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Article: A HISTORIC REDISCOVERY.(Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park)
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- September 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Through the falling snow, Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charles Mason first saw Cliff Palace on December 18, 1888. They were searching for stray cattle when they looked across the canyon and saw "a magnificent city" built into the alcove of the mesa.
Almost six hundred years had passed since the Puebloan cliff dwellers had left Mesa Verde (Spanish for "green table") in present-day Colorado. Yet the two ranchers could see the outlines of walls, towers, windows, and doorways. Awestruck by their discovery, the men decided to explore. The alcove contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas, making it one of the largest cliff dwellings in North America.
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