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MONTEZUMA COUNTY |
CortezBAXSTROM UPPER PLACE HOMESTEAD HOUSE The homestead house, constructed in 1933 by a father and son, illustrates
building techniques reflecting the influence and traditions of the Baxstroms’
grandfather, a well-known local mason. The construction method represents the
application of readily available local materials during a period of economic depression. CANNONBALL RUINS This large settlement, occupied between AD1140 and AD1300, possesses the distinctive characteristics of "Hovenweep-type" architecture and construction methods and illustrates the shift of residential settlements to the rim of entrenched canyons. Sylvanus Morley, an important figure in American archaeology directed his first excavation at the ruin in 1908. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. ERTEL FUNERAL HOME The 1936 building incorporates such Mission style features as a tile roof, stucco finish, an arched entry, and a campanario (vertical wall projection holding a bell). The flat roof sections and vegas are elements seen in the Pueblo Revival style. HOVENWEEP NATIONAL MONUMENT Extending into Utah, these ruins are noted for their square, oval, circular, and D-shaped towers, some three-to-four stories in height. The actual function of the towers is not known. Some archaeologists theorize that they are long-distance signaling structures, while others believe they were defensive architecture. LOWRY RUIN Ancient Pueblo people constructed the multi-storied, 50-room village about A.D. 1061 on top of the ruins of 8th century pithouses. Used for living quarters and ritual ceremonies by a community of about 100 people, today the ruins exhibit fine masonry construction and a kiva once plastered with bold geometric designs. The site contains one of the largest great kivas found in southwestern Colorado. MAXWELL COMMUNITY Located within the McElmo River drainage, the site marks the location of a loose cluster of 20 individual habitations or pueblos that were occupied between AD 1000-1250. MESA VERDE ADMINISTRATION DISTRICT The core administrative buildings at Mesa Verde--the superintendent's residence (1921), park headquarters building (1923), post office (1923), ranger club (1925), museum (1923-4), and community building (1927)--are the first National Park Service structures to experiment with architectural designs based in strong local cultural traditions. The buildings are excellent examples of the Pueblo Revival style, in this instance modified to reflect and enhance the interpretation of the prehistoric structures of the surrounding area. MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT This is the most extensive and well-developed example of pre-historic cliff dwellings in the United States. The ruins trace the development of the Anasazi as they moved from the early pithouses on the mesa-tops to the large apartment complexes built in caves on the cliff walls of the canyons. More than 4,000 excavated and unexcavated mesa-top and cliff-side sites dot the more than 50,000 nominated acres of the park. Declared a National Park in 1906, Mesa Verde is also important as a landmark of cultural preservation in the United States. It was one of the nation's earliest attempts to preserve a large tract of archaeological ruins and a collection of artifacts through federal legislation. MITCHELL SPRINGS RUIN GROUP This prehistoric community was occupied from at least AD 800 to the mid-13th century. It may yield important discoveries relating to social history, agriculture, architecture, commerce, and community planning and development. Although much has been backfilled to preserve and protect the resources, it contains a range of architectural styles associated with all three Pueblo periods. Two significant features include an unusually large kiva and a unique D-shaped tri-wall structure. It also played a major role in the development of the Prudden "unit pueblo" concept, a basic architectural form for these prehistoric people. MONTEZUMA VALLEY NATIONAL BANK The 1908 sandstone building is the oldest extant bank building in Cortez. It was the town's first and only banking institution until 1957. Incorporating Classical Revival elements, the building is representative of turn-of-the-century commercial construction. MUD SPRINGS PUEBLO One of the largest prehistoric communities in Colorado, Mud Springs consists of at least 16 major architectural features including large roomblocks, towers, and tri-walled structures. This is one of several Montezuma valley sites that share broad similarities but also display differences in terms of layout, house types, public architecture, and perhaps time spans. This site was badly looted prior to its rescue in the 1980s. ROY'S RUIN Occupied in the early A.D. 1200s, this small habitation site is a classic Prudden Unit, containing a masonry roomblock, a kiva, a tower, and a midden. A relatively undisturbed site with intact cultural deposits, it contains archaeological data that may address a wide variety of research questions. Listed under the Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. SAND CANYON Restricted information. The property is associated with the Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission.
