Photo above: Historic scene of the canyon. Courtesy Library of Congress/Wikipedia Commons. Right: Seven Navajo riders and one dog walk along the canyon floor in 1904. Photo by Edwin S. Curtis, courtesy Library of Congress.

Canyon de Chelly Then

Anasazi and who came after - For thousands of years, the ancestral puebloans people lived and worked in the desert southwest. The name was given them by the Navajo, who came after and were not their descendants. What did the name mean? Enemy ancestors. When did they leave? By the 1300's. Who were their descendants? The Hopi, who eventually moved west to the mesa tops. When did the Navajo arrive? Around 1400, from Canada and Alaska.

Battle of Canyon de Chelly - Not a historic event that's most in vogue when talking about the canyon, but in 1864, Kit Carson was told to enter the Canyon and round up the remainder of the Navajo and take them to reservation at Bosque Redondo, the military fort southeast New Mexico. The army had been warned, after an incusion by Colonel Miles six years earlier, never to reenter Canyon de Chelly. At first, the effort was stalled when Navajo commander Barboncito ran off the Army mules. But on January 6, Carson came with 378 men into the canyon, eventually surrounding the Navajo around Fortress Rock. This isolated position caused many of the Navajo nation to turn themselves over. By summer, eight thousand Navajo had surrendered.

Photo above: The White House ruins at Canyon de Chelly in 1922. Courtesy Library of Congress. Below: One spectacular view of the canyon and White House Ruin trail at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Courtesy National Park Service.

Canyon de Chelly Now

The entire park is owned by the Navajo reservation and they preserve and live in the area of the canyons. Protection of these dwellings and canyons is at the forefront of all park, but may be even higher here. With the exception of the short White House trail, visitors are not allowed into the canyon. With Park Service Rangers as guides or approved tour campanies by the Navajo as guides, visitors can enter in small groups.

The park includes a Visitor Center three miles from Chinle, Arizona, and two roads, North and South Rim, that take visitors on a self-guided journey onto the overlooks that show the canyon and cliff dwellings from a distance.

There's actually three canyon here, the namesake Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Meurto, and Canyon Monument, but in many ways when you visit, you'll think of this monument as having two sides; the canyon rim and the canyon floor. It all encompasses one large heritage area to the Ancient Anasazi Puelbo and the Navajo. Navajo families still live in the park. A visit to Canyon Chelly will start at the Visitor Center and likely include two drives, along the North Rim or South Rim. From there you can witness the canyon in most of its splendor, and sight ruins from Antelope House to White House. A short trail down to view White House ruins is the only trail available into the canyon where a guide is not necessary.