THE GREAT AMERICAN WESTERN

By KATE LUCAS 
Freedom News Service

TEXAS
Big Bend
Big Bend National Park follows the 1,000-mile Rio Grande, the boundary between the United States and Mexico in southern Texas. Spectacular limestone canyons with vertical walls offer contrast to the flat Chihuahuan Desert.

Stunning bluebonnet flowers dot the landscape, along with more than 60 varieties of cactus. Hiking, backpacking and float trips are ways to experience the region.
>> Contact: 432-477-2251 or nps.gov/rigr

UTAH
Monument Valley
Part of the Colorado Plateau, Monument Valley and its unique rock formations have become an iconic image of the West. Panoramic views of sandstone buttes rise from the valley floor as if from nowhere. The valley has been seen in more than 80 films.

Many tours are available.
>> Contact: 800-574-4386 or utah.com/monumentvalley

ARIZONA
Tombstone
The mining boom town of Tombstone was founded in 1879 and prospered until the mid-1880s. The infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral, Crystal Palace Saloon and other symbols of the town's heyday are kept alive in daily re-enactments. The Old City Cemetery, more commonly known as Boot Hill, is the final resting place of the three men killed at the OK Corral as well as other outlaws who had been hanged or lynched in Tombstone.

This "town too tough to die" offers a fun experience for visitors of all ages.
 >> Contact: 520-457-3929 or cityoftombstone.com

COLORADO
Mesa Verde
In the 13th century, Pueblo Anasazi people settled in spectacular cliff dwellings built within caves and under outcroppings. Today, Mesa Verde National Park preserves these spectacular ruins, as well as the Cliff Palace, thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America. More than 4,000 archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, are found within the park.
>> Contact: 970-529-4465 or nps.gov/meve

MONTANA
Crow Agency
The Little Big Horn Battlefield National Mon­ument preserves the historic site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. The memorial honors those who fought in the battle, including Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, his 7th Cavalry, and the Northern Plains Indians. In battle, 263 soldiers and Army personnel met their deaths.

Graves dot the sweeping Montana landscape, and a U.S. Army memorial rests on Last Stand Hill.
>> Contact: 406-638-3204 or nps.gov/libi 

WYOMING
Fort Laramie
Constructed in the 1830s during the fur trade, Fort Laramie was a significant trading post for the three major trails west - the Oregon, California and Mormon trails.

Settlers passed through for supplies and rest while following the North Platte River. The Army held a station there from 1849 to protect and supply the settlers along the trails.

Treaties were signed here that resulted in relatively peaceful relations between settlers and the local Native Americans, and it is preserved as a national historic site today.
>> Contact: 307-837-2221 or nps.gov/fola

want to ride?
>> The Big Bend Ranch State Park offers horseback tours and Longhorn cattle drives.
>> Call 432-358-4444.