The Petrified Forest & Painted Desert - Apache & Navajo Co., Arizona

DATE:  July 6, 2015

HISTORICAL SITE:  Petrified Forest National Park

LOCATION:  Apache & Navajo Co., Arizona

MARKER #:  75000217 & 76000185 & 87001421 & 05000284

DEDICATED:  October 10, 1975 & July 12, 1976 & May 28, 1987 & April 15, 2005

"This property has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior   1976   Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Archaeological District"

"Painted Desert Inn has been designated a National Historic Landmark   This site possesses National significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America   1987   National Park Service   United States Department of the Interior"

"This property has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior   2005   Painted Desert Community Complex Historic District"

MARKER PLACED BY:  National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: 

I was surprised to find out that although Dirk was born and raised in Arizona, he has never visited the Petrified Forest or Painted Desert. I remember my parents taking us as little girls and for some reason that has stuck with me and is the driving force behind my desire to see this area again.

While not as breathtaking as the Grand Canyon, you can see similarities and this place can still stop you in your tracks with its beauty.

At one point, Dirk and I were just standing and looking. We'd said all the oooh's and ahhh's and were quiet. I looked over at Dirk and he had this look on his face I have seen before and am in awe of. I'm not sure how to describe it other than to say it is joy and the quietness of a soul...if that makes sense. He then looked at me and said "God did good".

While it's officially the Petrified Forest National Park, the northern end extends into the Painted Desert and is known for fossilized trees from the late Triassic period, about 225 million years ago.

In the late 1800's, concern grew over the number of tourists visiting and removing artifacts. Arizona asked the U.S. government to create a Petrified Forest National Park.

Like the Grand Canyon, the journey to national park wasn't easy and like the Grand Canyon, Roosevelt had to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to create the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1932 and finally it became a National Park in 1962. Several successive presidents have signed legislation to acquire additional land where the size is currently 218,533 acres.

As part of the super continent of Pangaea, this area was near the equator and had a sub-tropical climate.

Paleontologists have been working in the park since the early 20th century, finding Triassic plants, but also giant crocodile like reptiles called phytosaurs, large salamander like amphibians called Buettneria and early dinosaurs.

It is the same sediments that buried the tree's so they could fossilize, that has caused the Painted Desert is be so colorful and that sediment is estimated to be up to 800 feet deep.

There have been nine species of fossil trees identified here...all extinct. Driving through the park, you can see remnants of the tree's all over the place, some denser than others.

The sediment is also easily weathered giving the landscape its cliffs, gullies and rounded hills.

The earliest humans arrived at least 8,000 years ago. Mostly nomadic until about 2,000 years ago when humans built pueblos and were growing corn here.

As the climate changed, people moved out but more than 600 sites have been found to be archaeologically significant, including the petroglyphs site called Newspaper Rock.

The Hopi nation call it "Tutuveni" and the petroglyphs show the history of the Hopi Indian tribe carved into stone. The area contains about 5,000 petroglyphs estimated to be between 650 and 2,000 years old.

In 2008, Newspaper Rock was included on the Worlds Monument Watch List of endangered cultural sites. Sadly, along with the ancient petroglyphs is the graffiti of today. $100,000.00 later, the site is surrounded by a chain link fence and monitored by hidden cameras.

 
Until the 16th century, the only inhabitants were indigenous people. Then the Spaniards discovered this area while exploring Mexico and the southwest.

The first U.S. survey was in 1853, made by American explorers looking for good east to west routes. Soon a wagon trail was "built"...is that the right word? What do you call it..."carved" a wagon trail?

Homesteaders settled in the area and their cattle grazed within the borders of the park until the mid-20th century. Next came the railroad and finally, constant car traffic on Route 66 and now Interstate 40.

There are 3 sites designated as historical, the main complex, the petroglyphs and finally...the Painted Desert Inn.

