7 MYSTERIOUS Native American Locations

"FROM STRANGE VALLEYS, TO ANCIENT ABANDONED TOWNS, THESE ARE 7 MYSTERIOUS NATIVE AMERICAN LOCATIONS

HEY YOU ! There are more awesome videos being made every week, like and subscribe to World Unearthed so you don't miss a beat !

7.Bighorn Medicine Wheel | Wyoming | Unknown Tribes

Some 10,000 feet above sea level, hidden deep in Wyoming’s Big Horn mountain range, lies a strange and old stone formation. The stones are arranged in a wheel formation, hence the name.

Medicine Wheels are also referred to as sacred hoops and they are primarily used for astronomical and sacred ritual purposes. These landmarks are not unique to Wyoming, 100s of medicine wheels have been discovered all across America. But, just like this one, many were built many moons ago by unknown tribes.

6.Crater Lake | Oregon | Klamath

With a maximum depth of 1,949 ft (594m), Crater lake is the deepest lake in the United States, and the 9th deepest in the world.Or the 7th if you don’t include some lakes, or the 3rd if you measure by average depth, or the 1st if you measure by average depth while being totally above sea level. Whatever rocks your boat I guess.

Crater lakes are not created from impact craters but by calderas, aka volcanic craters. Located in Oregon, the caldera was formed around 7,700 years by the collapse of the Mount Mezuma volcano. Science says that the massive eruption put out around 12 cubic miles (50 cubic kilometers) of volcanic rock.

After the collapse of mount mezuma, lava eruptions created Wizard Island and other volcanic domes that rise above current water levels. It took 1000s of years before the caldera actually filled up with water since it only accumulated from rain and snow melt.

6.Gila Wilderness | New Mexico | Mogollon Tribe

The Gila Wilderness stretches over an area of 27 by 39 miles and was one of the first recognized areas in America as a ‘wilderness’ thus putting it under protection United States federal government. The area was once inhabited by the Mimbres people who were a smaller tribe that was part of the bigger, Mogollon tribe somewhere between 200-1400 AD, the Apache also used the area from time to time.

Many campers and hikers come here for the 4 to 5-day loop through the wilderness. The area boasts many ghost towns and empty mines ranging in size and age. The most famous of them being the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Built by the Mogollon People, there are 5 alcoves, with a total of 46 rooms. Its estimated that the dwellings were home to 10-15 families. There’s no way to know for sure, but its believed the dwellings were carved out sometime between 1275 and 1400.

5.The Black Hills | South Dakota, Wyoming | Lakota: Ȟe Sápa; Cheyenne: Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva

The Black Hills are a mountain range that is covered in dark green trees which gives it a black appearance from a distance. The Black Hills are part of the South Dakota Badlands, which is the famous location of Mount Rushmore and the still uncompleted Crazy Horse Memorial.

3.Chief Mountain | Montana | Blackfoot: Ninaistako

2.The Devil’s Tower | Wyoming | Lakota: Matȟó Thípila
In Wyoming, looming overhead is a butte which appears more like a petrified stump that a geological formation. Many names have been attributed to the unusually shaped piece of rock which has odd grooves up and down. The Native Americans attributed many names to the butte such as ‘Bears House’, ‘Bears Lair’, and ‘Tree Rock’.

The butte is a rare phenomenon in geology and geologists aren’t certain how the Devil’s Tower formed with such a unique shape. However, there are many theories, but those don’t hold a candle compared to the great tales from the natives about the origins of the massive stone.

Considering the Native American name of “bear’s lair” you can see where this is going right ? The Kiowa, Lakota, Cheyenne, Crow, and Arapahoe had varying stories about a GIANT bear living underneath the rock.

Oh yeah, you might have seen this rock in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, for more on that click in the top right corner !

1.Monument Valley | Utah, Arizona | Navajo: Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii

Likely the most mesmerizing Native American site on this list, Monument Valley draws thousands of visitors a year to see the amazing scenic route. Located in Navajo Land on the Arizona-Utah border, the valley is filled with many homes of Navajo People.

The sandstone towers are the graveyard of a rocky mountain range which has been eroded down by thousands of years of wind and water erosion. John Ford featured Monument valley in his western films, making this once remote location, “what moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West”

There are special names for many of the rock formations, like the elephant butte, the three sisters, spearhead mesa, and the north window."