Lacey Point in Petrified Forest National Park

Lacey Point is a scenic overlook in Petrified Forest National Park located in the northern section of the park (above I-40). It is between Whipple Point and Route 66, almost 5 miles from the visitor center and entrance to the park.

Lacey Point honors Iowa Congressman John Fletcher Lacey. Lacey was instrumental in the Antiquities Act of 1906, which gave the President of the United States the power to designate landmarks as National Monuments.

Lacey was an eight term Republican congressman from the 6th Congressional district in Iowa known for his conservation efforts protecting areas of historical importance. He sponsored legislation to give the Department of Interior the power to protect Yellowstone National Park in the Lacey Act of 1894.

The Petrified Forest was one of the first places to be protected under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Also known as the Lacey Act, it was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt to preserve historic landmarks, structures and other objects of historic or scientific interest. In addition to giving the President the power to designate national monuments, it obligates federal agencies to preserve public lands and important sites for future generations.

President Theodore Roosevelt used the law on December 8, 1906 to create Petrified Forest National Monument to protect the “mineralized remains of Mesozoic forests.”