Near Dolores in Montezuma County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Mountain Mahogany
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025
1. Mountain Mahagony Marker
Mountain mahogany is best identified by its leaves, which are toothed, oval-shaped and fuzzy. The seeds are attached to unique spiral, feathery "tails". This plant grows on dry, rocky slopes at elevations from 3,000 to 9,500 feet. It is an excellent browse for deer and elk.
Charred mountain mahogany remains found in hearths and middens at sites near the Dolores River area suggest use as a prehistoric fuel. Agricultural implements, scrapers and a stirring stick were recovered from cliff dwellings in southwest Colorado.
Karen Adams, ethnobotanist
Erected by The Colorado Historical Society, the Bureau of Land Management, the Family of Nellie Mulnix Joy and the Frankston Family.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 37° 28.683′ N, 108° 32.84′ W. Marker is near Dolores, Colorado, in Montezuma County. It can be reached from State Highway 184 at milepost 7, on the right when traveling west. The marker is on the Escalante Pueblo Trail at the Canyons of the Ancients National
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West, in Colorado Plateau, and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gambel Oak (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Piρon (about 300 feet away); Juniper (about 300 feet away); Farmland... Now & Then (about 300 feet away); Prickly Pear Cactus (about 300 feet away); Big Sagebrush (about 300 feet away); Wildlife or Relatives? (about 400 feet away); Great Sage Plain, Colorado and Utah (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dolores.
Also see . . . Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus sp.) (National Park Service).
Excerpt: The wood of the mountain mahogany is exceptionally hard and heavy,(Submitted on December 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)and some varieties such as the curl-leaf mountain mahogany are so dense that they will not float in water. This makes mountain mahogany a perfect source for sturdy, durable wooden tools. Native peoples throughout the southwest used the wood of mountain mahogany to make various tools, and the Hopi even used the bark to make reddish-brown dye to color leather.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 20252. Mountain Mahogany Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025
3. Mountain Mahogany Seeds
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2025
4. Mountain Mahagony (on the right)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 48 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
