and Harmony Marker
With its steep and sheer walls, Walnut Canyon provided homebuilding advantages along with controlled access. Living here, people were situated to monitor their world. This was not uncommon; most villages of the time had some form of passive defense and line-of-sight communication.
Horizontal ledges served as pathways connecting home to home, such as those visible across the canyon. Game trails, natural breaks, and side canyons were the avenues linking the rim to the canyon floor.
People also built trails, complete with graded switchbacks.
"...a stratum of rock, softer than those above, had been hollowed out by the action of time....The over-hanging cliff made a foot two hundred feet thick. The hard stratum was an everlasting floor. Thus the houses stood along in a row, like the buildings in a city block, or like a barracks."
Willa Cather describing a visit to Walnut Canyon, in Song of the Lark, 1912
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Native Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cliff Homes and Canyon Life (within shouting distance of this marker); A Complex Community (within shouting distance of this marker); A Ribbon of Life (within shouting distance of this marker); A Time of Change (within shouting distance of this marker); Migration is not abandonment. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Perfect Shelter (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Departure (about 400 feet away); What Happened Here? (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Walnut Canyon National Monument.
Also see . . . Walnut Canyon National Monument. (Submitted on November 23, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By Micheal Hampshire and Tom Bean, undated
2. Image on Tension and Harmony Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 8, 2010
3. Tension and Harmony Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 8, 2010
4. Tension and Harmony Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 8, 2010
5. Hollowed Rock Stratum in Walnut Canyon
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 8, 2010
6. Rock Houses Under Restoration
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 537 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 23, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on November 25, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 5, 6. submitted on November 23, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
