Monument Valley
National Monument - Arizona, Utah
 Monument
Valley is a scenic region encompassing approximately 5,180 sq km
(2,000 sq mi) in northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah. The
landscape is characterized by tall, red sandstone buttes, mesas,
and arches created by erosion, rising up to 300 m (1,000 ft)
from a sandy plain. Monument Valley is part of the Navajo Indian
Reservation; the Navajos have occupied the valley since the
1860s. Rainbow Bridge and Natural Bridges national monuments are
nearby.
Tall, red sandstone buttes and mesas rise up from the sandy
plain of Monument Valley in northeastern Arizona and
southeastern Utah. The scene of countless western movies, the
valley has come to symbolize the open spaces and rugged
landscape of the American West.
 Monument
Valley is part of the Colorado
Plateau. During the Eocene epoch of the Cenozoic era, huge
quantities of these rocky mountain sediments were deposited in
the section of land that now contains Monument Valley. At the
same time, a regional uplift occurred on the Colorado Plateau.
The plateau was pushed upward by pressure from below. It broke
and cracked, thus creating a new cycle of erosion. Most of the
breaking was done underground long before the rocks were
revealed.
The base of the rock is
made up of what's called "Organ Rock Shale".
This is the soft rock shale. The middle section is made up of
"DeChelly Sandstone". This is the hard rock
shale. At the top of the rock is called "Shinarump".
The Shinarump is made up of mountain sediments that were
deposited during the Cenozoic era. The rocks that you see out
there have what are called joints. Joints are vertical, very
smooth and even, it determines how a  rock
erodes. If you look at the base of the rock, you will notice a
slight change of color, that part was eroded away. It was part
of the "DeChelly" formation.
A mesa does not start out
as a mesa, it begins to emerge when a succession of hard and
soft layers is cut into by a river or brought up by a fault. The
mesa becomes a butte, then becomes a spire, and then it
disappears.
Monument Valley's
rock formations are noteworthy mainly because they resemble
animals or other familiar images (e.g., Bear, Rabbit,
Stagecoach) and need no further explanation.
1)Mitchell Butte and Merric Butte were named after
two soldiers serving under Kit Carson. They were killed for
attempting to mine for silver in the sacred area.
2) The Right Mitten is the site of some dramatic
automobile commercials- On Top!
3)The Three Sisters resemble three catholic nuns dressed
in habits.
4) John Ford's Point is named for the first Hollywood
film director to use the Monument Valley location for a film
set. That first film was Stagecoach, starring John Wayne.
Since then, many major films and TV episodes have been shot
using Monument Valley sites. This particular site also is often
used in automobile commercials. Following are some of the better
 known
films shot in the Valley:
Kit Carson-1940
Billy the Kid-1941
My Darling Clementine-1946
Fort Apache-1948
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon-1949
The Searchers-1956
How the West Was Won-1962
Mackenna's Gold-1969
The Trial of Billy Jack-1974
The Eiger Sanction-1975
The Legend of the Lone Ranger-1981
Back to the Future II and III-1983/91
Forrest Gump-1993
Tall Tales-1993
Lightning Jack-1994
Waiting to Exhale-1995
5) Rain God Mesa was a platform for "medicine
men" to pray for rain and contains a sacred burial ground.
6) The Hub not only looks like the center of a wagon
wheel, it also is the geographic center of Monument Valley.
7) Thunderbird Mesa is named for the mythical creature
whose form has been etched into the side of the rock by the
forces of nature.
8) The Totem Pole is a 400 feet high scarlet rock
formation that appears to be a replica of a totem pole, pillars
of wood carved and painted representing mythical incidents among
tribes of the Northwest.
9) The Yei-Bi-Chei resembles a holy figure among the
Navajo people. In fact, distinguished Navajo men dress as
Yei-Bi-Cheis and dance for healing purposes in a very sacred
nine day ceremony called the "Night Way Ceremony". the
Yei-Bi-Chei rock formation appears to have a line formation of
several different Yei-Bi-Chei dancers.
10) Cly Butte is named in honor of a Navajo chieftain who
is buried there with all of his worldly possessions- cattle,
goats, sheep, as well as his horse, saddle and bride.
11) Agathlan is the core of an ancient volcano. It was
renamed "El Capitan" by Kit Carson, a well-know
soldier in the U.S. Cavalry of the 1800's.
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