Station 1. Spruce Tree House is the third largest cliff dwelling in
Mesa Verde National Park. It is built in a natural cave 216 feet in
length, 89 feet in greatest depth, and 60 feet in greatest height. The
complete dwelling contained about 114 rooms. Most of these were living
rooms, but there were many storerooms and 8 ceremonial rooms. It is
thought that between 200 and 250 people may have lived in this cliff
house at one time. It was occupied from about A.D. 1200 to, or shortly
before, A.D. 1300.
[Illustration: _The First Court_]
Station 2. Spruce Tree House is typical of the larger cliff dwellings
found in the Mesa Verde. It consists of several groups or blocks of
rooms around open courts. Within each court is an underground ceremonial
room called a kiva (Key-vah). Originally, there were flat roofs on these
kivas. These roofs formed the courtyard floor and provided work space
for daily activities. The rooms around the court were used primarily for
sleeping and storage and for shelter against the cold of winter.
The rooms are generally small, averaging 6 by 8 feet and 5½ feet high.
Floors and roofs of the second and third stories were made of large
poles covered with smaller sticks, then bark or grass, and a thick layer
of clay. A few of the rooms had fireplaces but most were without
interior light or heat. Probably one family occupied a room.
Compare the picture of the First Court with the dwelling to locate the
following:
A. These are unshaped building stones. Most of the building blocks used
in the dwelling were carefully shaped by the Indians before they were
set in place. The walls were built of stone with adobe clay as mortar,
much as we would build with brick. When a wall was finished, it was
often coated with a layer of clay plaster.
B. These were storage rooms.