The picture shows massive petrified logs of red, purple and brown stone lying on the sandy floor of a badlands basin, with a banded, eroded butte rising behind them. The printed caption names the scene simply as the Petrified Forests of Arizona, the Late Triassic Chinle Formation deposits in the Painted Desert that became a national monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962. The logs are fossilized conifers, their silica replacing the original wood while preserving growth rings and grain.
White border; textured stock with a fine canvas-like grain typical of linen-era cards.
No postmark. Divided-back "POST CARD" with "THIS SPACE FOR MESSAGE" and stamp box "DOMESTIC: ONE CENT / FOREIGN: TWO CENTS"; unused — no message, no address, no stamp. Back shows light foxing/soiling and a small printed figure logo at top center. Front is a white-bordered, textured color view captioned "8592. Petrified Forests, Arizona."
Cite this card
Petrified logs in the Petrified Forest, Arizona, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1930. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/petrified-logs-in-the-petrified-forest-arizona-circa-1940. Accessed October 24, 2026.
