Geographic Reference

A canyon and dry stream located at the juncture of the Colorado River and the Little Colorado River on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northern Arizona, close to the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon. The deep wash stretches across 29 miles, hence its name.

A dry stream that cuts through the Balakai Mesa, a part of the Black Mesa area on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona.

Part of the Black Mesa mountainous area on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Balakai Point forms the tip of Balakai mesa, which is associated with the Navajo Blessingway ceremony.

A small town located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The community, which was established around a trading post, still functions as a modest commercial center, and has a school, a library, and a community center.

Part of the large Black Mesa mountainous area of the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona, the Dzilidushzhinih Peaks appear to be the same as Little Black Spot Mountain, located about five miles southwest of the small village of Piñon, Arizona. In Navajo, "Dzil Dah Zhin" means Black Speck Mountain.

A tributary of the Little Colorado River, the Moenkopi Wash is a 90-mile long stream that runs through the Moenkopi Plateau in northern Arizona, along the border between the Navajo and the Hopi reservations. The flat lands along the stream have been traditionally used by both Navajo and Hopi peoples to cultivate crops. The area surrounding the wash's path is known for its colorful canyons and unique sandstone rock formations.

Part of the United States road system, Highway 160 is an east-west route that crosses the states of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Its eastern terminus is in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and its western terminus is just outside Tuba City, Arizona.

A small community located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The community has a mission, a school, and a post office, and is located on the southeast edge of Black Mesa.

A state located along the Atlantic coast in New England and one of the thirteen original British colonies in North America. Connecticut officially became a state in 1788 and its capital is Hartford, located in the north-central area of the state. Connecticut has been home to many notable figures including: Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Benedict Arnold, Eli Whitney, and Samuel Colt. The Ivy League university, Yale, is located in New Haven, Connecticut.

Connecticut is the 3rd smallest state in the U.S. and is bordered by Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. Known as the “Constitution State”, “Land of Steady Habits”, and “Nutmeg State”, as of 2010, Connecticut has a population of 3,574,097. The word Connecticut comes from the Algonquian word “land on the long tidal river.” The state tree is a White Oak (Quercus alba) and the state bird is the American Robin (Turdus migratorius). The topography of the state includes the southern New England section of the Appalachian Mountains, numerous lakes, highlands, and low lands.

Chicago is the third most populated city in the United Stated, after New York and Los Angeles. The city is the cultural and arts center of the Midwest with many museums, comedy clubs, and theaters. The city is known for improvisational comedy (one of its nicknames is "Second City," after one of its most famous theaters) as well as deep dish pizza, large ethnic communities (especially Polish), its location on Lake Michigan, and its public art and parks. While the city is also known as the “Windy City,” it is not in fact any windier than the average U.S. city. This name more likely came from an association with long-winded politicians.

The name Chicago comes from a French interpretation of the word shikaakwa, from the Miami-Illinois language, which means wild leek, onion, or garlic. In the 17th century, the area was populated by the Potawatomi people, prior to which it was home to the Miami, Sauk, and Fox peoples. Chicago’s first French settlement was founded in the 1780s by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.