Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park – One for the Money Two for the Road
- Website link: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
- Where is it: Cornish, New Hampshire
- What is it: the home and studios of sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907)
- Hours: 9:00 – 4:30 from the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend to October 31
- Much of the park is closed from November to May, however, the visitor center may be open. Check the website for additional information
Seen on approach to the visitor center, a replica of Saint-Gaudens Standing Lincoln (1887). The original sculpture is in Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois. A replica of the sculpture was also placed at Lincoln’s tomb.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who had shown an interest in art at an early age, was only thirteen-years-old when he landed an apprenticeship cutting cameos. During this time, the Saint-Gaudens family lived in New York City where Augustus attended school. When his six-year apprenticeship was complete, Augustus went to Europe to study art in Paris and then Rome.
Cameos. (We apologize for the glare on the glass.)
Saint-Gaudens arrived in Cornish, New Hampshire, near the bank of the Connecticut River, in 1885 where he rented an old inn from a friend. He quickly adapted the buildings to suit his needs and then purchased the property in 1892, naming it Aspet after his father’s hometown in France. The family used Aspet as their summer home until 1900 when Augustus was diagnosed with cancer and the estate became their year-round residence.
Aspet 
This is the back of the home and the cutting garden. It is said that Saint-Gaudens had a hand in planning and planting the gardens and other landscaped areas on the estate. 
The Little Studio, built in 1904. Saint Gaudens worked alone in this studio, while his assistants and students worked in other studios on the property.
We were able to tour the first floor of the house, where all of the original furnishings and decorative pieces can be seen. Unfortunately, the home contains no original Saint-Gaudens artworks. The studios and several other buildings on the grounds are also open for visitors to enjoy.
Civil War Admiral, David G. Faragut Monument (1881). Saint-Gaudens’ first commissioned work, which was won while Saint-Gaudens was still in Paris. The original of this monument is located in Madison Square in New York City.
After the Faragut piece was made public, Saint-Gaudens became a sought-after American sculptor. With business booming, so to speak, Saint-Gaudens hired assistants and began tutoring aspiring artists at Aspet.
The Shaw Memorial (1884-1897) . Another replica, which stands on the lawn bowling green of the estate. The original of this relief sculpture is in the Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts. Interestingly, Saint-Gaudens worked on this piece for 14 years, and continued making subtle improvements to the cast even though the original had already been unveiled. 
Victory. She appears in Saint-Gauden’s General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument, which stands in Manhattan. She may look familiar because she also appears on the Saint-Gaudens designed Double Eagle Gold Coin (minted until 1933) as Liberty with a few minor changes. For example, the coin depicts Liberty holding an olive branch in her left hand and a torch in her right.
President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a friend of Saint-Gaudens, asked the US Treasury to engage the sculptor to redesign four gold coins and the one cent piece. This was the first time ever that a coin was designed by someone other than an employee of the US Mint.
Saint-Gaudens was married to Augusta Homer in 1877. Her father, who gave consent for the marriage only after Saint-Gaudens won the Faragut commission, had been worried that the young sculptor wouldn’t be able to take care of his daughter until he was an established artist. (We think that Augustus proved himself very well!) Augusta Homer was a distant cousin of the artist, Winslow Homer. Augustus and Augusta had one child, a son named Homer. Augustus’, Augusta’s, and Homer’s ashes are interred on the grounds of Aspet.
Thank you for visiting Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park with us. For more interesting information about Augustus Saint-Gaudens, click on the website link at the top of the page. We are going to end this post here, but come back to our site often for more great destinations, parks, campsites, and quick stops. We love having you along on our travels.
We are going to close this post with a shot of the Windsor-Cornish bridge. This bridge, which spans the Connecticut River and connects Windsor, Vermont with Cornish, New Hampshire, was constructed in 1866. It is the longest covered bridge in the US.
Okay, we can’t resist. Everyone should see the pretty Connecticut River, which creates the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont, so below is our real parting shot. Quite beautiful, isn’t it? We think that any artist would be inspired by living here.
Until the next trip…
Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!
Mike and Kellye
As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.
©2020
Mirrored greens of spring. Hamilton Pool, Texas.
The milky Virgin River becomes The Narrows Trail. Zion National Park, Utah.
