Agate Bridge

Agate Bridge Photo Credit: Jay Corry.

Click photo for larger views.

Centuries of scouring floodwaters washed out arroyo, or gully, beneath this 110 foot petrified log to form Agate Bridge. The stone, harder than the sandstone around it, resisted erosion and remained suspended as the softer rock beneath it washed away.

Enthusiastic visitors fascinated by Agate Bridge worked to preserve it through the establishment of Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. Conservationists felt this ages-old natural bridge needed architectural support and in 1971 erected masonry pillars beneath the log. In 1917 the present concrete span replaced the masonry work.