Tue, Feb 25, 12:03 AM CST

Mesa Verde: Spruce Tree House Unchained

Photography Architecture posted on Dec 06, 2012
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Description


The last of the cliff dwellings we visited was Spruce Tree House. A gentle winding path about a quarter mile long descends from the road to the dwelling, so this was very accessible & not a physical challenge at all. There was a chain on poles that ran almost the entire length of this view along the bottom wall to keep people from entering this part of the structure, but I removed it (with some painstaking effort) using Photoshop's healing brush. Some info from the National Park Service site: "Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling (Cliff Palace and Long House are larger), was constructed between A.D. 1211 and 1278 by the ancestors of the Puebloan peoples of the Southwest. The dwelling contains about 130 rooms and 8 kivas (kee-vahs), or ceremonial chambers, built into a natural alcove measuring 216 feet (66 meters) at greatest width and 89 feet (27 meters) at its greatest depth. It is thought to have been home for about 60 to 80 people. The cliff dwelling was first discovered in 1888, when two local ranchers chanced upon it while searching for stray cattle. A large tree, which they identified as a Douglas Spruce (later called Douglas Fir), was found growing from the front of the dwelling to the mesa top. It is said that the men first entered the dwelling by climbing down this tree, which was later cut down by another early explorer. Spruce Tree House was opened for visitation following excavation in 1908 by Dr. Jesse Walter Fewkes of the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Fewkes removed the debris of fallen walls and roofs and stabilized the remaining walls. Due to the protection of the overhanging cliff, Spruce Tree House had deteriorated very little through the years and has required little supportive maintenance." Please zoom

Comments (10)


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GARAGELAND

11:01AM | Thu, 06 December 2012

Strange that it took untill 1888 to be discovered.

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jayfar

11:03AM | Thu, 06 December 2012

An excellent shot and no trace of the fence!

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UVDan

11:14AM | Thu, 06 December 2012

Beautiful shot. Keep them coming!

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Juliette.Gribnau

12:30PM | Thu, 06 December 2012

wonderful !

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Celart

12:49PM | Thu, 06 December 2012

interesting place. very nice shot. Well done

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sandra46

5:43PM | Thu, 06 December 2012

SUPERLATIVE IMAGE!

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MrsRatbag

6:45PM | Thu, 06 December 2012

This one is even more lovely, if less dramatic to visit. Good work eliminating the chain! It's an excellent capture.

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dakotabluemoon

7:13AM | Fri, 07 December 2012

Truly magnificent.

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auntietk

12:00AM | Mon, 10 December 2012

I'm glad to know that some of these are more easily accessible. What a marvellous place! Nice work on the chain, btw. I can't tell.

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danapommet

6:55PM | Thu, 23 May 2013

Awesome stonework, lighting and photo!


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