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Petrified Forest National ParkPainted Desert Inn in the 1950s, NPS Photo
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Petrified Forest National Park
The National Register of Historic Places
 
National Register of Historic Places plaque for Puerco Ruin and Petroglyphs
Photo by Marge Post/NPS
National Register plaque for Puerco Ruin and Petroglyphs

Did you know there are nearly 78,000 listings on the National Register of Historic Places? This is one of the nation's official lists of cultural resources designated worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register coordinates and supports both public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. Properties listed in the National Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant to American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.

Within Petrified Forest National Park, nine sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include:

  • Agate House Pueblo (October 6, 1975)
  • Painted Desert Inn* (and associated cabins) (October 10, 1975)
  • Painted Desert Petroglyphs and Ruins Archeological District (June 24, 1976)
  • Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs Archeological District (July 12, 1976)
  • Puerco Ruins and Petroglyphs (July 12, 1976)
  • Flattops Site (archeological site) (July 12, 1976)
  • Twin Buttes Archeological District (July 12, 1976)
  • 35th Parallel Route (also known as the Beale Camel Trail) (December 6, 1977)
  • Painted Desert Community Complex Historic District (April 15, 2005)

* Painted Desert Inn was upgraded to a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.

Here are some site bulletins that you might find interesting:
(* Use the Adobe PDF file for a print friendly version.)

Do you have any historic sites in your hometown on the National Register of Historic Places?

Painted Desert Inn, historic photo
National Historic Landmarks
Only 3 percent of National Register sites are National Historic Landmarks.
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outside view of Painted Desert Inn
Painted Desert Inn
Find out more about this National Historic Landmark.
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yellow buckwheat flowers  

Did You Know?
The ecosystem at Petrified Forest National Park is not desert. It's one of the largest areas of intact grassland in the Southwest.
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Last Updated: July 17, 2007 at 18:39 EST