Monument Valley is part of the Navajo Nation, under the purview of Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation. Its iconic rock formations have been seen in hundreds of movies.
Monument Valley's rocks were formed in the Permian era, 160 million years ago. Volcanic activity, erosion and shifting created today's landscape.
Around 12,000 B.C., prehistoric man arrived in Monument Valley and lived there until around 6,000 B.C. Ancient hunter-gatherers followed.
Kayenta Anasazi arrived around the time Christ was born, vanishing around 1300 A.D. Around 1300 A.D. Paiutes hunted here; later, the Navajos settled.
The Navajo clashed with 18th-century Spanish settlers and, later, silver prospectors. In 1860 Kit Carson shipped them off to a reservation; they returned in 1868. In 1884, President Chester Arthur added Monument Valley to their reservation.
John Ford's 1939 movie "Stagecoach" made Monument Valley famous. Dozens of other movies including 2001, A Space Odyssey and Easy Riders have featured Monument Valley.
In the 1950s the Navajo were involved with uranium mining on the land. They founded their Park Service in 1957 and Monument Valley became a tribal park. Visitors can drive through; to visit the interior guests must take a guided tour.
