The Arvada enterprise., 1924-01-10

year ny year unu enlargement WAS
ost practlcnble on the old site. Mesn Verde can
never compete In tourists with other national
parks like Rocky Mountain md Yellowstone for
the reason that II In tucked away In the extreme
southwest corner Of Colorado. 500 miles from Den.
yer. the travel center. Moreover. II Is an etuca.
uonsi park. rather thun scenic. Nevertheless, the
a'eaoance last summer WIS 100 per cent larger
than In 1870
Inc picturesque Rock Springs Trail has been
opened from park Headquarters at Spruce Tree
camp to the west boundary Of the park, openILg
W s"ine hitherto Inaccessible ruins Of great In.
pOrtnnce. as will be seen later These lnclud.
aug House, jug House. Kodak House. Long House.
Double House. ltuin 10 Step House 'und Pinnacle
Tower rus Is the CREATES, group Of ruins In the
park. with the exception II the Chnpin Mesa
group
Visitors VIII lind II new museum bui,dlnv-and
importance ~
There Will be plenty Of water on tan thi. .um
mer-t thanks I" the discovery OF II system Of pre
historic dams and reservoirs In n little canyon
opening OIL S"la canyon. And n,uybe this syxteue
II not Interesting,
or course Mesa Verde is well worth scciny IN,
us unusual scenic features. aside from its untIou
ties. This public playground has reul benutv ..
pechhy after TIE early summer rains when the
Jumper anu pih"h trees are at their best on the
Green Table Land. II IL u high plateau. IL mII..
by y, from which the visitor looks over the ynrl,.
SlutcS-('OlDrulO iuh
New Mexico and Arizona Park Point (S.575 f.eu
IL the highest elevation In the pnrk Point Look.
out tS.42s fecD tops the mesa
Ihe northern edge nj the mesa termpatcs I'm ,
preciPltons blum OF 1000 feet From II IN. ,,,..
over 'he srent Monte4uina valley with Its irrl.
Gauoh RESERVOIRS and fertile fields, as from nm
nirpihne In the distance nre shn,nwy purpl,
nhasscs-thc Rico Mountains md l,n. Dam, a,
colorado nnd the Ln Sals Blues and Ncurs' Ear.
oI ''hh. i" the south the mesa slopes to th.
Mhhcos river ami beyond is the Navajo reseryp.
t!oh surrounded hy The deep blue Curr,sos az
Arizona ANA the Lukn Chukns and Tunlchns of
Rev Mexico. And. ~ miles away from th. ui,,.,
OF sandy plnln rises Ship Rock, l6ot foo, hIvh
which nj sunset one Is ready To swcnr In N rrcn,
o'dfashloned wind jnlnmcr under full snil
MESA |'r"e. however wns not made n national
PARK "'ch"S" "' It's scenic beauty. Its primary
purpose Is educational. II iS museum OF np,Iuui
ties. In which all the archaeological world I'M, nm
abiding interest
Mesa Verde was the HON. OF thnt mvs,.r,,,
prehistoric people We call the Gin Dwcll.rs II.
ruins ana relies nre the finest In all the American
Southwest md In the world
ahe American Southwest was old In ciyilxniior
mnny centuries before Columbus discovered Amer
lea. Coronado. searching for the Seven cI,,..
or Cibon' In l5N'. found the 2unl Indians ~ Nc,,
Mexico living In great community houses or pucb
los, WIN NOT even traditional knowledge OF m.
S'H '"'"'rs' scientists hr" now of the be-.
Hei 'hn' the c'ln dwellings IN Mesa vcr,ic w.r,.
abandoned by tho tln pwcllcrs ubou, 1900 y~urs
ago ANY estimate Of how long they had lived
there before they disappeared from tho f,c. n, ,h
earth II eucsswork
The mesa In Mesa Verde slopes gradually from
It's abrupt rise NJ the north end TO the valley of
the Mnncos nj the south Into this Wiley of,eu
many small. heh.wallcd canyons In the shelter
OF caves In the sdcs Of these canyons are the bis,
preserved hnhitntiona Of the CliN pwcl,cr, In
America. In prehistoric times n considerable u,p
ustion lived there. They prncticsd ngricutur,
On the mesa above. rnising corn. often by lrrirn.
ton They woruhlpcd the sun. They possessed