7689.51
State: CO
County: Montezuma
Quad: Weatherill Mesa
Location: N 37° 14.269' W108° 30.228'
Elevation: 7689.51 ft.
Designation: 7689.51
Setting: Concrete monument
Type: Elevation Mark
Year: Unknown
Established By: National Park Service
Recovered: 15 September 2008
The Far View archaeological sites were the final stop on this afternoon's mesa tour. The sites are a collection of several structures used by Ancestral Puebloan communities 200 years before the famous Mesa Verde cliff dwellings were constructed. Far View House was the first mesa-top site excavated by Dr. Jesse Walter Fewkes, a noted anthropologist and archaeologist whose studies and excavations focused on the native tribal ruins of the Southwest.
While not specifically covering the Far View excavations, the following works by Fewkes detail some of his explorations in the Mesa Verde area:
The cliff-ruins in Fewkes Caņon, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Antiquities of the Mesa Verde national park, Sprucetree house
The elevation mark is set in a concrete monument that projects several inches above ground level. It's in a somewhat prominent location that might detract from the experience for some visitors (especially if they trip on it), but for me, because it's a survey mark, it added another dimension of interest to this day of historical adventures. Rich and I both smiled when we saw it from a distance.
National Park Service Official Description:
Official description unavailable.
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...National Park Service Elevation Mark 7689.51N 37° 14.269' W108° 30.228' |
...Eyelevel view of the small NPS disk in the concrete monument. |
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...Looking toward one of the Far View sites, with the monument in the foreground. |
...This sign illustrates the layout of the various mesa-top dwellings at Far View. |
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