We had no idea of what we might find when we set off on the trail, but we were thrilled to find ourselves alone with a stream and these beautiful waterfalls. Sabbaday Falls, New Hampshire. (Shot from an iPhone 10.)
Magical Caribbean blues with sparkles and steam. Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
The muddy Ruidoso River surges angrily past the bridge its floodwaters destroyed. Ruidoso, New Mexico, 2008. See our post on Ruidoso here.
Sunrise reflections. Lake Mackenzie, Texas.
The sapphire hued Atlantic plays happily among the rocks. York, Maine.
The water-worn stone creates a perfect pour off for this little fall. Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. See our Franconia Notch State Park post here.
Early morning at John Dunn Bridge. Rio Grande River, New Mexico.
Brilliant blue bergy bit. Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska
Solitude and reflection. Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Wildfire smoke created a filter for this hazy evening shot on the Colorado River. Moab, Utah.
Bee on garlic chive flowers
Water lilies on a pond at Acadia 
Beach roses
Can anyone identify this gorgeous plant? 
We found ferns everywhere we looked 
Mountain Ash. The clusters of lipstick red berries made them hard to miss. 
Does anyone know what this pink plant is called? 
This majestic tree is on the grounds of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, near the visitor center. 
Sunflower in a garden in New Hampshire 
Viburnum 
Pink Viburnum 
Velvety mosses carpet the forest floor 
We had to include this hot pink zinnia that we found growing near the Vermont State House 
Staghorn Sumac 
We aren’t sure what kind of tree this is (birch, maybe?), but we thought it was interesting. 
Asters 
We are tempted to call these sedum, but we’re not sure. Can someone confirm? 
Stunning dahlias found in a garden in Bar Harbor 
More dahlias. Breathtaking!
We got caught by the homeowner when we were taking this photo, but his hydrangeas were way too pretty to pass up. When we told him what we were doing, he just smiled and waved. We have a feeling that we probably weren’t the first people to stop by this house for a picture. 
These hydrangeas were in front of the New Hampshire State House.
The Sherburne House, built between 1695 and 1703 by Captain John Sherburne. We thought the construction of this house was interesting, and the windows really grabbed our attention. 
Wheelwright House. Built during the time of the American Revolution by Captain John Wheelwright, it is a fine example of a middle class home of the time. 
The Dinsmore Shop. The 1800 cooper’s shop was moved to Strawbery Banke in 1985 and is where the museum’s resident master cooper demonstrates the art of barrel making. 
Thomas Bailey Aldrich House. For at time during his youth, Aldrich lived in this home with his grandfather. Years later, the house was repurchased by his widow, and restored to its original condition as a memorial to her late husband. During the 1880s the house served as Portsmouth’s first hospital. Aldrich’s claim to fame was his book The Story of a Bad Boy, which is significant because it was based on his life while living in this house with his grandfather, and it was the first time that a boy’s life had been depicted in American literature. His friend, Mark Twain, would follow Aldrich’s lead a few years later, writing about The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 
The Goodwin Mansion (1872). This house was the home of Ichabod Goodwin, who was a governor of New Hampshire from 1859-1860. The Goodwin Mansion is the only house at Strawbery Banke that does not sit on its original foundation. It was rescued from demolition in another section of Portsmouth and moved to this site in 1963.
Marden-Abbott House and The Little Corner Store 
World War II era grocery items line the shelves of the store 
We were fascinated by the products and the prices 
World War II rationing poster displayed in the store
This house is not on the museum’s grounds but sits across the street from the Goodwin Mansion. We though it was a beautiful example of New England architecture. 
The North Church of Portsmouth. This is a Congregational Church, originally built in 1657, and rebuilt in 1854. The church was restored in 1978. Isn’t it stunning? 
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, established in 1800, as seen from Prescott Park across the street from the Strawbery Banke Museum. Interestingly, the shipyard, which sits on the banks of the Piscataqua River, is actually in Kittery, Maine, as the result of a boundary dispute that was resolved in 2006. This is the oldest continually operating US naval shipyard. 
World War I Memorial Bridge. This is a vertical lift bridge that carries US 1 across the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME. Built in 2013, this bridge replaced a previous bridge that was built in 1923. 
This plaque from the original Memorial Bridge sits atop the new bridge on the New Hampshire side. We took this picture while driving by. Sometimes we get lucky! 