Back in the 1920's, Herbert Lore built a tourist shop, lunch counter and trading post on the Kachina rim. In 1932, the U.S. government proclaimed the Painted Desert a national monument. Lore negotiated $59,400.00 out of the U.S. government for his land and building. $60k in 1932? Not bad at all.

The original inn was built using the petrified wood from the park and was called Stone Tree House. Using the parks natural resources was a bit frowned upon so they rebuilt the inn; that being completed by the Conservation Corps in 1937.

Ok, this is strange to me but they didn't want to use the parks resources that were ALREADY being used so they tear it down and use other natural resources. Maybe less scarce but I bet that petrified wood was going to last forever.

Hopi artist Fred Kabotie was hired to paint scenes of everyday Hopi life and ceremonies on the walls of the Inn. 

There was a bit more remodeling right after the war and it was used as a railway hotel from 1947 to 1963 and finally destruction was discussed in the mid-70's.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and after major renovations, the inn reopened in 2006 as a museum. You walk through the building and can appreciate the craftsmanship and the painting, but then you look up and there is a beautiful stained glass ceiling.

I'm really glad we got the opportunity to see one of the U.S.'s beautiful National Park.

Gillioz Theater – Springfield, Missouri

DATE VISITED:  05/23/2015

HISTORICAL SITE:  Gillioz Theater

 

LOCATION:  325 Park Central East, Springfield, Greene Co., Missouri

MARKER #:  91000887

DEDICATED:  July 9, 1991

"The property has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior"

MARKER PLACED BY:  United States Department of the Interior

 

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: 

Dirk had wanted to show me Old town Springfield so when we traveled up that way, we took a detour. The area was absolutely deserted except for a few people hanging out at the center square. There were a couple of tourists, a policeman, and several, shall we say, street residents. One guy was doing an elaborate dance to music only he could hear.

The Gillioz was built by M.E. Gillioz, using almost exclusively steel and concrete. Gillioz, being a bridge builder used the materials he was most familiar with.

Originally called The Gaiety, it would cost $300,000 to build. It was built to take into account live performances, such as vaudeville, had a pipe organ for silent movies, and a sound system for “talkies”.

 In the meantime, and some say Gillioz has foreknowledge, Springfield was being called the “Birthplace of Route 66” and guess who’s theater just happened to be next door to the Federal Highway System with Route 66 at its front doors? Yep, the Gillioz Theater. 

The Theater opened its much anticipated doors on October 26, 1926 to a full house. There were the singers, ukuleles, and an organ concert on the huge Wurlitzer pipe organ. Next came some live vaudeville performances, and then the moment people had been waiting for…a Felix the Cat cartoon and newsreels flown in from New York City specifically for the opening night. The newsreels included game highlights from the 1926 World Series; Games 6 & 7, Cardinals versus Yankees that had just been played the night before.

And finally the evening closed with the Reginald Denney film, “Take It From Me”.

During the Depression and WWII, the theater would hold community songfests to boost morale. They held sort of an early version of American Idol where 15 girls would perform and the audience would vote for their favorite.

The Gillioz held 3 premieres during its hey-day. The first premiere, in 1938, was “Swing Your Lady” that not only starred a Springfield favorite but also Humphrey Bogart. 

 

The second and third premieres would both take place in 1952. “The Winning Team” featured Ronald Reagan and Doris Day, and “She’s Working Her Way Through College”. The first was a big even for Springfield with Ronald and Nancy Reagan in attendance.

In the 1970’s, a tarp was thrown over the pipe organ as people left downtown for suburbia. The theater would hold movies for kids in the afternoons and raunchy adult films at night. I remember my hometown theater “The Star” going through the same death throes.

The last movie show was “The Amityville Horror” on July 15, 1980 and the Gillioz finally closed its doors with a performance later in 1980 of the opera, “La Traviata”

By 1986, the homeless had moved in and were known to have barrel fires…but it is also thought that this constant human presence saved the Gillioz from vandalism.

The theater has been renovated and now holds live performances.