John Ford used Monument Valley as a dramatic background for his 1939 Western Stagecoach.

The movie made John Wayne a super star and Monument Valley the iconic picture of the American Wild West. The dramatic scenery played a major role in many other movies since.

 

The signature red color of the sand and the buttes is due to the high iron oxide content in the rocks. The region is rich in minerals and metals like copper and vanadium and in the middle of the last century uranium was mined here.

 

Monument Valley is part of the Navajo Nation who call it Tse Bii' Ndzisgaii which translates to Valley of the Rocks.

 

They collect a small fee when you want to drive the 30 km dirtroad that leads you along the main features.

 

We visited Monument Valley in May 1994.