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Palo duro Canyon #2
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Palo duro Canyon #2

by Rick Turner

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted June 23, 201286 views7 comments
With enough feedback and interest on this little known gem, I offer another shot of this natural wonder found in west Texas.
Palo duro Canyon Sate Park of Texas opened in 1934. The canyon is almost 20 miles wide and 120 miles long with a depth of almost 800 feet.
The canyon was formed from water erosion by the Red River (the canyon is deep red). This is often touted as the second largest canyon in North America.
This is shot from one of the overlooks in the state park.
Often called the Little Grand Canyon.

From the Texas Historical State Association ~
"Humans have resided in the canyon for approximately 12,000 years. Early settlers were nomadic tribes that hunted mammoth, giant bison, and other large game animals. Later, Apache Indians lived in the canyon, but were soon replaced by Comanche and Kiowa tribes who resided in the area until 1874. At that time, Col. Ranald Mackenzie was sent into the area to transport the Native Americans to Oklahoma. Col. Mackenzie and the 4th Cavalry were able to capture more than 1,400 horses belonging to the tribe. After keeping some of the best horses for themselves, the remainder were taken to nearby Tule Canyon and destroyed. Cut off from their only means of transportation, the Native Americans soon surrendered.

In 1876, Charles Goodnight entered the canyon and opened the JA Ranch. At its peak, the ranch supported more than 100,000 head of cattle. Goodnight operated the ranch until 1890. Although only a fraction of its original size, the JA Ranch remains a working ranch today."

The movie "Lonesome Dove" was base on Charles Goodnight.

Sony a 700
16-80 Zeiss f3.5 zoom
ISO 400
f16 @ 1/125
tripod and ball head
LR3 raw
CS5 corrections. :wavey:

Comments

7 comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on June 23, 2012 at 11:15 AM
Interesting to see a larger view of this canyon; thanks for posting this, Rick! Thanks also for all the history info. This theme is a great opportunity for us to learn about new places. :smile: I like your comp with the canyon bottom winding its way diagonally across the picture. Those red rocks are quite red; could make for some interesting close-up pictures especially in those eroded areas. A crop up from the bottom to get rid of most of the shaded area may be helpful since the foreground shaded area is OOF.
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 23, 2012 at 11:51 AM
Love the grand view of this "little grand canyon".
Interesting bit of Texas history in your notes dating way back to the first human habitation.
The slaughter of all those horses sure shows the ugly belly of the beast.
And what man is capable in the name of war.. Perhaps extermination is the better word for it :frown:
A suggestion for improvement would be to cool it off some, the reds are a bit much IMHO.
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on June 23, 2012 at 11:40 PM
I like seeing this wider view. Some of the inner slopes look interesting for some telephoto work. As Howard, noted the WB seems a little warm.
Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments
Comment posted by Rick Turner on June 24, 2012 at 1:15 PM
Here is a shot of the red dirt up close and with no color manipulation. The redness in this canyon at sunset is a thing to behold.
Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on June 24, 2012 at 3:16 PM
Looks like a really interesting place to explore. Looking at the larger version, it seems like there are some trees and shrubs that are sharp and some that are very blurred. Was it a windy day?

For anyone interested in a more in depth history (that seems well balanced to me) there's a recent book called "Empire of the Summer Moon" that covers in detail the Comanche Wars and the role of Palo Duro Canyon in that conflict.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on June 24, 2012 at 9:56 PM
Rick, it looks like there is an unlimited supply of images to shoot in Palo duro Canyon. I enjoyed the ones you posted. Thanks for sharing them.
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Rick Turner on June 26, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Here is a shot about a mile and half on the hike to the Lighthouse. Path is visable in middle of frame and a rock formation with the signature red sediments. Now I know why the Red river is red. This canyon was formed kazillion years ago when the water removed millions of tons of red dirt. :wavey:
Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments