Name/Title
StereographEntry/Object ID
2023.055.3.0400Description
A black and white stereograph. Image is of several large pieces of petrified wood in a desert, a mountain is visible in the background. Above the image "54" is printed, below the image "V23257 - A Long Buried Chapter in the Tale of the Ages - Petrified Forest, Arizona" is printed, to the left of the image "Keystone View Company Copyrighted, Underwood & Underwood Manufacturers MADE IN U.S.A. Publishers" is printed, to the right of the image "Meadville, Pa., New York, N. Y., Portland, Oregon, London, Eng., Sydney, Aus." is printed. On the reverse the following is printed:
V23257
PETRIFIED FOREST, ARIZONA
This Petrified Forest, found in the eastern part of Arizona, is certainly one of the wonders of the world. It occupies an area of ten miles square, covered with fallen trees, broken logs and tall stumps, all of various shapes and sizes, and scattered in all conceivable positions. There are hundreds of thousands of these specimens varying from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet in length, and from two to four and a half feet in diameter.
On one of these slopes is the famous Petrified Bridge, which consists of a large petrified tree streched across a canyon and forming a natural foot bridge. This tree is more than one hundred feet long. There are all kinds of fatastic shapes to be found in this Petrified Forest, and the colors are extremely beautiful. Some of the wood exists in such a state of mineralization a to almost be classed among the semi precious stones. Agates and chalcedony are to be found here, and something that closely resembles jasper and onyx.
Scientists have estimated that these trees grew many million years ago and are the remains of an ancient forest which has been turned into stone. By some disturbance of naure the whole area was flooded and remained covered with water for many centries. This water was colored by the many minerals found in the surrounding land. Besides these color-giving minerals, the water contained silica and lime. As the wood fiber washed away, it left place for this brilliantly colored matter, and eventually the trees were changed into the condition in which we now find them.
Copyright by The Keystone View CompanyCollection
Photograph Collection