Exhibiting four distinct construction periods, the site includes a multi-story Great House, a small unit pueblo, and a reservoir. Wallace Ruin has yielded important information about prehistoric pueblo communities during the rise and fall of the Chaco culture and the cultural dynamics that preceded abandonment of the region. The site's layout, architectural engineering, and masonry styles embody the distinctive features of Chaco Great House monumental architecture. The property is associated with the Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. YUCCA HOUSE NATIONAL MONUMENT Set aside as a National Monument in 1919, this Chacoan "outlier" site with tree ring dates of A.D. 1163 through 1263 represents a culmination of the long sequence of Formative Period cultural development of southwestern Colorado. This habitation site with public architecture, including a great kiva, has the potential to address questions regarding population dynamics and abandonment, agricultural techniques and water control systems, and social and political integration. DoloresANASAZI ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT The focus of one of the largest federally funded cultural resource mitigation efforts ever funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the district has seen a wide variety of human visitation and occupation over time. Firm evidence of regular human occupation dates from about 3000 B.C. onward, with the most intensive peopling occurring in the developmental Anasazi tradition. It is now largely submerged. ESCALANTE RUIN Noted in the journals of Father Silvestre Escalante during a 1776 expedition, this is the first recorded archaeological site in what is now the state of Colorado. Comprised of a nine-room surface pueblo with an enclosed kiva, it was originally constructed during the Pueblo II period (A.D. 900 to 1100) and continued in use into the Pueblo III phase (A.D. 1100 to 1300). The partially excavated Chacoan outlier is part of the Anasazi Heritage Center and is open to the public. GALLOPING GOOSE ENGINE NO. 5 This gasoline-powered narrow gauge railroad car, constructed in 1933, provided the Rio Grande Southern Railroad with a cost saving alternative to the more expensive steam locomotive passenger trains and allowed the company to continue operating in the San Juans until 1952. A gasoline engine is under the hood of a 1928 Pierce-Arrow touring car. The passenger section, a later modification to the car's original design, is a 1946 Wayne school bus body. The rear section, designed for baggage, is a large wood frame compartment covered with galvanized tin. The Galloping Goose Historical Society in Dolores restored the rail car to operation condition. LEBANON SCHOOL The school is associated with the educational, recreational, and social activities of the Lebanon community. It is an interesting example of the Classical Revival style in a rural schoolhouse. O'BRIEN SITE This residential cluster of eleven unit pueblos with a focus of occupation between A.D. 1075 and 1150 has potential to yield important information about community formation and population dynamics in the central Mesa Verde region. As the site is larger than a household but smaller than a community, it holds an important place in the evolution of prehistoric Puebloan society. R.S.S. Fox House The 1917 house is a good local expression of the
Craftsman style. Despite
the enclosure of the porch, the home possesses distinctive characteristics
of the style as seen in the full-width front porch with its short, square
columns resting on larger piers, the triangular knee braces along the sloping
edges of the roof, and the roof’s overhanging open eaves with exposed rafters.
The porte cochère (covered carriage or automobile entryway) is an element
infrequently seen in Craftsman homes. The interior of the houses also reflects
the Craftsman style with its oak fireplace and tile surround, the pedestal
colonnaded cased openings with built-in bookcases, and the plate rail. The
Fox House is the largest residential example of the Craftsman style in
Dolores, and it is the only house in town with a porte cochère. At the
time of construction, Fox worked in the Dolores bank and also sold insurance. THE SOUTHERN HOTEL/RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN HOTEL Constructed in 1893, with a 1902 addition, this is the oldest building in Dolores. The 2½-story building, which took its name from the railroad line, was the first hotel in town. For many years, it was the only hotel in Dolores and the only railroad eating house between Durango and Telluride. Since its construction, the Southern has been in continuous use as a boarding house and hotel. MancosBAUER BANK BUILDING 
The 1905 building is the only remaining evidence of the town’s successfully orchestrated effort to defy the Rio Grande Southern Railroad by constructing substantial commercial buildings southeast of the railroad’s siding. This effort established the commercial core of the town closer to the river and set the pattern of development for Mancos as it is known today. The other commercial buildings at this intersection have all been lost, only the Bauer Bank Block remains. It is the oldest surviving commercial masonry building in the Mancos Valley, and the only historic commercial building left in town that employs the once popular combination of sandstone and brick. BAUER HOUSE Constructed in 1889, the property is associated with the early settlement of Mancos and was the residence of George Bauer, a pioneer merchant and banker, who occupied the house until his death in 1905. He was also a stone mason and assisted in the construction. In 1881, Bauer established the first store in Mancos. BEMENT SITE Consisting of one architectural unit that dates between A.D. 750 and 850 and six architectural units that were generally occupied between A.D. 