Monoliths
in the Western United States
Mammoth columns, pinnacles, turrets, spires, and pillars abound throughout the Western United States. Monolithic rock forms an integral part of the western lanscape. Yosemite, Bryce, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Zion - all famous, at least in part, for what the Greeks called monolithos. Many of these titans are believed to be associated with supernatural power. Some chronicle dinosaurs and prehistoric forests in their folds. Others sheltered the traditional homes of vanished cultures. Still others served to conceal renegades and outlaws. All play on the imagination of humans in strange and wondrous ways - even today. Cinema uses them as background for movies, troubadours sing songs about them, painters capture them on canvas, and photographers attempt to distil their magic with electronic pixels, Because of their grandeur, most are protected in regional, state or national parks. All are worth a visit or two or three.
