Page Beginning of a monument 1 Graduation to a park 5 Early history 9 Prehistoric people 9 Late arrivals 12 Geographic setting 18 Deposition of the rock materials 20 Bending and breaking of the rocks 24 Uplift and erosion of the Plateau 33 Origin and development of the arches 37 Examples of arches 46 How to see the park 50 A trip through the park 52 Colorado River canyon 52 Headquarters area 57 Courthouse Towers area 63 The Windows section 68 Delicate Arch area 74 Fiery Furnace 79 Salt Valley and Klondike Bluffs 82 Devils Garden 83 Summary of geologic history 98 Additional reading 104 Acknowledgments 105 Selected references 105 Index 109 Figures