Dear friends and family . . . This will be my fourth try to get this blog out to all of you. I have been in two different KOA sites and two different hotels and still have not been at a place where I can get the photos attached in the blog uploaded. It seems that all these places advertise that they have Wi-Fi, but they all suck!! So . . . now at a new KOA, located outside Carlsbad, NM, I hope that by sitting right next to the office, that I can make this work!
Here goes nothing . . .
Tucked away in a far corner of southwest Colorado, somewhere out there between Canyonland National Park and Mesa Verde National Park, is this incredible place . . . Hoovenweep National Monument. But let me guess, like me you never heard of the place . . . am I correct?? One of my many goals in this journey has been to see as much as I could of this country, and Hoovenweep popped up along the way, so I had to see what it was all about.
Hoovenweep Pueblo Unit House
Hoovenweep is a series of three Pueblo villages across a 65-acre area. Two of the villages are on Park maintained property, while the third site is located on the Navajo Reservation. The buildings are amazingly well preserved for their age. Most were built circa 1100 – 1200 AD (all abandoned between 1260 and 1280 AD.) The Park service maintains the structures but has not tried to rebuild them (unless it was required to keep the structure from collapsing!)
Fortress Building. Named for the location at the top of a rock spire, it is believed that this was a rally point for the Pueblo people of this village if there was a hostile attack. Pueblo people were primarily non-violent, but some of their neighbors were not!This is the Fortress Building from across the valley. You can see that the access to this structure would have been very limited if the ladders were all pulled up. Interestingly, the sides of the Pueblo structures that we would consider the “back side” have no access points or windows. This is believed to have been an additional defense method.This is Rock House. You can see how the natural structure of the rock overhang was used to create a dwelling.Side by side circular structures. The one on the left has a doorway on the opposite side, while access to the structure on the righ appears to have been below the ledge at the bottom where you can see the widow-like opening.Tower Structure. Buildings like this can be found scattered around the various Pueblo areas. This structure is positioned on the edge of the cliff looking down the long, narrow valley that divides this village.Storage Structure. This building has almost totally collapsed but based on its location in the bottom of the valley, and the grains that were uncovered inside the base, this is believed to have been a village storage structure.Truly one of the most beautiful structures, this square tower connected to the circular tower is architecturally fascinating. The use of these structures is not clearly known, but both structures appear to have had numerous floors for living and/or storage.The back side of the square tower/circular tower structure.One of my personal favorites!! The square tower is almost inaccesible on the rock that it is built on top of. This would have been a very simple location to defend. Opposite, on the edge of the valley is another family structure facing into the valley, while the back of the building faces towards the top of the mesa where possible hostile threats might approach from. I really would have liked to climb into the tower, but that is a great way to get into VERY BIG trouble with the Park Rangers!! This is called the Unit Structure. It is believed to have been a family dwelling, possibly the home of the elder leader of this Pueblo group. It appears to have been at least a two-story structure and could have housed as many as seven family members.A different Unit House with a separate smaller structure in the background.A multi-roomed, multi-story structure, almost like a sprawling ranch house, with rooms at different levels and various access points.Structures exist in many different places. Pueblo people utilized whatever nature provided to create storage rooms and dwellings, as can be seen by this two-room structure built under the rock overhang.My spirt animal is the Raven, and oddly enough, as I hiked around the last of the three Hoovenweep sites, I was joined by this gorgeous bird. He flew from structure to structure, always watching me, always making clicking noises with his beak! Either it was there to keep me from doing anything silly, like climbing where I wasn’t supposed to go . . . or it was just looking for a hand out!
If you have not been following the weather news, the american southwest has been getting hammered for the last couple of weeks with monsoon rains. These rains have left rivers running through Las Vegas, Mud flash floods down Mainstreet in Moab, Utah, and ruined most of the desert access roads that I was planning to go off-roading on. (I did get in some off roading around Goblin Valley up a dry river wash!)
I am scheduled to tour Carlsbad Caverns, NM, tomorrow, but the river overflowed last night (3″ rainfall overnight in Carlsbad, NM!) and the Park Service is digging out the access road to the caverns and visitor center. I will not know for certain if I can access the Park until tomorrow. I have already scheduled an extra day in the park and at this KOA just in case I need the time for the park to dig itself out of the mud!
Keep your fingers crossed that the park opens . . . but either way, I will be back tomorrow for another blog entry . . . if this one uploads.
I’m enjoying following you through the southwest. I know you know, but stay aware of the weather conditions and watch out for those flash floods. It appears that water has been following you around! 😉 Stay safe!
Jim,The monsoons here are amazing! So far I have been lucky and missed the worst of it all . . . But if it even looks like rain, I start heading for high ground. They were able to clear the trees, bushes, mud and rocks on the access road going into Carlsbad Caverns so I am hanging out at the cave . . . Waiting for sunset to watch the bats rise!!MattSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
beautiful photos and history of the Pueblo structures. Amazing structures. Safe journey my friend and please be careful in this crazy weather we are having all over the country presently.
What the Walrus said . . . 
3 responses to “Hoovenweep National Monument”
Matt,
I’m enjoying following you through the southwest. I know you know, but stay aware of the weather conditions and watch out for those flash floods. It appears that water has been following you around! 😉 Stay safe!
Jim Miller
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Jim,The monsoons here are amazing! So far I have been lucky and missed the worst of it all . . . But if it even looks like rain, I start heading for high ground. They were able to clear the trees, bushes, mud and rocks on the access road going into Carlsbad Caverns so I am hanging out at the cave . . . Waiting for sunset to watch the bats rise!!MattSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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beautiful photos and history of the Pueblo structures. Amazing structures. Safe journey my friend and please be careful in this crazy weather we are having all over the country presently.
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