Sleeping Bear Mountain

Sunset, Monument Valley, Southwest Arizona

     The Anasazi Indians, ancestors of the Navajo, named this ancient mountain on the right the Sitting Hen; however, it resembles a Sleeping Bear. It was once covered by an ancient ocean that vanished eons ago. They formed the belief that animals were their extended families and called them their brothers. To them, bears symbolized strength and solitude, and they believed they possessed the magical power of healing.

     After the American Civil War, the “Wild, Wild West” thrived from 1865 until 1895. Restless, rugged cowboys such as Wyatt Earp, Nat Love, Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, pioneers, and drifters roamed through this hallowed ground. Numerous Native Americans believed the earth began and would end here. Now there are only a few thousand Navajo Indians left, and only Sleeping Bear Mountain can tell their story.

     Taken at Sunset while riding a mountain horse in Monument Valley.