Native American settlements
Stretching from Utah into the state of Colorado, Hovenweep National Monument consists of disjointed ruined settlements of Native Americans of the region. The two Native American ruins in Utah are located in the southeastern part of the country, west of the city of Cortez. Four other settlement ruins are located in the US state of Colorado. The six former Indian settlements were combined into the Hovenweep National Monument and thereby protected from further destruction. The collection of ruined settlements is managed from Utah. The ruins were discovered by “whites” in the middle of the 19th century. Of course, resident Native Americans always knew about the settlement ruins.
Dry periods as a reason for leaving
The region was probably settled around the year 900 by peoples of the so-called Pueblo culture. They were sedentary and engaged in agriculture. They were adept at handling the precious commodity of water. The arable land was irrigated via a water supply system with small dams. The region was abandoned after extended periods of drought, probably at the end of the 13th century. Farming was no longer possible without water. The mostly multi-storey buildings deteriorated over time. Wind and weather contributed to the disappearance of the once numerous settlement buildings in today’s semi-desert-like landscape, but also people who now used the stones of the abandoned buildings as building material for themselves.
Hovenweep ruins in the state of Utah
- Cajon Tower
- SquareTower
Glen Canyon – Utah and Arizona – United States
National Recreation Area at Lake Powell
According to Acronymmonster, the sanctuary – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area – is located around Lake Powell, on the southern Utah – Arizona border . The lake ” Lake Powell ” was created artificially. The Glen Canyon Dam dams the Colorado River on the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon. Beginning in 1963, Glen Canyon, today’s Lake Powell, was filled with water from the Colorado River. In 1980 the flooding of Glen Canyon and the side canyons came to an end and Lake Powell had reached the desired level.
The size of the protected area, the Glen Canyon Recreation Area, is 5,076 km². Lake Powell is a blue water paradise set in a desolate, arid, and mostly rocky wasteland. The Glen Canyon region is located on the high Colorado Plateau. The city of Page, Arizona is the only city on the shores of Lake Powell.
Water oasis in the rocky desert of Utah
Lake Powell has become a popular recreational area for Americans, although the area surrounding the lake is almost entirely desert and desert-like. In the midst of this desert landscape, Lake Powell, with its red rocks of Glen Canyon rising out of the water and the numerous, smaller side canyons, seems almost unreal. The maximum length of Lake Powell is about 300 kilometers, the maximum depth is 170 meters. The maximum area of Lake Powell in Utah is 658 km² at 100% capacity, making it the second largest reservoir in the USA. At maximum fill, the lake’s water moves well into the confluence of the Escalante River and San Juan River, tributaries of the Colorado River. The dam wall Glen Canyon Dam, ranks among the tallest in the United States.
Water Level of Lake Powell – Theory and Reality
The maximum shore length is 3,160 kilometers. At maximum level, Lake Powell’s water volume is approximately 32 million m³. Today, however, all the previously mentioned figures are smoke and mirrors. Lake Powell was last completely filled in 2001. Since then, the amount of rain in the region has decreased significantly and the upper reaches of the rivers also carry less water. In addition, the desert city and gambler’s paradise Las Vegas in Nevada is “tapping” increasingly large amounts of water. In 2021, Lake Powell was only about 30% full. It will probably never be possible to completely fill the reservoir. Aside from serving as a reservoir for Lake Powell, the dam generates large amounts of hydroelectric power.
Leisure activities in a bizarre landscape
It usually gets very hot in the region in summer. The reservoir is the central element of the protected area. The surrounding stone desert is difficult for people to use for leisure activities. Die-hard hikers can hike the area, but must carry sufficient supplies of drinking water. About 2 million people visit Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area annually. There are two small airfields in the area, some campgrounds and small harbors for boats and even sandy beaches at Lake Powell. Boating on the reservoir and water skiing are very popular. There is also fishing. A marina is available for the larger ships. Lake Powell is a lake with numerous side channels, curves, meanders and arms of water. In addition to the main canyon, the numerous 96 side canyons were flooded with water from the Colorado and its tributaries. This resulted in bizarre landscapes shaped by water in a stony desert and numerous rock formations and stony islands that protrude from the water.
