USA ~ Petrified Forest National Park - Arizona ~

... Great new USA National Park nr24👍... an ancient Forest in the Middle of a Desert... view of a National Historic Landmark located right there in the middle of the Petrified Forest National Park... the restored Painted Desert Inn is a nice glimpse back in time... designed in Pueblo Revival style, made of wood and native stones, this historical museum was once an inn with six rooms... flagstone terraces outside with low walls around them provide excellent views to overlook the Painted Desert.... over 10.000 years of human history can be found in the park, including over 800 archaeological and historic sites... Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park site that contains a segment of the Historic Route 66 alignment... it draws more than 600,000 visitors each year... most come to see one of the world's largest concentrations of brilliantly colored petrified wood... Thanks a lot Elena!❁◕ ‿ ◕❁

From backside postcard:
"The Painted Desert Inn was completed in 1924 as a private residence. Purchased by the National Park Service in the 1930's and reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, it served as a visitor center for Petrified Forest National Park until 1963."

Petrified Forest was designated as a national park in 1962. The park consists of two main sections, and recent legislation has authorized doubling the land area to 218.533 acres.

Hundreds of species of plants and animals can be found in the park, including pronghorn, Gunnison's prairie dog, coyote, bobcat, bullsnake, Arizona tiger salamander, meadowlark, and golden eagle.

During the Late Triassic period, fallen trees were buried by sediment with a high content of volcanic ash. Over the years, quartz crystals gradually replaced the organic wood matter, petrifying the trees. The high quartz content makes the petrified wood very hard: it can only be cut by a diamond-tipped saw. The national park is also known for its fossils (plants dating back 225m years, reptiles and dinosaurs) and a colourful landscape known as the Painted Desert.

Stamps:

Fruit Definitive - Grapes
(Issued 24-02-2017)

Fauna - Frogs
(Issued 09-07-2019)

"Apollo 11" Moon mission 50th anniversary
(Issued 19-07-2019)