This is the Piscataqua River Bridge which carries I-95 over the river from New Hampshire to Maine. 
The Sheafe Warehouse. Built in the early to mid 1700s, the warehouse was moved to this location in Prescott Park for preservation and public enjoyment. Art and other exhibitions now take place in this historic building, but it wasn’t open on the day we visited Portsmouth.
Built between 1816 and 1819, the New Hampshire State House is the oldest state house in the US where the legislature still occupies the original building. The gilded dome is topped by a gold peace eagle, erected in 1957. The land upon which the state house sits was sold to the state of New Hampshire by Quakers whose meeting house once sat on the site. The city of Concord funded the construction of the state house.
East tower of the Penobscott Narrows Bridge and the Penobscott River
The Penobscott Narrows Bridge and Observatory
West tower and observatory 
The Penobscott River emptying into Penobscott Bay as viewed from the observatory. 
A view of Fort Knox from the observatory
Front and entrance (sally port) to Fort Knox. Note the embrasures for the cannons.
More “gun holes”. This type is called an arrow slit or loophole. 
Inside the fort, these arched “rooms” are called casemates, and each one could hold a cannon. 
Men’s quarters, storage vaults (in the parade ground), and storerooms (arched areas with doors and windows on the far right). A bakery was located at the top of the stairs next to the storerooms. 
“D” Battery overlooking the river
Oh, how we love those New England church steeples!
Camden Harbor on Penobscott Bay
Camden street view
Private homes in a residential area. Note the pink and white hydrangeas. 
In our opinion, nothing epitomizes New England better than a tall white church steeple. 
Hydrangeas are abundant in Maine. These were in Camden’s Harbor Park.
We also found these busy bees on bottlebrush flowers in Harbor Park
The Camden Public Library 
The amphitheater on the grounds of the public library is designed to host a variety of events and overlooks the harbor. Imagine a wedding taking place in this gorgeous setting! 
Another harbor view with the bay in the distance.
Sailboats. There’s just something special about those tall masts.
Final destination of the three-mile-long Megunticook River. The water from these falls dumps right into Camden Harbor.
The Maine State House in Augusta
Remnants of Hurricane Dorian and islands off the coast of Portland
Taken from the dirty window of our plane. The brown and white yacht located in the upper center-left of the picture was for sale. We were told that it costs $45,000.00 just to fill its gas tank! 
Another dirty plane window picture: cruise ships. Port of Call, Portland, Maine. (Keep scrolling. We promise the photos get better.)
Long Wharf
At the end of Long Wharf is a restaurant called DiMillo’s on the Water. We loved DiMillo’s so much that we ate there on our first night in Maine (fresh sea food, of course) and on our last night, too. Originally a car ferry, the floating restaurant has been beautifully redone and is anchored next to the marina. They have THE BEST clam chowder we have ever tasted. We even asked if they could ship to Texas! (Sadly, they couldn’t.) The other food we had there was excellent, too. 
Old Port Street View
Another Old Port street view
Three panels of the Berlin Wall 
Portland Lobster Company and some of the buildings on Commercial Street along the waterfront 
Watery Reflections
Portland Head Light 
Commemorative plaque on the side of the keeper’s house (1965) 
Cape Elizabeth’s rocky shoreline and a view of South Portland
Ram Island Ledge Light
The skeletal remains of some of Fort Bowie’s crumbling buildings.
Fort Bowie’s visitor center
Fort Bowie in 1894
Cavalry barracks ruins, built in 1870.
Pretty scenery from the top of the hill. 
A view of Fort Bowie from above.
From right to left: Officers Quarters, Tailor Shop, and a glimpse of the Cavalry Barracks on the far left, as they looked in 1884. Note the fancy streetlight.
Middle far right: Mess Hall. Center top: Two-story Commanding Officer’s Quarters. The infantry barracks were located behind the mess hall and are not pictured.
These crumbling rocks are the remains of the once elegant Commanding Officer’s Quarters.
Library of Congress image of Geronimo in 1886.
Geronimo (third from right with hands on hips) and his people as prisoners at Fort Bowie.
Devil’s Golf Course – these “rocks” are actually salt crystals. The Panamint Mountains made a nice backdrop for this shot.