1000 and 1150, the site has the potential to yield important information regarding village organization during the Pueblo I and II periods. LOST CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT The Lost Canyon settlement may establish the extreme northern extension of Mesa Verde related habitation communities. The appearance of multi-room, stone masonry structures concentrated along high elevation, south facing canyon rims, cliffs and talus slopes, is a well defined settlement pattern characteristic of the Four Corners region during the Late Pueblo II and Early Pueblo III period extending from A.D. 1050-1300. MANCOS HIGH SCHOOL The 1909 two-story sandstone building was the first high school constructed in Montezuma County. The building was not only an important educational facility; it was also used as a community meeting place after the gymnasium/auditorium was built in 1920. The building is noted for its distinctive design and the fine workmanship of the locally quarried stone. MANCOS OPERA HOUSE Completed in 1910, the red brick building with cast concrete trim was the center of widespread community activity in Mancos and drew people from neighboring towns. Designed in the early 20th century Commercial style, it is one of the largest commercial buildings in Mancos and Montezuma County. Although it has the appearance of a three story building on the exterior, the large second floor has a high ceiling designed to accommodate a wide variety of social and recreational activities, from dances and sporting events to stage productions. WRIGHTSMAN HOUSE Constructed in 1903, the building is a product of Late Victorian architecture, employing elements from several styles. Its eclectic design and stone construction are very unusual for Mancos. Pleasant ViewJAMES A. LANCASTER SITE / CLAWSON RUIN This very large complex of largely undisturbed pueblo ruins displays significant potential for archaeological research because of its integrity. The surface evidence suggests that the site may have been a favored settlement location over a long period of pueblo development, thereby providing the opportunity for studying the evolution of the site. PIGGE SITE In an area with numerous pueblo ruins, this pueblo site is noteworthy because of its size and the presence of unusual features-notably the great kiva and an abundance of red ware pottery sherds. The site shows potential for significant archaeological research because of its large size, integrity, and proximity to Lowry Ruin. PUZZLE HOUSE Puzzle House is a multi-component Ancestral Pueblo habitation site that attracted residents at three different times, beginning as early as AD 650 and twice later from about AD 1075-1225. It is the only extensively tested unit pueblo of the Lowry archaeological area, one of the largest prehistoric communities in southwestern Colorado. TowaocUTE MOUNTAIN UTE MANCOS CANYON HISTORIC DISTRICT The archaeological resources of Mesa Verde and this adjoining area constitute the largest archaeological preserve in the United States. This 125,000-acre private park contains thousands of pueblo ruins and cliff dwellings. The ruins of Mancos Canyon are some of the best preserved remains existing of the Anasazi Culture of the Four Corners Country. Yellow JacketALBERT PORTER PUEBLO The multi-roomblock settlement was occupied in the late 1100s and early 1200s. The site has the potential to provide information about the nature and organization of prehistoric communities. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. BASS SITE The site comprises the residential, political and ceremonial core of a larger dispersed community that occupied the area in the late 1100s and early 1200s. The site has the ability to yield important information regarding the organization of prehistoric communities and the nature of political and ceremonial leadership. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. SEVEN TOWERS PUEBLO This well preserved large canyon oriented settlement, dating to the late Pueblo III period (A.D. 1150-1300), has the potential to yield important information about the conditions that led to regional abandonment and the role of intensified horticulture. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. JOE BEN WHEAT SITE COMPLEX Consisting of three multi-component sites, the complex has the potential to provide important information about the design and development of Ancestral Puebloan communities. While there is evidence of earlier habitation, the most extensive, visible and impressive architectural elements are from the Great Pueblo Period (A.D. 1075-1300). Its over 90 rooms, 14 kivas, and a dance plaza constitutes one of the largest satellite settlements of the thirteenth-century community known today as Yellow Jacket. The largest archaeological collection at the University of Colorado Museum comes from these three sites. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. WOODS CANYON PUEBLO An excellent example of a 13th century village built in the open on the rim of a small canyon, the site has the potential to provide important information regarding prehistoric community organization, horticulture, and regional abandonment. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. YELLOWJACKET PUEBLO / SUROUARO Yellowjacket Pueblo is considered one of the largest habitation sites with public architecture in the Mesa Verde region. The expanded State Register boundary includes a 24-acre tract immediately adjacent to the 45-acre National Register parcel. 5MT.4700 This well preserved example of a small multiple-household was occupied between AD 1200-1250. The site can provide important information about the development of Mesa Verde cultural tradition and kiva architecture. Listed under Great Pueblo Period of the McElmo Drainage Unit, A.D. 1075-1300 Multiple Property Submission. |
Cortez vicinity
WALLACE RUIN