Fred Blackburn |
Ellen, Wife of Henry Van Kleeck, Active Member of the Cliff Dwellers Association. |
Yucca House Map |
Yucca House Site |
Snider's Well - 1890s |
Snider's Farm - 1890s |
Snider's Farm and Well Site - 2014
This is one of two "bearing trees" still in existence marking off the corners of Yucca House.
Artifacts Found at Snider's Farm Site
The Snider's Well kiva was measured at a 21 foot diameter; inside two piles of skeletal remains (estimated 20-50 bodies) were found, but no artifacts. Layers of colored plaster adorned the walls in seven colors, but there were no actual drawings or writings visible. Three significant skulls types were found in the skeletal remains; valley dweller, cliff dweller (90% angle) and one at a 45 degree cranial angle deemed to be of MesoAmerican culture (Mexico). However, in the 21st century, it was hypothesized that the shape of the skull could have been from a Navajo cradleboard, as they did travel with the Spanish who came through the region forging the "Spanish Trail" through Colorado and Utah.
The Skulls
The Excavation of Snider's Well
Skeletal Remains
Kiva Interior
Since the photos were taken in the 1890s, color photography was not available at that time, so the seven colors of the layered plaster cannot be seen.
Richard Wetherill had the kiva filled in, since only bones and skulls were found; he did not return to Yucca House either. In 1906, the Antiquities Act came into law; Mesa Verde also became a National Park; 1918 Yucca House was given to the National Parks Service and became, itself, a National Monument.
Ownership Records
Map of Prehistoric Sites in the United States
View from Yucca House
In the distance, Chimney Rock (Southern Ute Reservation) is located on Route 491 in Colorado; Shiprock (Navajo Reservation) is off Route 491 and Route 64 in New Mexico.
Many thanks to Fred Blackburn for this stunning look into the past; and to Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum for having the lecture series.
Mary Cokenour
No comments:
Post a Comment