Arguably, Death Valley holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth – 134º F in July of 1913. Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America, sitting at 282 feet below sea level. With an average of 1.5 inches of rain per year, Death Valley also holds the honor of being the driest place in North America. We are used to hot, dry weather where we live, but the 111º F (before noon) temperature when we visited Death Valley felt like a different type of oppressive heat that seemed heavier to us for some reason. With that said, we caution you to be conscious of the weather and prepare for harsh conditions when visiting this park, especially in the late spring, summer, and early fall. Also, make sure your car is in tip-top condition before starting a road trip through Death Valley.
This is a spring in the salt flats at Badwater Basin, but the water is too salty to drink.
Breathtaking Beauty 
Vibrant Colors at Artist’s Palette 
Magnificent Mountain Vistas
Badlands of Zabriskie Point 
Salt Flats of Badwater Basin 
Multi-faceted Beauty
In Twenty Mule Team Canyon 
View of the terrain and park road through Twenty Mule Team Canyon
A smaller replica of the original garrison flag, which bore fifteen stars and fifteen stripes and measured 30′ x 42′, flies over Fort McHenry today. The original flag, made by Mary Pickersgill of Baltimore at the request of the fort’s commander, Major George Armistead, now resides in the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
Prison cells at Fort McHenry 
These cannons swivel on a round track so they can be aimed in different directions 
These cannons are aimed toward the harbor. Baltimore’s harbor is actually the Patapsco River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. 
Inside the fort 
Outside the fort 
Sallyport (entrance) to the fort
Eutaw Street Entrance 
The great Babe Ruth was a Baltimorian who was born just a few blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In fact, his father once owned and ran a bar that sat about where the ballpark’s second base is located today.
A yak eating yellow flowers!
Watch the workings of the rail yard from the top of the Golden Spike Tower. 
Locomotives! 
Sundown at Lajitas
Awesome old building in Lajitas
Standing guard over Birmingham.
Vulcan holds a spear in his right hand. His left hand holds a hammer which rests atop an anvil. Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress
A historic image of the exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair.
Vulcan holds what we believe is a snow cone (or maybe popcorn) in his left hand.
The first piece of the Vulcan statue, a leg and foot, is hoisted to the top of the pedestal. 
Kids pose on Vulcan’s 11,000 lb. head while the statue’s pieces await their permanent home.
We believe this aerial view of Vulcan shows the traffic safety light in his right hand.
Vulcan after the 1969-1971 renovation showing the marble clad pedestal, elevator, and enclosed observation deck.
Everything old is new again!
The park features beautiful landscapes with green spaces, accessible walkways, and a terrace that is perfect for picnics. 
A view of downtown Birmingham from Vulcan Park.
The grass terraces shown above were originally cascades, but the water features were eliminated during the renovation that was completed in 1971.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute 
Included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, 16th Street Baptist Church is where four young girls were killed in a racially motivated bombing in 1963.
Mision San Antonio de Valero. The Alamo (which means cottonwood in Spanish) is located in downtown San Antonio, Texas. Contrary to what most believe, the entire compound, what is left of it, is the mission. The building pictured above is the mission church which is universally recognized as the Alamo. Built by Spanish missionaries, the church and mission date to 1718. The Battle of the Alamo took place here in 1836. Although the Mexican army won the battle, it was significant in the events leading to Texas gaining independence from Mexico. The mission was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The Alamo is included as part of the San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site, though it is not part of the national historical park. The Alamo is owned and managed by the State of Texas. 
Beautiful tree on the mission grounds. We had to wonder what this tree has witnessed in all of its years here. Just under the bottom branch in the center-right of the shot is the mission’s water well. 
This building, which is located on the mission grounds, houses “The Alamo: A Story Bigger Than Texas” exhibit featuring artifacts from the Alamo and the Phil Collins Texana collections. While there is no fee to enter the church building or grounds, there is a fee to enter this building, and advance tickets are recommended.
The Alamo Cenotaph (south side)
West side 
East side 
North side
The Emily Morgan is a registered Texas Historic Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977
Full name: Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion
Mission Concepcion. Note the water well in the left-center foreground. Each of the missions have a similar well.
While the Mission Concepcion church was constructed in the Spanish Colonial style, some Moorish features were also incorporated, such as this pretty archway and stairwell outside of the church. This nook was so unexpected, we had to wonder if it was original to the mission.
