Within a short time after the discovery of the major ruins a large
number of men were digging in the cliff dwellings of the Mesa Verde. The
Wetherills were able to sell several collections, one for $3000, and
word spread that digging was profitable.
That the ruins suffered greatly from the work done during the early
years is everywhere evident. Below is Long House, probably the saddest
example of what careless excavation did to the ruins. Long House was,
without doubt, the second largest cliff dwelling in the Mesa Verde,
rivaling Cliff Palace in size. Now little remains standing. But careful
study of foundations, broken bits of masonry and the outlines of rooms
on the cave walls indicates that the cave was once full of high
structures. The great mass of stones that can be seen sliding down into
the trees all across the front of the cave is an indication of the
amount of masonry that once stood in the cave. Tales have come down to
us indicating that dynamite was used by some of the early explorers in
opening up the ruins. Dynamite fuse found in Long House lends support to
these stories.
The work of some of the diggers was careless and ruthless. They had no
consideration for the ruins for their only thought was of the sales
value of the artifacts recovered. An indication of this can be seen in
the fact that a banker in a nearby town “grub staked” men to dig in the
ruins. Supplying them with food and equipment he received a percentage
of their profits from the sale of artifacts.
The vast wealth of material taken from the ruins was widely scattered
and much of it has disappeared. Of all those who excavated in the Mesa
Verde during the early years probably only the Wetherill brothers kept
records on what they found. Most of their collections were sold to
museums and the Wetherills were encouraged by the museums to keep
careful notes. These collections, even though they may now be in distant
parts of the world, have value because of the records the men kept.
In 1889 and 1890, a writer named F. H. Chapin spent several weeks in the
Mesa Verde traveling with the Wetherills. The extent of their
excavations is indicated by some of the statements in his famous book,
“The Land of the Cliff Dwellers.”
“Up to March 14, 1890, they had examined in all one hundred and
eighty-two houses.... They visited one hundred and six houses in Navaho
Canyon alone....”
The thoroughness with which the ruins were excavated can be seen by a
statement made by Charles Mason in writing about one of their collecting
trips. “In spite of the fact that all of the cliff dwellings had been
worked two or three times, we succeeded in making a very good showing.”
[Illustration: Long House
Long House is one of the many ruins in the remote western part of the
park. It was once the second largest cliff dwelling in the Mesa Verde.
Today little is left for much of it was demolished by the early
explorers. Fifteen kivas can be counted but because of the tumbled
condition it is impossible to estimate how many rooms it once contained.
One early writer who saw Long House in 1890, stated that it was the
largest cliff dwelling that had been discovered in this region. Perhaps
at that time much more of Long House was standing.]