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Petrified Forest Museum Association

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Home/The Railroad

The Railroad

In the 1850s the United States Government launched a series of explorations across the American West to discover suitable routes for cross-continent railroads.

The Southern Pacific survey led by Lt. Amiel Weeks followed the 35th parallel from Oklahoma to California passing through a portion of what is now Petrified Forest National Park.

This route was later constructed in the early 1880s by the Atlantic-Pacific Railroad, later the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, and currently the BNSF Railroad, which still operates the line today.

The tracks cross the main park road north of the Rio Puerco (an overpass was constructed in 1933-34) and just east of the town of Adamana.

Prior to the establishment of the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906 and during its early history, the station at Adamana was the main stopping point for visitors.

Tourists could stay at the Forest Hotel and visit local attractions such as the various petrified wood forests, the Rio Puerco petroglyphs, and Agate Bridge, a natural bridge formed by a 100’ long petrified log that spans a 40’ gully.

The advent of the automobile and construction of good highways through the area in the 1920s ceased public railroad travel to the Petrified Forest, however, the route remains a busy thoroughfare for dozens of freight trains daily.

  • A map of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line in 1891
  • Santa Fe freight train at park entrance - 1940
  • Santa Fe freight train at park entrance - 1940
  • Downtown Adamana, Arizona - 1940
  • Old postcards from collection at Adamana, copied December 1956
  • Overpass for Santa Fe Railroad - 1930s
  • Roadside fencing 5 miles south of U.S. 66 near the Santa Fe Railroad overpass - 1930s
  • Historic railroad siding at Adamana

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Railroad Fun Facts

  • In the early days the owners of the Forest Hotel were paid $1 a month to serve as the custodian of the national monument.
  • Early inhabitants of the area including Adam Hanna and "Petrified" Bill Adams used the railway to ship carloads of petrified wood back to eastern markets, resulting in public outcry for the establishment of a monument to preserve these ancient treasures.
  • The famous naturalist and writer John Muir lived in Adamana with his two daughters for nearly a year in 1905-06, during which time he heavily explored the Petrified Forest area.
  • Although the Forest Hotel burned down in the 1970s, several structures still exist in Adamana and some are still inhabited.
  • Two other historic railroad stops to the east (Bibo/Billings and Pinta) fall within the park administrative boundary and remnants of the stations still exist.
  • The railroad paid to shore up Agate Bridge in 1917 because it was one of their major attractions and they wished to ensure its longevity.

Featured Books

  • Route 66 Adventure Handbook Route 66 Adventure Handbook $19.95
  • Life and Shape: The Autobiography of Richard Neutra Life and Shape: The Autobiography of Richard Neutra $30.00
  • The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West $15.95

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Petrified Forest Museum Association

1 Park Road
PO Box 2277
Petrified Forest, Arizona 86028

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