Full name: Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo 
Founded in 1720, the San Jose Mission and Church were completed in 1782. We arrived just as Palm Sunday services were ending. 
Luckily, we were able to get a picture of the beautiful sanctuary, though the church was crowded with parishioners and other tourists. It was the only one of the mission churches that we were able to photograph inside.
Mission San Jose was our favorite of the four missions. It is also the most restored, with the majority of the restorations having been completed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which gave unemployed young men work relief during the Great Depression. Approximately 80% of the church is original.
Convento and water well. The white edges above the stone arches are where roofs once were. 
Housing for the native residents of the mission. Each home has two small rooms and a tiny fireplace. Eighty-four of these “apartments” encompass the mission grounds.
Granary completed in 1755 and restored in the1930s
Full Name: Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Church dates to 1772 and is the mission’s second church. The stone walls were covered in plaster in 1984, and other preservation measures were completed in 2012.
Unfinished church dates to 1775 with some restoration in the mid 20th century
Convento, restored in the 1960s
Full name: San Francisco de la Espada
Mission Espada Church, completed in 1756
This arched entryway to the mission shows the brickwork 
Ruins of some of the original mission buildings
Espada also had an aqueduct which still exists today and diverts water from the San Antonio River to the mission and its farmland. A portion of the aqueduct is pictured above as it crosses Piedras Creek, and below is the acequia (irrigation canal). This acequia is still used by people who live near Espada. 
Statues of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director, and General Leslie Groves, military director, both of whom oversaw Project Y which was the code name for the secret Los Alamos Laboratory.
The Ranch School’s Big House. The building which no longer exists served as the boy’s sleeping quarters where they slept on screened porches year-round. It also housed a library, study rooms, and classrooms. During the Manhattan Project, the Big House was home to several scientists who all shared one bathroom.
The government paid almost a half million dollars for the school and 50,000 acres of surrounding land. In December 1942, the school’s director received notice that the school was to be surrendered to the government as a matter of utmost importance in the prosecution of the war. 
Fuller Lodge was originally the headquarters, staff quarters and mess hall for the Ranch School. It then served as a dining hall, community center, and guest quarters for visiting scientists during the Manhattan Project. The lodge is still a community center today.
Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and his family lived in this home. 
This cottage, also built for the Ranch School, was home to Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Edwin McMillan during the Manhattan Project. Hans Bethe (pronounced Beta), a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who specialized in nuclear reactions, lived there in 1945-1946. The house is now home to the Los Alamos History Museum’s Harold Agnew Cold War Gallery. By the way, Harold Agnew was also a Manhattan Project physicist, Nobel Prize winner, and director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1970-1979.
The guest cottage, built 1918, once served as the Ranch School’s infirmary and guest quarters for visiting parents of the students. Today it is the main building of the Los Alamos History Museum, a can’t-miss stop when visiting the park.
The Trinity device, codenamed The Gadget, was detonated at the Trinity Site near the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The blast resulted in the world’s first nuclear explosion. 
Manhattan Project chemist and explosives expert Donald Hornig sits atop the 100-foot Trinity test tower with the Gadget. 
Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves with a few scraps of metal – all that was left of the tower after the Trinity test. 
The photo above is the only color image captured at the Trinity site. Department of Energy photo via Wikipedia.
Post-war model of Little Boy.
Oak Ridge site. National Park Service/Department of Energy Photo.
Hanford, Washington site. Department of Energy Photo.
The wartime Project Y – Los Alamos Laboratory. Originally designed for about 150 scientists, engineers and others, the laboratory employed more than 2,500 people by the end of the war. At the time, it was the largest laboratory in the world. A new campus was built across town in the 1950s and is home to the national laboratory’s current location.
The laboratory was built around the existing Ashley Pond, named after the founder of the Los Alamos Ranch School. 
Today Ashley Pond is the centerpiece of a beautiful city park. 
The east gate was the only way in or out of Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project and for some years after. National Park Service photo. 
Today this replica of the Main Gate is a feature of Main Gate Park at the top of the hill on the east side of the city. 
Built in 1948 at the site of a checkpoint, the guard tower stands across the street from Main Gate Park as a chilling reminder of the secrecy of Los Alamos. Today there are still checkpoints where visitors must show an ID and state their business on the main road through the national laboratory’s campus. 
