Cathedral Gorge State Park
The Cathedral Gorge State Park is a state park north of Panaca in Lincoln County, Nevada on U.S. Highway 93 with its inception in 1935, he was among the first four state parks in Nevada. The park is located at 1500 meters above sea level and covers with its rock formations, an area of 7.19 km ². The dry air in the summer ranges from 40 ° C at day and 13 ° C at night. In the winter, it may well come to frosts.
History
Geology
In the Pliocene the Meadow Valley and thus also covers the area of today's canyon by a lake was. The colorful Panaca Formation consists of deposits and sediments of the former lake. Over time, the lake, erosion seeped through rain, wind, meltwater resulted in soft siltstone and clay minerals into rivulets, notches, leaching, and finally the canyon -like gorge course. This cathedral-like sandstone formations, narrow canyons and chimneys, spiers and cavernous narrow passageways remained.
Human use
Nomadic cultures of ancient America use the valley already about 10 000 years ago. The Freemont, Anasazi and Paiute were here depending on the season to go hunting.
The town of Panaca was settled by Mormons in 1864. The discovery of silver ore in 1869 led to the founding of Bullonville. Some remains of the ancient city are still visible east of the main access to the park. The cemetery of Bullonville is just north of the entrance location.
During the 1920s the park as part of the progressive mobility has become a popular destination for picnics and short walks was.
1924 visited the Governor James Graves Scrugham the site and began the land acquisition. In 1935, the Cathedral Gorge State Park official reserve. The Civilian Conservation Corps built first permanent facilities for picnicking and camping, such as the Stone Water Tower.
Today, the park is open all year around the clock, but the usage is subject to some limitations in particular, everything is forbidden, which could accelerate the erosion, such as Off Road driving.
Flora and vegetation
The different soil types of the park allow a variety of plant communities a suitable location. The muddy ground under the slopes allowed to take root because of the continuously ongoing erosion only a few plants. Small sand dunes on the other hand were conquered by numerous wildflowers and grasses such as the Dune Primrose or the Indian Rice Grass.
Towards the center of the valley floors have mixed to form a fertile ground on the yucca, juniper, sagebrush, Sarcobatus shrubs, White Sage, and occur Atriplex confertifolia. Also, various cacti species can endure the climate fluctuations in the valley.
At the margins of trees were planted as a shade.
Fauna
Small mammals make up the majority of the wildlife of the park. Jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, coyotes, Kitfüchse, skunks, squirrels, kangaroo rats, and mice can meet here on four paws in the winter can sometimes a deer at Miller Point are observed.
The bird life is mainly found near picnic areas and shrubs. Ammer as the Amphispiza bilineata, robin, finch and starling, American kestrel and hawk, raven birds and the Great Roadrunner here give themselves a rendezvous with the American species has " Sapsucker " and migrating birds such as the Bluebird, the warblers, the Cedar Waxwing and even hummingbirds.
Numerous non-poisonous reptiles, snakes and lizards inhabit the sheltered sunny spots and in the summer, the Great Basin Rattlesnake can be found.