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”’Canyon Diablo”’ ([[Navajo language|Navajo]]: ”’Kin Łigaaí”’)<ref name=”young-1992″/> is a [[canyon]] in [[ |
”’Canyon Diablo”’ ([[Navajo language|Navajo]]: ”’Kin Łigaaí”’)<ref name=”young-1992″/> is a [[canyon]] in [[ Arizona]]. Part of the canyon is located on [[Navajo Nation]] lands.<ref name=”darton-1915″/> It is known for a railroad bridge and an automobile bridge, both spanning the gorge, with the original railroad bridge connecting the southern route of the [[first transcontinental railroad]] through Arizona across the canyon in 1882.<ref name=”janus-1989″/> |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Latest revision as of 02:32, 12 December 2025
Valley in Coconino County, Arizona, US
Canyon Diablo (Navajo: Kin Łigaaí)[2] is a canyon in northern Arizona near the ghost town of the same name. Part of the canyon is located on Navajo Nation lands.[3] It is known for a railroad bridge and an automobile bridge, both spanning the gorge, with the original railroad bridge connecting the southern route of the first transcontinental railroad through Arizona across the canyon in 1882.[4]
Canyon Diablo (devil’s canyon) is the anglicized version of the Spanish name, thought to be based on the Native American belief that the area was “haunted”.[5] Kaibab Limestone dominates the rock formations around the gorge, with the walls of the canyon spanning 550 feet (170 m) in width and reaching a depth of 225 feet (69 m) near the railway bridge.[3] The canyon sits at an elevation of around 4,712 feet.[6]
U.S. Army Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple, of the Army’s Topographical Engineers, made a survey in 1853–1854 along the 35th parallel. In mid-December 1853, Whipple found a steep canyon while riding west from a point near Winslow with a reconnaissance party, noting its name “Cañon Diablo” in his survey.[7] The name was not officially changed to Canyon Diablo until the early 20th century,[8] although it was frequently used by the media in the late 19th century.
The original Canyon Diablo railroad bridge across the gorge was built in 1882 and belonged to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. A later automobile bridge, the Canyon Diablo Bridge, was constructed nearby in 1915 and once used by U.S. Route 66 to cross the canyon south of the present I-40 bridges. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[9] The railroad bridge was rebuilt in 1947 and is now known as the BNSF Canyon Diablo railroad bridge. The BNSF Canyon Diablo railroad bridge is a well-known railfan site.[10] Both the railroad and the automobile bridge are informally referred to as the “Canyon Diablo Bridge” in the literature.
The canyon passes three miles (5 km) west of Meteor Crater. The community of Canyon Diablo, Arizona, on the edge of the canyon about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the crater, was the closest town when scientists began investigating the crater. Consequently, the meteorite that caused the crater is officially called the Canyon Diablo meteorite.[11]
- Canyon Diablo railroad bridge
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The original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bridge over Canyon Diablo, c. 1883–1903 -
The bridge was rebuilt in 1947 and is now known as the BNSF Canyon Diablo railroad bridge.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Canyon Diablo
- ^ Young, Robert W.; Morgan, William; Midgette, Sally (1992). Analytical Lexicon of Navajo (1st ed.). Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 197, 1051, 1218. ISBN 9780826313560. OCLC 24467538.
- ^ a b Darton, Nelson Horatio (1915). Guidebook of the Western United States. Part C, the Santa Fe Route, with a Side Trip to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Bulletin 613. United States Geological Survey. p. 113.
- ^ Janus Associates (1989). Transcontinental Railroading in Arizona, 1878-1940: A Component of the Arizona Historic Preservation Plan (Report). Phoenix, Ariz.: Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona State Parks Board. pp. 1–5, 6–18, 19–21, 23, 25, 31, 64. OCLC 28443318.
- ^ “Arizona names recall history”. Prescott Evening Courier. July 1, 1949. pp. 6B. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey (1981). “Canyon Diablo (Feature ID: 27275)”. Geographic Names Phase I data compilation (1976-1981). U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ^ Cline, Platt (1976). They Came to the Mountain: The Story of Flagstaff’s Beginnings. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University with Northland Press. pp. 24–28. ISBN 9780873581530. OCLC 2401565.
- ^ Ascarza, William (December 19, 2016). “Treacherous Canyon Diablo required series of intimidating railway bridges”. Arizona Daily Star. pp. A2, A5.
- ^ “Canyon Diablo Bridge – Archiplanet”. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ^ Route 66, Winslow Williams Diablo Canyon
- ^ meteorites impacts crater Archived October 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
