Cliff Canyon ... A Definition of Mixed Feelings by auntietk
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Description
Cliff Canyon, Manitou Springs, Colorado.
Let's see if I can give you a history of this place without putting you to sleep ... !
These 800- to 1000-year-old cliff dwellings were originally in the southwest corner of Colorado near Mesa Verde, about 350 miles from where they are now.
In 1904 a guy named William Crosby started moving the buildings to a place just outside Colorado Springs, and finished the project in 1907. His company mapped and numbered the site, moved it brick by brick, and reassembled it using concrete mortar rather than the adobe mortar that would have been originally used. Concrete mortar is a lot stronger than the original, which means you can allow tourists to pay you money to wander through with their cameras and they won't knock a brick out of the wall by accident.
Two years after Crosby started the project, the U.S. Government passed the Antiquities Act and outlawed these sorts of shenanigans. Oh ... sorry ... they officially protected our valuable historical sites so that private individuals would no longer be forced to take matters into their own hands.
So this is an authentic, fake cliff dwelling. It's open to the public. You can walk through the rooms, touch the walls, climb through the windows and scale the ladders. Piped in flute music and the sound of a man speaking in a Native American language greet you as you approach and enter the buildings. There are interpretive signs that tell you what's what. Of course there is a museum/gift shop, but I didn't go in and look.
Mr. Crosby's reason for moving these buildings was that he wanted to protect them from being looted.
That's in their literature, and is said with a perfectly straight face, by the way.
Anyone who has trouble describing the concept of irony should remember this story ... it's one of the most perfect ironies I've ever come across.
Aside from the touristy vibe, I thoroughly enjoyed photographing this place. We got there at a time when the afternoon light was just about perfect, we were the only ones wandering around most of the time, and it was a joy to shoot there!
Mixed feelings? LOL! Oh yeah.
Comments (25)
RodS
Oh, boy..... This is just priceless, Tara! Not only is the photo awesome, but your commentary is just brilliant! 'Didn't want them to be looted' that's so rich! LOL! Well you know you probably should have visited the gift shop - I'm positive that everything you would have found in there would have been completely authentic native American...... :-P Great stuff, Tara!
Sea_Dog
Great shot - I like the POV and the lighting. Your narrative is also interesting.
Faemike55
Great picture of this authentic replica? dwelling, replete with giftshop... if the American Native ancestors ever saw this they'd weep Love your narrative
bobrgallegos
Awesome capture Tara!!! great narrative also. LOL!!
0rest4wicked
Ha, we must be playing make me laugh... right! LOL, Have never run across such and hope I never do!
jocko500
he most likely is right. i read where in Texas they had a rock that had drawings on it dating around 1000 ad . It had a big X on it so some one who was looking for treasure took TNT and blow it up looking for the Treasure thinking X marks the spot. Happy some one took a photo of it before that person blow it up. the rock is gone fore even now.
bmac62
Superb pic and words to chew on. I must say I liked these cliff dwellings a lot...this happened before all the laws were in place to preclude this sort of thing...lucky for us, the preservation job has really worked. I got more understanding out of this place then Montezuma's Castle...the real thing, left untouched but completely out of reach.
jayfar
This is a super shot Tara taken just at the right time of day. Nice piece of history too.
durleybeachbum
Brilliant! Irony indeed.
fallen21
Awesome photo.
whaleman
I'm starting to avoid places that have either their own 'museum' or a gift shop, but this is a total affront to my sensibilities. It's like protecting an old wooden boat or plane by covering it with aluminum. I don't expect they'll miss me.
helanker
OH WOW! I would have been thrilled to visit that place. LUV such things :) And your story about it was fantastic. And deeply funny too. And a bit sad too. Yeah, Mixed feelings alright. One thing is certain. It is a mighty beautiful shot.
cfulton
Quite a bit of history. It must be wonderful to wander there, camera in hand. Lucky you! Clive
angora
great POV, great light, great pic!
jophoto
Wow! Definitely mixed feelings on this...but you know...being able to walk inside and touch and feel and get a sense of what it was like to live in a place like that is probably a good thing. I'm glad that there was a law passed that prevented this from happening to more of the sites, but the fact that one of them is more accessible to people because it had been moved and made more durable does not bother me as much...kind of like refurbishing old cars. Would I really want to see them if they were in their original state? Nicely done photo Tara.
Meisiekind
Hehe... I enjoyed your narrative as much as this stellar image! The light is warm and perfect. Great one my friend.
emmecielle
Splendid view! Fantastic capture! :)
makron
Super colors and light.Wonderful image
Blush
This is awesome looking Like the POV as well and I liked reading the history Hugs Susan~
wysiwig
Mr. Crosby had to destroy the village to save it. Terrific image. At least he did a good job putting it back together.
moochagoo
I had a terrible vertigo here :))
dochtersions
Yes, I can imagine it's great around there to watch and photograph. A fascinating whole, and a beautiful photo, Tara.
Chipka
Oh, I simply love irony...I laughed to the brink of urinary distress at the whole bit of wanting to protect the place against looting. That sounds like a bit of cat-logic: I'm going to eat this mouse so that nothing bad will happen to it. Wonderful! And the photo is superb! I love the reconstructed, relocated details...and now I'm wondering if the recorded Native American language was actually the language of the builders of this place! One wonders. I love the colors in this and the whole vibe of it. Great stuff!
blondeblurr
You have no idea, how much I would have loved to see this with my own eyes, controversial or not, I am also wondering what that Native American language sounded like? I have always loved the Adobe style buildings, made famous to me - ever since I saw that movie: 'A star is born' (1976) with B.Streisand & K.Kristofferson. I must be dreaming - thanks for your presentation and reminder, Tara BB
sharky_
An amazing place. Aloha