Performing Arts Center/Los Alamos Little Theater. During the Manhattan Project, this building was the laboratory’s east cafeteria which reportedly had the best food in town. 
The “new” Los Alamos National Laboratory campus in 1995. Wikimedia Commons Photo.
On the (smooth) road to Chaco Canyon.
Chaco Canyon Visitor Center
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, formerly Chaco Canyon National Monument, protects the 16 great houses in and around the canyon. The park’s great houses are the best preserved prehistoric architectural structures in North America. Additionally, archaeological and anthropological studies of the site have resulted in the discovery of over 1.5 million artifacts, most of which are in the care of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
A glimpse inside the park’s museum.
Some of the display cases feature reproduction pottery such as the jar shown above.
Hungo Pavi
Chetro Ketl practically blends into its surroundings. 
Chetro Ketl’s back wall. 
Petroglyphs on the mesa wall between Chetro Ketl and its closest neighbor Pueblo Bonito.
Pueblo Del Arroyo 
Archaeologists who excavated Pueblo Del Arroyo in the mid 1920s uncovered only about half of the great house.
Pueblo Bonito as seen from the trail.
View of the pueblo and the rockslide. 
It is hard to tell how big the pueblo is from ground level.
Aerial view of Pueblo Bonito.
Casa Rinconada Community’s great kiva.
Ruins of the Casa Rinconada Community.
Ruins at Una Vida
Petroglyph panel at Una Vida.
Wetherill Cemetery
Richard Wetherill
Wild Rubharb 
Narrowleaf Beardtongue 
Desert Plume 
Scarlet Globemallow 
King Cup Cactus 
Evening Primrose 
Wild Rubharb 
Easter Daisy 
Fleabane 
Fleabane 
Notch-leaved Phacelia 
Mormon Tea
Common blotch-sided lizard
Family at the park – probably early 1900s.
Today the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built sidewalks and rock entrance monuments remain but without the wooden signs. National Park Service photo.
Trail of Tears map. (Wikipedia)
Fountain at the original entrance to the park built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. 
Bromide Pavilion, also built by the CCC in the mid-1930s, was a place for visitors to collect water piped in from Bromide Spring until it quit flowing in the 1970s. Today it is still a beautiful building. 
1930s comfort station. Now modernized, the structure has withstood the test of time.
Sulphur Springs Pavilion, circa 1902.
Renamed Pavilion Springs because of several different pavilions built over them through the years, this photo shows a newer, smaller pavilion. Circa 1904. 
This pavilion was built by the CCC in the 1930s and still covers Pavilion Springs today. 
Pavilion Springs continue to flow. The sign in the background shows the concentrations of minerals in the water.
Diorama in the nature center. Foxes, deer, and many other animals can be found in the park. 
We think this guy may be a bluegill which is found in the lakes at the park. Whatever he is, he looks kind of grumpy. 
Travertine Creek flows beneath the nature center – very Frank Lloyd Wright-ish!
It’s in a little alcove on the outside of the Travertine Nature Center. It doesn’t work anymore, but it was a step back in time to see a pay phone.
Little Niagara 
People have enjoyed the waters of Travertine Creek and Little Niagara for many years. This photo is probably from the early 1900s.
Approaching Lincoln Bridge
View of Travertine Creek from Lincoln Bridge
Lincoln Bridge
Little waterfall on Travertine Creek
El Tovar Hotel, a Harvey House, opened in 1905.
Historic photo of the Belen Harvey House, built in 1910.
Belen Harvey House Museum today, though this is a side view from the parking lot. The front of the building faces the train tracks located on the right.
Fred Harvey, known as the first chain restauranteur and the man who civilized the Wild West.
Fred Harvey died of intestinal cancer in 1901. After his death, his children and grandchildren ran the company into the 1960s. Harvey’s home in Leavenworth is now a museum.
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter (National Park Service photo)
Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon National Park
Colter’s love of the southwest shines through in the designs and colors of this dinnerware on display at the Belen Harvey House Museum.
Harvey Girls with Mr. and Mrs. Porter who were the Belen Harvey House managers.
Example of a dorm room in the Belen Harvey House.
