From ancient times to the present, the forest before you has provided many of the things people need to survive and thrive. Game animals and fish, along with berries, roots, and other plant foods, provide sustenance. Clear mountain rivers, creeks, . . . — — Map (db m295502) HM
Imagine that a group from a foreign country claimed your home as their own. Their culture is very different and they don't speak your language. You learn that you can defend your ownership, but only in the other's language and by rules you don't . . . — — Map (db m295554) HM
What is a National Heritage Area? A national heritage area is a region recognized by the United States Congress for its unique qualities and resources — natural, scenic, cultural, historic, and recreational. Rich in history, religion, . . . — — Map (db m295490) HM
Long before anyone claimed this land as their own, it was used for hunting, gathering, and spiritual pursuits by various groups of indigenous people. Navajos, Utes, Apaches, Pueblos, and other tribal groups migrated to and through the area. . . . — — Map (db m295553) HM
A major encounter between the U.S. Army and a large group of Utes and Jicarilla Apaches occurred here in July 1848. Old Bill Williams, the famous scout and guide, was badly wounded while fighting the Utes, who had once adopted him as a tribesman. — — Map (db m280188) HM
[left to right]
This Payan corrugated jar was found here at the Pit House site and was used for storage of corn, beans and wild seeds.
Mancos [and] Payan Corrugated
This style of pottery was often used for cooking. The corrugations helped . . . — — Map (db m160560) HM
The Northern San Juan Surface Pit House that was constructed here is composed of one large room used as a dwelling area and 3 rectangular room blocks used for storage.
[Left illustration caption reads]
Typical cross-section of surface pit . . . — — Map (db m160562) HM
Kivas or Ceremonial Houses were not only used for religious ceremonies but may have been used for governmental and social events as well. Kivas varied in size and had flat or cribbed roofs.
The cribbed roofs of kivas were constructed of logs . . . — — Map (db m160561) HM
Rising from a 90-million-year-old seabed. Chimney Rock's twin towers stand 300 feet above the surrounding mesa. The Europeans who first saw them probably approached from due east, obscuring their view of the westernmost spire. As a result, Spanish . . . — — Map (db m293894) HM
This building, constructed in the late 1890s, houses Pagosa Springs' oldest business. David Lowenstein, the original proprietor, arrived in the San Juans in 1876. He and his wife, Fanny, reached Pagosa Springs on the first train in October of 1900. . . . — — Map (db m281892) HM
Commencing in 1905, George, James, and Elmer Hatcher operated a hardware store at this location. The store advertised sporting goods and funeral services. The existing building was constructed following the fire of 1943. The second geothermal well . . . — — Map (db m293891) HM
The Star Theatre occupied this site until 1919 and had been originally constructed as a part of the Archuleta Mercantile. After two fires, the Mercantile was reconstructed as the Metropolitan Hotel and the Star Theatre was resurrected as the . . . — — Map (db m293804) HM
A 1919 fire destroyed the original Archuleta Mercantile building at this site. From 1919 to 1920, Alexander Sullenberger, founder of the Pagosa Lumber Company, built the “strictly modern” Metropolitan Hotel and Star (Liberty) Theatre. The Hotel . . . — — Map (db m293888) HM
Pagosa Springs has a rich history, beginning with the Anasazi Indians. Later the Utes, Navajos and Apaches inhabited this beautiful corner of the Southwest. They also visited the great “Pagosah” hot springs which they believed had curative . . . — — Map (db m27527) HM
Geothermal Energy Early settlers in Pagosa Springs took full advantage of the comforts afforded by the mineral waters. Many built special bathing rooms attached to their homes, the better to soak in privacy; others (beginning in the 1900s) . . . — — Map (db m293893) HM
Questions Unanswered
A thousand years ago, a civilization flourished here. What pulled people here — and why did they leave after 200 years?
Why did they build so high above the fields in the valley, the water, and other resources? . . . — — Map (db m153328) HM
The Old Spanish Trail was neither entirely Spanish nor Particularly old. But the name seemed to fit this rugged road, which passed about thirty miles south of here as it stretched from Santa Fe to California. Franciscan pathfinders Dominguez and . . . — — Map (db m293895) HM
Learning About Our Past, Preserving Our Legacy
The extraordinary archaeological resources at Chimney Rock have helped illuminate the history of the ancestral Puebloans who lived here over a thousand years ago. They built structures from the . . . — — Map (db m153331) HM
