Sunset Crater was a site I visited very early in the day so there were very few people. I was joined by Liz once again and we had decided to arrive early in the morning so it would be cooler. This site, while not the remnants of a society, is important due to the eruption that occurred here. This eruption caused people to relocate due to the area not being farmable at this point (People, 2024). It was at this point that many people relocated to places like Wupatki and Walnut Canyon. Agriculture in the area flourished after the eruption due to the moisture trapped in the soil underneath the ash (People, 2024). The descendants of those in the area are the Hopi and A:shiwi who have tails of the eruption. The Hopi town, Awatovi, was the first to be visited by European colonizers. Following this, there were several more encounters due to the Coronado expedition. It was 1885 when Sunset Volcano got this name from John Wesley Powell. In 1928, it was proposed to blow up the volcano for a movie but was protected in 1930 when made a National Park after outcry from Flagstaff residents (People, 2024). The area was well maintained, it had many wildflowers and shrubbery just off trails. In these photos you can see the landscape of the volcano. There are also details of the basalt and where wildflowers pop up.