Belen Harvey House lunch counter and shiny coffee pots.
Belen Harvey House Dining Room
The 1955 menu below is from the La Fonda in Santa Fe. We have eaten there, and though it’s no longer a Harvey House they were still serving fabulous food at the time of our visit. We’re including the menu to show the delicious-sounding meals of the time.
Just look at those prices! Hot pineapple fritter with brandy sauce anyone? We had to laugh at the Postum and Sanka. Do they even make those anymore?
Former Harvey House, Castaneda Hotel, in Las Vegas, New Mexico. 
Castaneda Hotel’s beautiful dining room. 
The Castaneda Hotel was built in 1898 and sits adjacent to the Las Vegas railroad depot which still serves Amtrak.
A glimpse of the front of the Belen Harvey House Museum.
Children’s area near the museum entrance. School students from Texas made the handprint tiles to show their love and support after the bombing.
And Jesus Wept
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building before the bombing. (Wikipedia)
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in the aftermath of the bombing.
Oklahoma City newspaper on the day after the bombing.
“Of all the thousands of photos taken at the site, the photo of Baylee captured the horror of the bombing and took it straight to the heart of a sorrowful nation.” Caption from the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum. 
The horrors that the first responders encountered are unfathomable to most of us. Unfortunately, many of them suffered PTSD as a result of their selfless efforts.
The rear axle of the Ryder truck in the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. Also shown is the truck’s front tire rim.
McVeigh’s yellow Mercury getaway car now has a permanent home in the museum.
Terry Nichols
Museum exhibit: replica of one of the offices destroyed in the bombing. Note the clock stopped at 9:02 and so much paper!
The museum now occupies the Journal Record Building. Built in 1922, the Journal Record Building survived the bombing to serve another, perhaps more important purpose. 
The memorial’s Field of Empty Chairs and reflecting pool as seen from the museum.
9:01 Gate 
9:03 Gate
Field of Empty Chairs with the Alfred P. Murrah Building Plaza overlooking in the background.
Chair in honor of Luther H. Treanor, who died in the Social Security Administration office on the first floor of the Murrah Building.
Survivor Wall
Once just another tree in a downtown parking lot, but it somehow survived the direct blast. Today the Survivor Tree, a 100-year-old Elm, stands proudly as a symbol of resiliency and strength.
Tiny wildflowers grow among wild grasses at the base of Inscription Rock.
Inscription Rock Trail
The pool
A view of the bluff from the trail.
Petroglyph.
More petroglyphs and other markings. Could these be the first smiley faces?
A section of Don Juan de Oñate’s message on Inscription Rock.
Don Diego de Vargas
Ramon Garzia Jurado
Old messages darkened with pencil. The bottom one by Andres Romero is the last inscription from the Spanish colonial times and is dated 1774.
Miss A. F. Baley
Captain R. H. Orton, 1st California Cavalry.
Some of these inscriptions were made by members of a Union Pacific Railroad surveying party.
E. Penn. Long, Baltimore, Maryland, perhaps the most elaborate signature on Inscription Rock.
P. Gilmer Breckinridge
Remarkable pottery pieces from Atsinna Pueblo can be found in the park’s museum along with other interesting exhibits.
Ice Caves Trading Post, originally built in the 1930s along with a dance hall and saloon.
Pottery and implements – proof that Native American people occupied the area hundreds of years ago. 
Pottery, stone implements, and animal bones. Some of the artifacts on display date back 800 to 1,200 years.
Lava Cave
Green alpine moss and orange lichens adorn the lava near the cave’s entrance.
Ice Cave
Icicles on the cave wall appear to drip on to the icy floor.
This shot shows the incredible natural colors of the rock inside the cave.
Trail and volcano view.
Tree hole
Layered views of some other volcanoes in the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field of west central New Mexico.
Bandera crater
From the trail: Volcanic landscape with a lotta lava in the right foreground.
Interesting dead tree
View of Mount Taylor which is sacred to the Native American people who live in the area.
Approaching Sandstone Bluffs.
Sandstone Bluffs with Mount Taylor in the background. 
A view of some of El Malpais’ lava flows. 
Not-so-bad badlands with lava and mountains.
Approaching La Ventana Arch under gathering storm clouds.
Zuni and Dakota Sandstone layers
La Ventana Arch and its surrounds. La Ventana means the window in Spanish.
