Mesa Verde National Park: Far View Sites & Wetherill Mesa

Sunday, August 24, 2014 

http://colorado.untraveledroad.com/Montezuma/MesaVerde/27ASign.htm

Coyote Village was excavated in 1968 and 1969. Thirty ground floor rooms, five kivas and a circular tower were uncovered. Perhaps 40 or 50 people lived at Coyote Village in A.D. 1000, but other people lived here as early as A.D. 800 or 900. Beneath the tower is a pithouse that belonged to earlier occupants. Several of the kivas are connected by tunnels.

     This is a row of mealing bins where women knelt and ground corn with manos and metates.

An Ancient Farming Community

From A.D. 900 to about 1300, Far View was one of the most densely populated areas of the mesa. Nearly 50 villages have been identified within a half square mile area, home to hundreds of people. The attraction to the area may have been the greater moisture received at the higher elevation of about 7,700 feet. The growing season was probably slightly shorter than at lower places, but the additional water supply may have supported crop yields. Corn, or maize, was the staple crop, as well as squash and beans. 

                                                     Mummy Lake: A.D. 900-1300

It is believed that this is an artificial reservoir to collect and store water for the Far View villagers.             It is a circular depression 90 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep, surrounded by a stone wall built in two phases, between A.D. 900-1100 and between A.D. 1100-1300.
There are artificial embankments on the south and east sides, and steps go up to a ramp that slopes down into the depression.  The catchment area is 25 acres. There is evidence of ditches and an intake channel that would have brought snowmelt and rain into the reservoir. The ramp and steps possibly indicate a "walk-in" well where people filled vessels with water. This reservoir served as a water source for three centuries until it became clogged with sediment, or a drought caused a shortage of water. 

                                                      Megalithic House: A.D. 1200's

Two large stones, or megaliths, were set on edge as part of the foundation of this small house. 

Other villages in the valley north of Mesa Verde have similar construction. 

Montezuma Valley is between Mesa Verde and Sleeping Ute Mountain.

"It is likely that more people lived in the Montezuma Valley in the 12th century than
live in the valley now".

Wetherill Mesa, on the west side of Mesa Verde National Park, is a long, narrow peninsula of land bounded by deep canyons with many natural alcoves in the sandstone cliffs. 

                                                                   Forest Fire 2000
5 minute drive from the Wetherill Mesa trailhead:  Pony Fire 2000 & Rock Springs Burn, June 1972.
10 minute drive from the trailhead: Will Mesa Burn, July 1934
20 minute drive from trailhead: Long Mesa Burn, July 1989

The next day, we spoke with a retired park ranger about his work at Mesa Verde National Park. In the 1980s, he was giving a tour when a pine tree suddenly burst into flames.

More towers have been found in the Mesa Verde Montezuma Valley area than in any other part of the Southwest. Most of these were located near kivas, and many were connected to kivas by tunnels.
A tunnel extended 41 feet between a hatchway in the floor of this tower and an opening in the wall of the kiva at the far end of Badger House. This is the longest kiva-tower tunnel yet discovered in the Southwest. The tunnel was built by digging a trench which was then roofed with poles, brush and earth. When the kiva burned, the entrances at both ends of the tunnel were open. Flames were drawn through the tunnel 20 feet towards the tower charring the roof.

                                                   The kiva that the tunnel connected to

                                                                  Two Raven House
 The sides and floor of this pit were fire-reddened, and archeologists believe it was used as an oven. Food probably was placed on a bed of hot stones, covered with earth, and allowed to bake for several hours.

Trail to Nordenskiold Ruin No. 16 overlook

                                                                Getting closer!

Nordenskiold Ruin No. 16

           

As close as we can get! No entry permitted! 

The logs used to build this village were cut between A.D. 1180 and 1270. 

This dwelling has 50 rooms, 5 or 6 of these are kivas that were entered through rooftop openings.

Two or three families would have resided here, perhaps 20 to 30 people. 

                                                                     Canyon Views 

                                                               

                                                     View of Step House from our trail 

                                      The Ancestral Pueblo people constructed a stone stairway.

  People lived in this alcove for many generations. Around A.D. 625, this village was made up of about  6 circular, semi-subterranean structures. 25 to 30 people may have lived in them. Charred beams and charcoal indicate these pithouses burned. Enough intact wood remained to provide tree-ring dates, placing construction between A.D. 616 and A.D. 627.

          The Step House pueblo was built in A.D. 1226.  30 or 40 people lived here.

Some of the artifacts found include: 1, 600 corncobs, a bowl with browned cornmeal in the bottom, a corrugated jar containing seeds of 10 native plants, five pairs of scallop-toed sandals, willow baskets, leather and fur blankets, and a pouch of prairie dog skin filled with salt that came from some distance away.

                                                                      Petroglyphs 

                                                       View of our trail from the dwelling