A 12,000-acre area of southeast Arizona known as 'the wonderland of rocks' has been named the country's 64th national park. Chiricahua's spires and columns of rhyolite rock were carved by ancient volcanic activity and millions of years of erosion. The land also holds a deep human history, from the Chiricahua Apache to homesteading families.
National park status brings stronger protection and wider recognition to a landscape that most Americans have never heard of. Chiricahua's rock formations took millions of years to form, and its history spans Apache life, Buffalo Soldier postings in the 1880s, and homesteaders. New parks decide which places get preserved for future visitors.
✦ America just protected another wonder of rock and history.