Spectacular colors!
Thunderbird Lodge. We loved this hotel!
Fernando and the truck. Thunderbird Lodge guides conduct their tours in Pinzgauer troop transport vehicles that were built in Austria in the 1970s.
Thankfully the water wasn’t deep, but Fernando said in 40 years of living and working in the canyon he hadn’t seen so much water in the wash. Not knowing the difference, we thought the watery wash just added to the adventure.
This shot shows a great example of desert varnish: the drippy striations on the canyon walls where minerals have leached out and stained the rock.
Mostly made up of De Chelly sandstone, the canyon walls vary in height from 30 feet to 1,000 feet. All of them are spectacular.
First Ruin – that’s really the name.
Junction Ruin, so named because it is near the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon de Muerto. 
Ledge Ruin because it’s on a ledge, and that ledge is in a natural amphitheater. 
Antelope House was built on the ground and was once covered in white plaster.
White House Ruin and its rock art.
Antelope or deer, people – perhaps a family, and a hill or rainbow. 
Cow, antelope, horses, flowing water, and perhaps an astrological symbol. 
This spectacular pictograph panel depicts the arrival of Spanish explorers, including a priest.
This probably depicts a deer hunt on horseback. 
Horses, maybe and and a figure eight which possibly has an astrological meaning. 
Possible depictions of snakes and other unknown images.
Recent rains filled the wash and enhanced the “green”. 
Views from the top are just as stunning as they are from the floor. 
Spider Rock (center) is probably the most recognizable feature of Canyon de Chelly and rises 1,000 feet from the canyon floor.
Traditional Navajo hogan (dwelling – pronounced hoe-gone) in Canyon de Chelly.
Fortress Rock – a sacred place for today’s Navajo people.
This shot shows a ladder (the two wooden poles on the right) used by the Navajo people who fled to the top of Fortress Rock.
Canyon de Chelly
The Painted Desert Inn, which is a National Historic Landmark, can be found on the portion of Historic Route 66 that traverses the park. The former inn now serves as a museum.
It’s hard to believe this was once a rainforest and riparian ecosystem.
As a rainforest surrounded by rivers and swamplands, its inhabitants included intriguing pre-dinosaur age animals that roamed or swam in the area.
Placerias hesternus lived before and then with the dinosaurs.
Artist’s rendition of what the animal might have looked like.
Crystal Forest
Littered with logs. 
Spectacular colors.
According to the park: The colorful bands of the Chinle Formation represent ancient soil horizons. While the red, blue, and green layers generally contain the same amount of iron and manganese, differences in color depend on the position of the groundwater table when the ancient soils were formed. In soils where the water table was high, a reducing environment existed due to a lack of oxygen in the sediments, giving the iron minerals in the soil a greenish or bluish hue, such as at Blue Mesa. The pink and reddish layers were formed where the water table fluctuated, allowing the iron mineral to oxidize (rust).
That’s a little bit of snow in the left foreground.
The Tepees
View across the road from The Tepees. Oh, those colors, and we accidentally captured the moon!
Petroglyphs
Some of the pueblo ruins. 
One of several kivas (underground ceremonial rooms) located on the site.
Stunning vista. 
Pretty in pink.
Need more national park inspiration? Try these other great parks:
The Gold Dome Building, Route 66, Oklahoma City. Built as a bank in 1958, and designed by renowned architect, Buckminster Fuller, the building is one of the city’s most iconic sights.
Parking meters in downtown Oklahoma City.
Round Barn, Route 66, Arcadia, Oklahoma
Pops iconic 66-foot-tall soda bottle, its height a nod to its Route 66 location. 
Colorful sodas on glass shelves line the store’s windows.
Spaghetti? Not for us, thanks. 
Um…no!
One of the many Will Rogers Highway/Route 66 wayside monuments in Oklahoma.
Lucille’s, Route 66, Hydro, Oklahoma
The Great Depression 
Post WWII 
The 60s 
The family station wagon! 
Service stations were such an important part of the history of Route 66
Roger Miller mural on Route 66 aka Roger Miller Blvd., Erick, Oklahoma
Sandhills Curiosity Shop, just off Route 66, Erick, Oklahoma
Goodbye, Oklahoma. It’s been fun!