Just 36 miles southeast of Wilcox, Arizona, is the Chiricahua National Monument, established in 1924 to protect the Faraway Ranch as well as the hoodoos and balancing rocks remaining from a volcanic eruption 27 million years ago. Thick ash spewed from the Turkey Creek Caldera, cooled, and hardened, laying down nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) of ash and pumice. This eventually led to erosion, creating the natural features currently seen at the monument.
