Mesa Verde’s ancient Cliff Palace stayed hidden until two ranchers looked up during a blizzard – here’s the story

Wetherill and Mason’s Accidental Discovery of Cliff Palace

Two cowboys chasing stray cattle in a snowstorm on December 18, 1888, made history instead.

Richard Wetherill and Charlie Mason looked up through swirling snow to spot what their Ute friend Acowitz had called “a sacred place. ” Mason gasped, “It looks just like a palace.”

The name stuck. Cliff Palace had sat untouched for 700 years since the Ancestral Puebloans left.

Within just one day, they found two more massive dwellings.

Their discovery soon caught scientific attention and later pushed President Roosevelt to create Mesa Verde National Park in 1906.

Today, these ancient stone apartments still cling to canyon walls, waiting for you to stand where those awestruck cowboys once stood.

Quaker Ranchers Settled Colorado’s Mysterious Mesa

The Wetherill family moved to Colorado’s Mancos Valley in 1880 and set up Alamo Ranch near Mesa Verde. Benjamin and Marion brought their five sons to raise cattle on the high plateau.

Their Quaker background taught them to respect Native Americans instead of fear them. The boys learned to handle cattle across the rough landscape, often riding into unexplored canyons.

A local Ute guide named Acowitz told Richard Wetherill about special cliff homes in the area, calling them sacred places where “Utes never go.

Snowstorm Led Cowboys to America’s Greatest Cliff Dwelling

On December 18, 1888, Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charlie Mason rode through heavy snow looking for lost cattle. The weather pushed them deeper into Cliff Canyon than they usually went.

Richard looked up across the canyon and spotted something strange through the falling snow. Mason whispered, “It looks just like a palace,” when he saw the huge stone buildings with towers.

The site sat untouched for almost 700 years since the Ancestral Puebloans left.

Cowboys Climbed Down to Explore Ancient Rooms

Richard and Charlie made their way down into the alcove to check out the ruins. They found 150 rooms and 23 ceremonial kivas built into the massive cliff face.

The rooms had sandstone blocks held together with mortar made from soil, water, and ash. The men grabbed small items they could fit in their saddlebags to show their family.

This site, which Richard later called Cliff Palace, is North America’s largest cliff home, bigger than a football field.

Three Major Sites Found in Just One Day

After checking out Cliff Palace, the cowboys kept looking and soon found two more huge ruins. They came across Spruce Tree House within hours and spotted Square Tower House the same day.

The Wetherill family soon began a thorough search of Mesa Verde’s canyons, mapping what they found. The brothers logged more than 180 cliff home sites throughout the area.

Word about these amazing finds quickly spread beyond Colorado, catching attention across America.

Cattle Took a Backseat to Ancient Treasures

The Wetherills soon cared more about the ruins than their cattle. They started to list, take photos, and carefully dig for items at many sites.

The family sold collections to the Colorado Historical Society and gave items to the Smithsonian. Richard’s brother Benjamin Alfred had actually seen some ruins in 1887 but felt too tired to explore them then.

As more tourists and treasure hunters showed up, the family knew these special sites needed government protection.

Young Scientist Brought Proper Digging Methods

Gustaf Nordenskiöld, a 26-year-old Swedish scientist, came to the Wetherill ranch in July 1891 looking for guides. He stayed four months and did the first real study of the ruins.

Nordenskiöld taught Richard how to use trowels instead of shovels and showed him better digging methods. Together they carefully dug and took photos using step-by-step European methods.

The scientist took over 150 photos and detailed notes about everything they found.

First Book About Mesa Verde Changed Everything

Nordenskiöld printed “The Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde” in 1893, in both Swedish and English. His book became the first complete record of Mesa Verde archaeology.

The pages showed rich pictures with photos and drawings that caught world attention. His work set new standards for recording sites in the American Southwest.

The methods he taught changed how the Wetherills dug at all their future sites.

Taking Artifacts to Europe Caused Legal Trouble

Nordenskiöld tried to ship his big collection of items to Sweden in September 1891. Police arrested him in Durango for illegal digging and taking artifacts.

The court finally let him go after ruling no laws stopped anyone from sending such items abroad. His collection ended up at the Finnish National Museum in Helsinki, where it stays today.

The case sparked public anger about American treasures leaving the country.

Family Fought to Save Ancient City from Souvenir Hunters

The Wetherills led efforts to get government protection for Mesa Verde. They worried tourists and vandals would ruin the special sites.

B. K. Wetherill wrote letters saying “unless the Gov’t sees proper to make a national park… tourists will destroy them.”

Throughout the 1890s, people dug up more sites looking for pottery and tools to sell. Scientists joined the push for federal laws to save these ancient places for future generations.

New Law Protected American Antiquities

President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law on June 8, 1906. This created the first U.S. legislation that legally protected cultural resources on federal lands.

The law required permits for archaeological investigations and made unauthorized digging illegal. It established penalties for anyone who removed artifacts without permission.

The act gave presidents the authority to create national monuments from federal lands, a power Roosevelt quickly used.

Teddy Roosevelt Created America’s First Cultural Park

Mesa Verde became a national park on June 29, 1906, just weeks after the Antiquities Act passed. Roosevelt established it as the first national park specifically created to “preserve the works of man.”

The park protected over 52,000 acres of archaeological sites in southwestern Colorado. Mesa Verde later became the first U.S. site designated as a UNESCO World Heritage location in 1978.

The park serves as a model for cultural preservation that inspired protection of archaeological sites across America.

Visiting Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado lets you visit Cliff Palace, the massive cliff dwelling that cowboys Richard Wetherill and Charlie Mason found in 1888 while chasing cattle through a snowstorm. You need reservations through Recreation.

gov for the $8 ranger-led tours, available 14 days ahead at 8am. Tours run every 30 minutes from 9am to 3:30pm with 50 people max.

The 45-minute tour has four ladders and covers a quarter-mile. Park entrance costs $30 per vehicle.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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