The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon

Part 1

BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY The University of Texas at Austin Peter T. Flawn, Director

Guidebook 8

The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon

By William H. Matthews III

August 1969 Second Printing August 1983

Contents

Introduction 1 Acknowledgments 2 Park history 3 Ancient man in Palo Duro Canyon 3 Indians of the Plains 3 Advent of the White Man 3 Regional setting 8 The geologic story 10 The canyon’s rocks and minerals 10 Unraveling earth history 10 The geologic column and geologic time scale 12 Geologic formations exposed in Palo Duro Canyon 16 Quartermaster Formation 17 Tecovas Formation 19 Trujillo Formation 22 Ogallala Formation 23 Rocks of the Pleistocene 28 How the canyon was carved 29 The geologic work of running water 29 Weathering and gravity add the final touch 30 Weathering 30 Mass-wasting 31 Differential erosion 31 What to do and see at Palo Duro Canyon State Park 33 Park Entrance 33 Coronado Lodge and Observation Point 33 The Scenic Drive 33 Pioneer Amphitheatre 33 Sad Monkey Train Ride 35 Triassic Peak 35 Spanish Skirts 37 Catarina Cave 37 Santana’s Face 37 The Sky Ride 37 The First Water Crossing 39 Colonel Charles Goodnight’s Dugout 39 The Lighthouse 39 Capitol Peak 40 Fortress Cliff 40 The Rock Garden 40 The Devil’s Slide 40 The Turnaround 41 Hiking 43 Horseback riding 43 Camping and picnicking 43 Photography 43 Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum 45 Selected references 47 Glossary 48 Index 50

Illustrations

Figures— Page 1. Aerial View of Palo Duro Canyon Frontispiece 2. Place map of Palo Duro Canyon 4-5 3. Indian carving on sandstone boulder 6 4. War dress of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker 7 5. Generalized geologic map of the Texas Panhandle 9 6. Geologic time scale 11 7. Generalized geologic map of Palo Duro Canyon State Park 14-15 8. Joints and gypsum veins in Quartermaster Formation 17 9. Syncline in Quartermaster red beds 18 10. Reduction halos in Quartermaster shale 20 11. Cross-bedded boulder of Trujillo sandstone 20 12. Panoramic view of canyon showing major rock units exposed in canyon 21 13. Phytosaur skull 22 14. Skeleton of Buettneria 24 15. Mortar hole made by Indians 25 16. Rock pedestal near the Lighthouse 25 17. Outcrop of Ogallala caliche 26 18. Life-sized model of shovel-jawed mastodon 27 19. Fossilized carapaces of Pliocene tortoises 27 20. Talus slopes and “hoodoo” on Capitol Peak 31 21. Entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park 34 22. Coronado Lodge 34 23. Pioneer Amphitheatre 35 24. Train on Sad Monkey Railroad track 36 25. South face of Triassic Peak 36 26. Spanish Skirts 37 27. Catarina Cave 38 28. Santana’s Face 38 29. Picnic area at first water crossing 39 30. Colonel Charles Goodnight’s Dugout 40 31. The Lighthouse 41 32. Capitol Peak 42 33. Fortress Cliff 42 34. The Rock Garden 43 35. The Devil’s Slide 44 36. Campsite in south end of park 44 37. Entrance to Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum 45

The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon

William H. Mathews III

INTRODUCTION

Like the early Spanish explorers who first saw Palo Duro Canyon, today’s visitor is likely to view the impressive canyon with surprise and awe. This great depression—it is more than 2 miles wide and as much as 800 feet deep within park boundaries—contains a fascinating assortment of multicolored geologic formations and erosion-produced rock sculptures of many shapes, colors, and size. The geographic setting of the canyon further heightens its impact on the visitor, for it is surrounded by the level, virtually treeless plains of the Texas Panhandle. (See upper background area in fig. 1, frontispiece).

It is not surprising that this scenic area has been set aside as a State park, for Palo Duro Canyon has long been of interest to man. First, as the hunting grounds of prehistoric Indians who stalked the now-extinct Ice Age mammoths and bison that roamed the valley floor. Later, the canyon was frequented by the Comanches, Apaches, Kiowas, and other Indians of historic time. These tribes, like those before them, found both food and refuge within the canyon. However, it was not until 1876 that Palo Duro Canyon was inhabited by the white man. It was during this year that pioneer cattleman Charles Goodnight herded some 1,600 head of cattle into the canyon and established a camp there (p. 6).

