Sacred Places North America: 108 Destinations

by Brad Olsen

Overview

This revised and updated comprehensive travel guide examines North America’s most sacred sites for spiritually attuned explorers. Important archaeological, geological, and historical destinations from coast to coast are exhaustively examined, from the weathered pueblos of the American Southwest and the medicine wheels of western Canada to Graceland and the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. Histories and cultural contexts are objectively surveyed, along with the latest academic theories and insightful metaphysical ruminations. Detailed maps, drawings, and travel directions are also included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781888729139
Publisher:	CCC Publishing
Publication date:	03/01/2008
Series:	Sacred Places: 108 Destinations series
Edition description:	Second Edition, Second edition
Pages:	408
Sales rank:	729,053
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Brad Olsen is an editor for World Explorer and writes a bimonthly column for Heartland Healing Magazine. He is the author of In Search of Adventure, Sacred Places Around the World, Sacred Places Europe, and World Stompers. He lives in San Francisco.

Table of Contents

Author's Karma Statement     10
Foreword   David Hatcher Childress     13
Introduction to North American Sacred Places     15
The Southwest
Arizona
Arcosanti     28
Canyon de Chelly     29
Monument Valley     33
Old Oraibi     36
San Francisco Peaks     39
Sedona Vortices     41
Southern Sinagua Pueblos     44
Wupatki     48
Nevada
Area 51     51
Black Rock City     54
Lake Lahontan sites     57
New Mexico
Chaco Canyon     65
Chacoan Outlier Great Houses     67
Chimayo     71
Roswell and the White Sands Region     74
Shiprock     76
Utah
Canyonlands     79
Hovenweep     81
Salt Lake Temple     83
Zion National Park     86
West Coast States
California
Bay Area to Point Conception     92
Blythe Intaglios     97
Death Valley     99
Joshua Tree     101
Lake Shrine     103
Lava Beds     107
Mission Trail     112
Mount Shasta     114
Oregon
Crater Lake     118
Washington
Cascade Volcanoes     122
Columbia River Gorge     125
Alaska and Hawaii
Alaska
Denali (Mount McKinley)     131
Sitka     133
Hawaii
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (City of Refuge)     138
Pu'ukohola Heiau (Hill of the Whale)     141
Kilauea     143
Waipio Valley     146
Kauai
Waimea Bay     149
Lanai
Garden of the Gods     152
Maui
Haleakala     155
Iao Valley     157
Molokai
Kalaupapa Peninsula     159
Oahu
Kaena Point     162
Waimea Valley     164
Outer Islands
Nihoa and Necker     167
Western Canada
Alberta
Ellis Medicine Wheel     173
Lac Sainte Anne     176
Majorville Medicine Wheel     178
British Columbia
Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii)     180
Sproat Lake     183
Manitoba
Grottoes of Manitoba     186
Saskatchewan
Moose Mountain Medicine Wheel     189
Rocky Mountains
Colorado
Manitou Springs     195
Mesa Verde     197
San Luis Valley      201
Idaho
Nez Perce Homeland     205
Montana
Glacier/Waterton International Peace Park     208
Wyoming
Bighorn Medicine Wheel     211
Devils Tower (Mateo Tepee)     213
Yellowstone     215
Central Plains
Iowa
Effigy Mounds Monument     222
New Melleray Abbey     224
Kansas
Pawnee Spirit Sites     227
Nebraska
Blackbird Hill     230
Oklahoma
Heavener     233
Spiro Mounds     236
South Dakota
Badlands     240
Sacred Peaks of the Black Hills     243
Texas
Indian Hot Springs     245
Great Lakes Region
Illinois
Cahokia Mounds     251
Waubansee Stone     254
Michigan
House of David     257
Sleeping Bear Dunes     260
Minnesota
Kensington Runestone     262
Pipestone     266
Ohio
Newark Earthworks     269
Serpent Mound     273
Spruce Hill     277
Wisconsin
Aztalan     283
Devils Lake     287
Madeline Island (Moningwunakauning)     289
Eastern Canada
Atlantic Provinces
L'Anse aux Meadows      296
Ontario
Eastern Canadian Great Lakes     299
Lake Superior Sites     301
Peterborough Petroglyphs     304
Quebec
Hochelaga     308
Saint Joseph's Oratory     311
Sainte-Anne De Beaupre     313
New England
Prehistoric Stone Buildings of New England     319
Maine
Mount Katahdin     322
Sabbathday Lake     324
Massachusetts
Walden Pond     329
New Hampshire
America's Stonehenge     333
New York
Auriesville and Fonda shrines     337
Chautauqua and Lily Dale     339
Rhode Island
Newport Tower     344
The South
Temple Mounds of the South     351
Alabama
Selma     356
Florida
Bimini and Atlantis     358
Coral Castle     361
Georgia
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthplace     364
Kentucky
Gethsemani     366
Mammoth Cave     368
Mississippi
Natchez     370
North Carolina
Pilot Mountain     374
Tennessee
Graceland     377
Virginia
Assateague Island     380
West Virginia
Grave Creek     383
Conclusion      387
Acknowledgments     392
Bibliography     393
Appendix     397
Index     399

Editorial Reviews

"[These] 108 places . . . stir the soul. Many of the destinations mentioned come as no surprise in a collection of the hallowed: Ohio’s Serpent Mound, Wyoming’s Yellowstone, Colorado’s Mesa Verde, for instance. But other entries serve as a delightful reminder that there is room in our hearts to expand the definition of sacred: Massachusetts’ Walden Pond, Michigan’s House of David, and Tennessee’s (and Elvis’) Graceland." —Chicago Tribune



"An awe-inspiring collection of North American locations, noted for their connection to the spiritual, the mystical, and the anthropological. From lava beds, to caves, mounds, mountain retreats and temples, Olsen has covered it, with effectively shot black and white photos and maps of his own creation." —Entertainment Weekly



"Olsen provides hand-drawn maps and detailed driving directions to help guide readers to each strange attraction. He offers information on each site, juxtaposing local folklore and Native American legend with scientific theories or physical evidence to provide context. Look for the paperback in bookstores." —Orlando Sentinel

From the Publisher

"For travelers who prefer destinations with spirit. . . juxtaposing local folklore and Native American legend with scientific theories to provide context." -- Orlando Sentinel

An offbeat travel writer (he uses an "Author's Karma Statement" instead of a "Preface") whose previous titles include World Stompers: A Guide to Travel Manifesto and Extreme Adventures follows his Sacred Places: 101 Spiritual Sites Around the World with a similar title devoted to North America. The guidebook is divided into sections according to geographic regions in which 38 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces are represented. A majority of the sites are Native American (Mese Verde in Colorado, Pawnee Spirit Sites in Kansas, Serpent Mound in Ohio, and Mount Katahdin in Maine), but Olsen also includes some more contemporary sites such as Selma, Graceland, and Walden Pond. Each site is thoroughly described, with emphasis placed on historical background and driving directions. The author's hand-drawn maps are helpful, but some of the black-and-white photographs are too small to be useful. An interesting book for both the armchair and the adventurous traveler, this is recommended for large public libraries; an optional purchase for all others.-John McCormick, New Hampshire State Lib., Concord Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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