History Of The Park

Designated a national park on December 9th, 1962, Petrified Forest National Park is known for the vibrant colored, petrified wood from where it got its name. This northeastern Arizona park is home to breathtaking views and fossilized homages to the massive wetlands that once occupied the area.

The First People

The first people were estimated to have been in the park as early as 13,500 BCE. They were known to use the petrified wood to make tools and later building materials.

Native Tribes and First Peoples

While early groups like the Paleo Indians tended to live nomadic lifestyles, later groups like Basketmakers and Pueblo Indians settled on the land in and around the park due to changing climates and wildlife. Beginning in the mid 1500s, Spanish exploration through the area led to many conflicts between explorers and those that already lived in the area.

Early Expeditions

After explorations by the Spanish looking for routes to the Pacific, the first expedition by the US into the park was the Whipple Expedition in 1853. With an increasing rate of settlers heading west, it became a popular spot for cattle grazing until it was designated as a National Park.

Development of the Park

In the wake of the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was formed and in the 1930s and '40s completed many construction projects in the soon to be national park. Notable examples of these projects are the Painted Desert Inn and the Agate house.

Agate House built with petrified wood

https://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/historyculture/paleo-people.htm

Drawing of Petrifed Forest NP by Heinrich Mollhausen

https://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/historyculture/explorerssettlers.htm

Painted Desert Inn

https://savingplaces.org/stories/the-many-lives-of-painted-desert-inn

National Park status

The history of the park starts more than 200 million years ago when the area was once a wooded area. The remnants of that forest have since become fossilized logs, with spectacular colors due to the mineral content. The earliest evidence points to people being in the area as much as 15,000 years ago. Since then, explorations through the park gave scientists a better understanding of the history and why it needed to be preserved. The first attempt to designate the site as a national park was in 1859, which was then rejected by Congress at the time. On December 8, 1906, President Roosevelt created Petrified Forest National Monument in an initial attempt to preserve the area. Slowly growing closer to National Park status over the next 54 years, the Petrified Forest was finally designated as a national park on December 9, 1962 by President Kennedy. The park didn't stop growing there, however, as in 2004 President Bush expanded the park boundaries increasing the land area to almost 220,000 acres.

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