Today’s visitor to Palo Duro Canyon can re-live some of the fascinating history of this interesting area. One can still see a replica of Colonel Goodnight’s primitive dugout, follow the faint trace of the Comanche Trail, or perhaps find the fossil bones of prehistoric creatures that lived hundreds of thousands—even millions—of years ago. But most visitors to Texas’ most colorful canyon are not attracted by its interesting history. They come instead to enjoy the scenery and recreational opportunities that are present. These are readily accessible, for a carefully engineered, hard-surface road leads from the rim of the canyon to the canyon floor. There are campgrounds, picnic areas, concessions, and even an outdoor theatre (fig. 23). The location of these facilities and some of the canyon’s more interesting geologic features are shown on the generalized place map of the canyon (fig. 2).

This publication does not attempt to describe the scenic beauty of Palo Duro Canyon, for this must be seen to be appreciated. Rather, it discusses the geologic setting and origin of the canyon, the methods by which some of the more interesting geologic features were formed, and briefly reviews the history of the area. Hopefully, it will enable the visitor to understand better the meaning behind the canyon scenery, thereby enhancing his visit.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many people have assisted in the preparation of The Geologic Story of Palo Duro Canyon, and their help is gratefully acknowledged: Professor Jack T. Hughes, Dr. Frank W. Daugherty, Dr. Robert C. Burton, Meade Humphries, and Jim Hughes of the West Texas State University Geology Department provided much information about the area and assisted in the field; help was also provided by Mr. Pete Cowart, Mr. Earl Burtz, Mr. Jerry Tschauner, Mr. Bob Watson, Mr. King, and other park personnel; Mr. C. Boone McClure, of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, furnished some of the photographs; Mr. J. Dan Scurlock, Mr. Bill Collins, and Mr. Harold Allums, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, made available certain maps and statistical data; Mrs. Ples Harper of Canyon assisted in assembling information and photographs for the Pioneer Amphitheatre; and the aerial photograph of Palo Duro Canyon was taken by Mr. W. A. Hester and made available through the courtesy of Mr. Charles A. Wolflin of Amarillo.

Drs. Peter T. Flawn, Peter U. Rodda, and Ross A. Maxwell of the Bureau of Economic Geology read much of the manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions, and Mr. A. Richard Smith provided special information on caves in the Palo Duro area. Special thanks are due to Miss Josephine Casey who edited the manuscript and to Mr. J. W. Macon, cartographer, who assumed responsibility for preparing the maps. Thanks are due also to my wife, Jennie, who critically read the manuscript and took a number of the photographs. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. J. Daniel Powell of The University of Texas at Arlington for invaluable assistance in the field and his enthusiastic co-operation throughout the project.

PARK HISTORY

Palo Duro Canyon’s long and colorful past has created considerable interest among historians, archeologists, and geologists. Historians have traced the written history of man and his effect on the Palo Duro area, but archeologists have delved much further into the past. They have sought out and studied the more enduring records of the canyon’s early inhabitants—their tools, utensils, and weapons. The geologist, however, is interested in history that far antedates even the most primitive human inhabitant of the canyon. The earth scientist has probed the geologic record of the Palo Duro area, using rocks, minerals, and fossils as clues to the geologic history and development of the canyon.

Palo Duro Canyon is unique among Texas’ State parks because of its many contributions to history, archeology, and geology. Here the written record, the artifacts of prehistoric man, and the geologic formations overlap and complement each other in many respects. Although this guidebook is primarily concerned with the geologic history of the canyon, a brief review of its human history is also included.

ANCIENT MAN IN PALO DURO CANYON

Archeological studies indicate that the earliest known inhabitants of Palo Duro Canyon lived in the canyon from about 10,000 to 5,000 B.C. These early men apparently hunted the bison and now-extinct elephant-like mammoths that roamed the Palo Duro area during the Ice Age of Pleistocene time (see geologic time scale, fig. 6). Their stone weapons and other artifacts have been found in and around the canyon. It is assumed that these primitive people—like those who came later—were attracted by the streams and springs that are found in the canyon and by game that came there to feed. There is also evidence that the Indians took advantage of certain of the canyon’s geologic features. They fashioned tools, weapons, and utensils from the rocks exposed in the canyon and used certain of the shallow caves and rock shelters as their homes.

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