Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-01-10

year by year and enlargement WAS
not practicable on the old site. Mesa Verde can
never compete in tourists with other national
parks like Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone for
tie reason that it is tucked away in the extreme
southwest corner of Colorado, 500 miles from Den
Yer, the travel center. Moreover, it is an eduea-
tienal park, rather than scenic. Nevertheless, the
attendance last summer was 100 per cent larger
than in 1920
Ehe picturesque Rock Springs Trail has been
opened from park headquarters at Spruce Tree
camp to the west boundary of the park, opening
up some hitherto inaccessible ruins Of great i'm
portance, will be seen later. These include
Mug House, Jug House, Kodak House, Long House,
Double House. Ruin 10, Step House and Pinnacle
Tower. This Is the greatest group of ruins in the
park with the exception Of the Chaplin Mesa
group.
Visitors will find a new museum building-and
IN 1t some new exhibits of unusual interest ard
importance.
There will be plenty of water on tap this sum-
mer-thanks to the discovery of a system of pre-
historic dams and reservoirs in a little canyon
opening off Soda canyon And maybe this system
is not interesting
OF course Mesa Verde is well worth seeing for
Its unusual scenic features, aside from its antique
tles. This public playground has real beauty es-
pecially after the early summer rains when the
Juniper and pinon trees are at their best on the
Green Table Land. 1t is high plateau, 10 miles
by s, from which the visitor looks over the varie-
New Mexico and Arizona. Park Point 1855 feet)
Is the highest elevation in the park. Point Look
out (s,428 feeD tops the mesa
The northern edge of the mesa terminates in a
PERCEPTIONS bluff Of 1000 feet From 1t one looks
over the great Montezuma valley, with it's irri-
cation reservoirs and fertile fields, as from an
airplane. In the distance are shadowy purple
masses-the Rico Mountains and Lone Dome of
Colorado and the La SAILS, Blues and Bears Ears
Of Utah. To the south the mesa slopes to the
Mancos river and beyond is the Navajo reserva-
tion surrounded by the deep blue Carrisos OF
Arizona and the Luka Chukas and Tunichas of
New Mexico. And, 40 miles away. from the midst
of a sandy plain rises Ship Rock, 1904 feet high
which at sunset one is ready to swear is great
Old-fashioned wind-jammer under full sail
Mesa Verde, however, was not made a national
park because of its scenic beauty. It's primary
purpose is educational 1t is museum of antiqui-
ties, in which all the archaeological world has an
abiding interest
Mesa Verde the home Of that mysterious
prehistoric people we call the Cliff Dwellers It's
tuins and relies are the finest in all the American
northwest and in the world.
The American Southwest was old in civilization
many centuries before Columbus discovered Amer
Ice. Coronado, searching for the "Seven Cities
Of Cibola" in 1889, found the Zuni Indians of New
Mexico living in great community houses or pueb
los, with not even traditional knowledge of the
Cliff Dwellers. Scientists are now of the be-
Tier tnat the CHI dwellings, IN Mesa Verde were
abandoned by the Cliff Dwellers about 1900 years
ago Any estimate of how long they had lived
there before they disappeared from the face of the
earth is guesswork
The mesa in Mesa Verde slopes gradually from
its abrupt rise at the north end to the valley Of
the Mancos at the SOUTH Into this valley open
many small, high-walIed canyons. In the shelter
Of caves in the sides Of these canyons the best
preserved habitations of the Cliff Dwellers in
America. In prehistoric times considerable pop
hlation lived there. They practced agriculture
Sn the mesa above, raising corn, often by irrga-
tion. They worshiped the They possessed