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Cliff
Palace
Mesa Verde National Park |
Courtesy, Library
of Congress
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San Juan Skyway
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Wayside Excursion: Virginia McClurg
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| Concerned
by the destruction of the ancient walls of the cities of Mesa Verde
by treasure-seeking profiteers, Virginia McClurg spent almost 20
years of her life working to save the cliff dwellings. From 1887
to 1906 McClurg engaged in a political campaign to inform the American
public and members of Congress about the need to preserve this important
window to the past. |
| McClurg traveled the country making speeches,
wrote poetry, and gained the support of 250,000 women on behalf
of the preservation of Mesa Verde. She founded the Colorado Cliff
Dwellers Association whose purpose it was to restore and preserve
the cliff and pueblo ruins in the state of Colorado, disseminate
knowledge about prehistoric peoples, collect relics, and acquire
property as was necessary to attain the objects. McClurg also lectured
in Europe and spoke on behalf of Mesa Verde to many scientific organizations.
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When Congressional support
was finally secured, it was discovered that the major ruins of
Mesa Verde were not included in the lands withdrawn for the park.
The bill was quickly amended to include any ruins within five
miles of the park and was passed on June 23, 1906. With President
Roosevelt's signature, Mesa Verde National Park was created on
June 29, 1906, and Virginia McClurg's persistence was finally
rewarded.
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| Mesa Verde
cliff dwellings |
Courtesy, Bud
Rath
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Virginia McClurg
Courtesy, Denver Public Library, Western History Department
Virginia McClurg spent almost 20 years of her life working to save the cliff dwellings.
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Mesa
Verde Cliff Palace
Courtesy, Bud Rath
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Pottery recovered from Mesa Verde National Park
Courtesy, National Park Service
The pottery pictured, in the photos above and below, are recovered Native American ceramics, from Mesa Verde National Park.
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Pottery recovered from Mesa Verde National Park
Courtesy, National Park Service
The Ancestral Puebloans make and use pottery differently in four distinct periods. Both styles and craftsmanship become more refined.
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PCliff dwellings
Courtesy, Bud Rath
Recent national park records show that more than 700,000 people visit Mesa Verde National Park each year. |
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