![Keyhole Falls Arizona](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Keyhole_Falls_Arizona.jpg)
Keyhole Sink is a
canyon
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
in the shape of a
keyhole
A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object (such as a key, keycard, fingerprint, RFID card, security token or coin), by supplying secret information (such as a number or letter permutation or passw ...
near
Williams,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. The canyon is best known for its
petroglyphs
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
, which were created about 1,000 years ago by the ancient
Cohonina people, and the seasonal
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
s that flow into the canyon.
Archaeology
Keyhole Sink, formerly called Box Canyon, is a few miles east of Williams off
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
in
Kaibab National Forest
At 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) the Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. It is divided into three major sections: the ''North Kaibab Ranger District'' (offices in Fredonia ...
, and can be accessed on foot by a short, unpaved pathway known as Keyhole Sink Trail. Archaeological research suggests that not many people actually lived in Keyhole Sink, and that it was mainly used as a sort of sacred rest stop for hunters and as a place for clan initiations. Surrounding the site for a radius of fifteen miles are remnants of
pit house
A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...
foundations.
The petroglyphs, which were carved into volcanic
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
, date from between 700 and 1100 CE. Design elements include snakes, lizards, deer, and amorphous images. The petroglyphs are considered to be heavily weathered, and in August 2010 vandals caused extensive damage by painting huge letters on them with "silvery white paint." The petroglyphs have since been restored, but the damage is still evident.
Gallery
File:Keyhole Sink Petroglyphs.jpg, The Keyhole Sink Petroglyphs, as they appeared before being vandalized
File:Keyhole Sink Restoration (2).jpg, The petroglyphs during restoration
File:Keyhole Sink Restoration.jpg, The petroglyphs after restoration
See also
*
Sycamore Canyon
Sycamore Canyon is the second largest canyon in the Arizona redrock country, after Oak Creek Canyon. The long scenic canyon reaches a maximum width of about . It is in North Central Arizona bordering and below the Mogollon Rim, and is located w ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyhole Sink
Canyons and gorges of Arizona
Archaeological sites in Arizona
Petroglyphs in Arizona
Landforms of Coconino County, Arizona
History of Coconino County, Arizona