Monument Valley Scene Location

I would almost bet you that ChiliBill can help out with those locations being since he worked on those films as a extra. Give him a chance I am sure he will let you know as soon as possible.

SXViper

I'd have to agree with you on this one, If chilibil can't help then on one can.

I for one am looking forward to hearing what he has to say.

Emmanuel.

nathan;

The best that I can remember after over 55 years is that both films were done around The Left Mitten Butte and to the West is a large sand and salt flat just North of Gouldings Lodge and Trading Post. I fly right over it when I land at Gouldings Air Strip.

In the Horse Soldier Charge in Fort Apache and the Paymasters Stagecoach chase at the first of Yellow Ribbon with Ben Johnson, I think what you are talking about in the background is North and East of Gouldings Trading Post and are called "Big Chief Mesa," "Sentinel Mesa" and "Pyramid Rock." They are much larger than they look in the films.

Just South and East is where Duke is with the Supply Wagons in Fort Apache and watching the Charge and you can clearly see the Left Mitten Butte in the Background.

In this type of film where you have a chase scene like in these two Films you must have a smooth road for the Camera Truck and the wind must be just right so you do not see the dust from the Camera Truck. In those days the roads were still dirt.

I will be there for a Shoot next week and I will try to get more Info. for you.

Chilibill

Nathan and Some of you other people that would like to go to Monument Valley some day, I have a hand drawn map that might give you a Idea of the lay out of Monument Valley some of the Locations of some of those great films that Duke and Ford did there like the first part of "The Angel and the Badman," "Fort Apache," " She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and " The Searchers." Remember this is Very Big Country and it is very hard to see in a short time! You can go to MAP OF M. V.

Chilibill

Hi Bill,

That map and photographs you've just posted,
are truly fantastic.
Emmanuel and I have discussed, this,
and it is our personal dream to visit MV,
and I'm sure, gonna try and do it before it's too late,
I tried to get the board, to post a visit there as a quiz prize,
but they wouldn't have it!!

Best Wishes Bill,
Keith

Chilibill -
I've always wondered (at least since I saw the movie) what part of Monument Valley was used in "The Eiger Sanction," especially the tower that Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy were supposed to have climbed in the story. Do you have any insights on that?
Cheers - Jay

Jay;

I think the tall monument that you are thinking about is called " The Totem Pole " and you can see it on the second and third pages of this Site below, and it is just south of the Visitors Center and "The Mittens and Butte A" and just to the right of Thunderbird Mesa. You can see its location on the Map. It is much taller than it looks in the picture!!!
http://www.wyntoontrip.com/MONUMENT1.html

Chilibill

Hi Bill.

Just taken another good look at your photographs,
and can I say, that they are so brilliant,
that it must be the next best thing, to actually being there!!
Bill, thank you so much, for sharing this with us.

Very Best Wishes,
Keith

Hi Chilibil

Thanks for posting those wonderful photos again. They are somethig to behold.
I will have to come and see them for myself.

Emmanuel.

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Originally posted by William T Brooks@Jun 16 2005, 06:18 PM
Jay;
I think the tall monument that you are thinking about is called " The Totem Pole " and you can see it on the second and third pages of this Site below, and it is just south of the Visitors Center and "The Mittens and Butte A" and just to the right of Thunderbird Mesa. You can see its location on the Map. It is much taller than it looks in the picture!!!
http://www.wyntoontrip.com/MONUMENT1.html 
Chilibill

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Thank you, Chilibill - that clarified the location for me. That looks like beautiful country out there and I bet it is more awe-inspiring in person!
Cheers - Jay

hi chill

lovely photos. didnt know it snowed there but after seeing some of the photos now know it does. just a question do the natives who live there run livestock for a living here or do they rely on the tourism trade, looks like they could run cattle and horses just wondering

cheers smokey

Smokey;

The Navajos have many large Ranches that they raise Sheep and Goats on, but they also have very large Cattle and Horse Ranches. Navajo Country is very large and is known as the Four Corners Area, and is in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah and is larger than some of the Eastern States. :o And yes they have Bad Snow Storms in the Winter, and some times they must Air-Lift food in for the People and Animals!!!

Tell the Little Bloke HI !!!

Chilibill

hi chill

will do the little bloke is on 2 weeks winter holidays from school so we are going to have a feast of movies tonight he wants to watch all of the john wayne movies that you are in. will let you know how things go when i'm here next

we air lift food to people and stock when we have big floods out west and durning the drought food for the stock is trucked in by the road trains and by train load. have heard that the snow storms can be really harsh have as of yet to see snow only seen it in photos and on telly dont like the cold so may give it a miss

cheers smokey

Quote

have heard that the snow storms can be really harsh have as of yet to see snow only seen it in photos and on telly dont like the cold so may give it a miss

Smokey, I live for snow. Here a few pics of me snowmobiling in northern Minnesota. And there is a pic of a friend stuck in the snow. Its great when its steep and deep!!!

Sorry about the size of the pics, I should have re sized them. But now you have a better picture of my mug!!! and I don't mean the beer either!!

By the way, the picture of me sitting on my sled with the water in the background is actually Lake Superior. We are on the north shore on the arrowhead of Minnesota.

Hi SX.

Great photographs, and thanks so much
for posting them, it looks like a lot of snow!!!
Where I live, we would be lucky if we had any at all!!
It's been years since we had snow that fell, and stayed over night!

Looks good fun, on the snow sleds,
when you book that room, try and make it when it's warmer,

Best Wishes,

ee- Keith

Good pics, Viper. You're a man who obviously likes that winter weather and the opportunity to get out in it.

It's funny, although I was born and raised in Texas, which for about six months of the year has some of the hottest weather anywhere, I can stand the cold much better than the heat. I've always said that if I ever win the lottery, I'm gonna move to Alaska. Summers in Texas are absolutely miserable. Sometimes we have 30-40 consecutive days of 110 degree heat during the period July-August-September. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Well you can look at winter/cold weather a few ways. You can embrace it and have fun out in it, as long as its not too cold, sometimes it can get to -10F to -20F at night or even for daytime highs. Add wind and you can easily be looking at -50F or lower wind chills. Or you can get irritated at it and all that does is make winter go by very slowly instead of too quick.

The other good thing about cold weather is that it is much easier to get warmer if you are cold then if you are hot and trying to cool off.
We average were I live about 60-80 inches of snow a year. But were the pictures were taken, they average twice that. I have been to the UP(Upper Pennisala) of Michigan numerous times and they average 250 inches a year, that is because of lake effect snow from the cold N-NW winds blowing over Lake Superior. Superior doesn't freeze over very often completely but when it does that kind of shuts the snow making machine down. That area of the UP set a record in the winter of 78-79 of 390 inches.

I have a bunch more pics that i can post if people are interested in them. Let me know.