Life on the Pajarito Plateau

Life on the Pajarito Plateau. Los Alamos Historic District Walking Tour. Volcanic eruptions from more than a million years ago and subsequent erosion formed the Pajarito (little bird) Plateau. From the top of Pajarito Mountain to the Rio Grande at the bottom of White Rock Canyon, the plateau's mountainsides, mesas, and canyons have been home to various people groups for 800 years. With its dry climate, high altitude, and rugged terrain, the plateau has never been an easy place to live. Ancestral Puebloans, and later homesteaders, used the plateau for farming and grazing. Access was challenging and crops were seasonal, leading many to winter in the Rio Grande Valley. In the early 1900s, homesteader and agronomist H.H. Brook worked to develop innovative ways to grow crops at his "Los Alamos Ranch," located where Fuller Lodge stands. The unique terrain of the plateau was perfectly suited for the secrecy of the Manhattan Project and the Lab that continues the spirit of science and innovation here today., Bottom: Ranch School boys on Pajarito Mountain above the Valles Caldera, circa 1920s; Right top to bottom: Homesteaders used wagons to transport goods to and from the mesas; The bridge near Buckman, NM provided for vehicle access during the Ranch School years, circa 1920s. (photos courtesy Los Alamos Historical Society) Los Alamos Main Gate at the top of "Main Hill" before the fence came down and Los Alamos became an open city, circa 1940s. (photos LANL), Pick up a copy of the Historical Walking Tour Guide at the Los Alamos History Museum, Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos Nature Center, any of the Visitor Centers, or one of the visitor guide kiosks around town. Download one by scanning the QR code, or go to visitlosalamos.org.