Wetherill collection garners two books

Wetherill collection garners two books

Sept. 25, 2001

By Janelle Holden
journal staff writer

The Wetherill Archives project gained two important additions to its collection this month. Two books — a first edition of The Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde by Mesa Verde National Park explorer Gustaf Nordenskiold, and the History of Finland, by a compilation of authors, both with personal inscriptions from the Nordenskiolds — were donated to the archives project by descendants of the original Wetherill family.

The books will be housed at the Anasazi Heritage Center, which is now home to the entire collection of letters, photographs, and other written materials from the Wetherill family. The Wetherills are credited with discovering many of Mesa Verde National Park’s ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and ruins.

Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law were searching for cattle in 1888 when they found what is now one of Mesa Verde National Park’s main attractions, Cliff Palace. They later found Spruce Tree and Square Tower houses, and during a 15-month period of exploring they claimed to have entered 182 cliff dwellings.

Fred Blackburn, a Cortez researcher instrumental in gathering the Wetherill materials, said Nordenskiold’s book has an appraised value of $3,500, and the other is unknown. Nordenskiold’s book documents the Swedish explorer’s discoveries and photographs during his visit to Mesa Verde National Park in the late 1800s.

In July 1891, Nordenskiold and John Wetherill began searching Long House Ruin, located on what is now called Wetherill Mesa, named for the family by Nordenskiold. Nordenskiold’s collection of artifacts from Wetherill Mesa is now housed at the National Museum in Helsinki, Finland.

The Wetherills’ explorations stretched past Mesa Verde and into other parts of the Four Corners.

"They had some influence on, or worked at or explored, several areas that are now national monuments or national parks in this area," explained LouAnn Jacobson, the director of the Anasazi Heritage Center.

"It’s become an enormous collection," said Blackburn, who estimated that 1,000 photographs and 3,000 letters and papers are included.

Some of the gems of the collections, according to Jacobson, are letters written by the father of the family, Benjamin Wetherill, to the U.S. Department of Interior, explaining the value and type of archaeological resources in the area. There are also letters from and to author Zane Grey, President Teddy Roosevelt, and many area archaeologists.

"When you start looking at it, it’s pretty interesting, the people that they were in touch with, archaeologists and government people. They have some pretty far-reaching contacts in a variety of areas," Jacobson said.

The collection also includes a guest registry from the Wetherill’s Alamo Ranch, including the names of all the people the Wetherill took on tours from 1889 through 1902.

Blackburn said the collections originate from Win Wetherill, Al Wetherill, Charlie Mason, John Wetherill, and Richard Wetherill.

The papers also reveal the progression of how the Wetherill family documented the archaeological artifacts they found in the area. Jacobson says the family went from being amateurs to doing a "pretty decent job" of documentation.

The collection helps document the history of archaeological work in the region, and protects it from future damage, according to Jacobson.

"It’s nice that the family recognized the significance of what they had, and realized that although it’s nice to have the stuff in your personal possession, it’s not always the safest place," said Jacobson.

Blackburn said that the archiving process is currently being funded privately and by donation, but he’s actively seeking donations to help continue the archiving. He estimates that it will take two people at least a year’s worth of work to finish archiving the collection.