CORTEZ
Colorado Historical Society (CHS) informative kiosk located at CDOT rest area on US-160, installed 1998
PANEL 1 TITLE: CORTEZ
Sleeping Ute Mountain
Sprawling ten miles across the ghighlands west of here, Sleeping Ute Mountain comprises no fewer than seven separate peaks—and at least as many legends. According to one, the mountain took shape eons ago when a giant warrior was wounded during a cataclysmic battle. He lay on his back and fell asleep; his blood turned to water, and his blankets began to change from gree in summer to white in winter. Visible from one hundred miles away, this landmark has guided travelers for centuries. Some believe the Sleeping Ute will rise one day and bring glory to his people; but even in slumber he inspires hope—a cultural and spiritual focus for the Utes.
Cortez
M. J. Mack, a water engineer for the Montezuma Valley Water Supply Company, laid out Cortez in 1886 on land owned by company manager and co-owner James W. Hanna. Unfortunately, he neglected to identify a source for drinking water; residents had to haul it in by the keg until 1890, when a ditch line from the Dolores River finally opened. Farmers and ranchers trickled in over the next fifty years. Though mining increased the area’s population from the mid-1870s, after World War II uranium, vanadium, coal, and natural gas reserves brought a new wave of settlers. In the 1980s tourism emerged as a major industry. Ringed by Mesa Verde national Park, Hovenweep National Monument, the Anasazi Heritage Center, and Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez today proclaims itself the “archaeological capital of the United States.”
Also found on this panel:
Picture postcard of Sleeping Ute Mountain
(Caption) Sleeping Ute Mountain is aptly named, for it closely resembles a slumbering giant. From either side, its silhouette assumes the form of a reclining warrior, complete with flowing headdress, folded arms, and legs stretched in repose. A distinctive landmark, Sleeping Ute Mountain became a popular subject of postcards, such as this one.
Colorado Historical Society
Photo of Cortez
(Caption) Main Street, Cortez, Colorado, c. 1945
Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection
PANEL 2 TITLE: FOUR CORNERS
Ancient Valley Cultures
Their homes may now be less visible than the cliff dwellings of their Mesa Verde neighbors, but the ancient farmers of southwestern Colorado were far more numerous. By the twelfth century perhaps 12,000 people tilled the green canyons and plateaus of the Montezuma Valley, raising beans, squash, and corn. They lived in underground structures and, later, masonry pueblos; and they crafted fine stone tools, elegant pottery, and intricate baskets. Then, for several reasons—perhaps a long period of drought, perhaps the threat of hostile neighbors, perhaps depletion of natural resources—they left their villages around AD 1300. Archaeologists believe many of them migrated south, establishing new settlements, or joining existing ones, that gave rise to modern-day Pueblo culture.
The Four Corners
The term “Four Corners” dates to 1868, when new territorial demarcations created America’s lone quad-state conjunction. But nations intersected here hundreds of years before those boundaries were drawn. In the seventeenth century the four cornerstones were the Spanish, the Utes, the Navajos, and the Apaches; descendants of all are still here today. With its severe climate and rugged terrain, the Four Corners region possesses a powerful mystique; as recently as the 1870s portions of the area had never been seen by non-Indians. Though mining, tourism, and agriculture all left their mark here during the twentieth century, the Four Corners remains imbued with a sense of the eternal. It is one of North America’s most spectacular places, a land of unparalleled beauty and a rich cultural history.
Also found on this panel:
Photo of petroglyphs
(Caption) Petroglyphs in McElmo Canyon. Much rock art has degraded over time due to weather and to vandalism—even well-intentioned visitors can damage images by rubbing or touching the stone. The hand of vandals is apparent here.
Colorado Historical Society
Photo of archaeological excavation
(Caption) Excavating a site near Yellow Jacket, Colorado, c. 1975
Colorado Historical Society
Photo of Pueblo settlement
(Caption) Located northwest of Cortez, the Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. This structure at the Lowry Pueblo is a good example of coursed masonry construction whose smooth edges and symetrically shaped sandstone blocks reflect a high degree of craftsmanship.
Colorado Historical Society
PANEL 3: SOUTHWEST SURVIVAL
Dryland Farming
The first workable system for farming Colorado’s dry southwestern plateau emerged near here some 2,000 years ago. Over the next twelve centuries, ancient farmers gradually developed a series of techniques—water storage, plant breeding, precise planting cycles, and (beginning around 900) check-dam irrigation—to coax crops from the desert. What they couldn’t control through technology, they sought to influence through ritual and prayer. These early farmers planted smaller fields and reaped thinner harvests than their modern-day counterparts, but the magnitude of their accomplishments cannot be overestimated. In addition to building the first settlements in present-day Colorado, they perfected a model for dryland farming.
Even with this technology of the twenty-first century, this is not an easy land to master. Surviving here with first-century technology required toughness, ingenuity, and faith. The extremes of temperature and scarcity of water helped shape the culture of ancient populations; they, in turn, brought their culture to bear on the land. From the sixth century on, local populations farm extensively, and by the tenth century their small check-dams and reservoirs provided water to help make these acres fertile. They also developed weaving, yucca ropes, and crafted turquoise jewelry. Throughout the period they conducted a brisk trade with neighbors to acquire whatever the earth of their inventiveness could not provide. What little they had to work with, these primeval pioneers work to perfection-—hey survived in this harsh land for more than a thousand years.
Also found on this panel:
Photo of pottery
(Caption) Black and white pottery near Cortez. The pottery styles, from left to right, are Piedra, Cortez, and Mancos, and all date between AD 900 and 1100.
Colorado Historical Society
Painting of Pueblo man farming maize
(Caption) using efficient and ingenious techniques, the ancestral Puebloans were able to creat a sustainable agricultural system that lasted for over a thousand years.
Courtesy National Park Service
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