Mesa Verde National Park was created in 1906 by Teddy Roosevelt. Located in the Four Corners area of the Southwest, it has 4,300 sites, of which 600 are cliff dwellings. Human occupation dates back to 9,600 BCE, but the area remained “undiscovered” until two cowboys came upon the major ruins in 1888. The most notable of these is Cliff House. It is seen here in an 1888 photo when immediate stabilization efforts were undertaken. The second photo is dated 1899–note the man on the tower pointing outward (click all to enlarge).
Other significant sites are:
Balcony House seen in this ca. 1895 photo:
Spruce Tree House seen this 1907 photo:
Sun Temple seen in this 1925 photo:
Prior to a tunnel and current entrance being built in 1957, access to the Park was via the aptly named Knife Edge Road. The first photo shows the entrance in 1936 while the second photo dated 1920 illustrates where the name came from. Nowadays the old road is gone but the adjacent Knife Edge Trail is a good hike.
