Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Thunderbird Lodge

News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 AUTHENTICITY IS THE THEME AT CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT AS CULTURAL EXPERIENCES PROVIDE THE THRILLS

CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT, May 20, 2005 – When the train at the theme park rounds the bend and is attacked by blue-eyed Indians that look suspiciously like college students only to be driven away by the Cavalry at the last minute, passengers know that reality has been suspended. Scenes such as this are played out daily across the country from Memorial Day to Labor Day. A realistic view of Native American culture, however, is just as readily available and sure to create a deeper and more profound memory.

“Some people come here expecting a theme park experience,” said Mary Jones, general manager of Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. “While their stay here sometimes turns out to be much different than what they expected, few are disappointed and most are inspired and pleasantly surprised. A few of our guests even claim a life-altering experience.”

Located on the Navajo Reservation in northeast Arizona , Canyon de Chelly features soaring rock walls, Anasazi ruins and historic sites of both past tragedies and spiritual significance. A visit to the area is a true cultural experience with very few things changed for hundreds of years. Drawings on the canyon walls depict history from more than 700 years ago with more “recent” figures illustrating the arrival of the Spaniards and the introduction of cows, horses and sheep into the area in the 1700s and 1800s.

Today, some 80 families still live in the canyon where they farm and raise animals. Visitors can see the working farms and the traditional Navajo houses – six- or eight-sided hogans with the doors facing east to greet the sun every morning.

Unlike theme parks, the “rides” are limited to six-wheel drive touring vehicles, horses and hikers’ feet. Thunderbird Lodge offers popular group tours of Canyon de Chelly in six-wheel drive army touring vehicles operated by experienced and knowledgeable Navajo guides who provide interpretive information about the Canyon’s geology and history.

During tours, visitors learn about Anasazi ruins, pictographs, petroglyphs and the sites of confrontations between the Navajo and the Spanish, Mexican and American governments.

The Anasazi – “Ancient Ones” – lived in the canyon for more than a thousand years. Their homes were engineered using timbers and adobe-style bricks. Most of the homes were built into the canyon walls and faced south to take advantage of the winter sun. Some contained multiple levels that housed as many as 30 to 40 families. The most impressive structures are large cliff dwellings, built between 1100 and 1300, in the Pueblo period. The Anasazi left the area around 1300. The reason for their disappearance is debated with the most popular theory being a prolonged drought forced them out.    

The Navajo, related culturally and linguistically to the various Apache Indians in the Southwest, moved from northern New Mexico into the area around 1700. The Navajos fought with the Pueblo Indian villages and Spanish settlements along the Rio Grande Valley . As a result, the Spanish, Mexican and American governments conducted their own battles with the Navajo. As a Navajo stronghold, Canyon de Chelly figured prominently.

In 1805 Lt. Antonio Narbona, later the governor of the Province of New Mexico, led a Spanish expedition in an all-day battle against a band of Navajos fortified in a rock shelter in Canyon del Muerto. At the end of the day, Narbona’s contingent had killed 105 Navajos, including 90 warriors. Today, the rock shelter is called Massacre Cave .

In 1864 Kit Carson led a detachment of United States cavalry to Canyon de Chelly. Carson ’s troops defeated the Navajos and forcibly removed more than 8,000 Navajos 300 miles to Fort Sumner in New Mexico . At the end of the “Long Walk,” an early reservation that was really a prisoner of war camp was designated. After four years, however, the Navajos were permitted to return to their homeland.

Around the turn of the 20th century, a trading post was constructed at the mouth of the canyon and is now the Thunderbird Lodge dining facility. The trading post emphasized the protection of the canyon and its artifacts and was the main starting point for those exploring the canyon.

Thunderbird Lodge provides the only accommodations in Canyon de Chelly. It features 72 modern rooms, dining facilities, gift shop, rug room and tours. Most of the employees at the Thunderbird Lodge are Navajo.

With the exception of one hiking trail, travel in the Canyon is permitted only with a park ranger or authorized Navajo guide.

            Half-day tours are available year-round. The 3 ½ hour tours take visitors into the lower halves of both Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto. Full-day tours are offered during the summer months.

            Thunderbird Lodge is open year-round. For reservations, call 1-800-679-2473. For online information on Thunderbird Lodge, go to www.tbirdlodge.com.

###

For more information, contact:

Mesereau Public Relations

(1) 720-842-5271

mona_mesereau@msn.com

tom_mesereau@msn.com

Send mail to webmaster@tbirdlodge.com with questions or comments about this web site.