When I think of the southwest Native Americans, I generally think of Arizona or New Mexico. However, it turns out that in southwest Colorado a large population of Native Americans lived and thrived. In many ways they had connections to those native groups in New Mexico and Arizona. Because of that The Four Corners has become a place where various native groups can come together.
The Four Corners is located where four state lines all meet in the same spot. Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah all meet at the Four Corners. This is the only place in the United States where four states meet in that way. To get to that location we went south to New Mexico and after crossing the state line turned west to get to the Four Corners.
When we were preparing for our trip Silvette read a negative review of the location saying, “It’s in the middle of nowhere.” Actually that is a pretty accurate description of the location.The location is on Navajo land so they charge an entrance fee to the site. When we first arrived, we wandered around the area for a while. We saw some horses in the distance, but otherwise it seemed a pretty desolate location. It was desert like in many ways although as we wandered around I noted two different kinds of flowers, one yellow and one orange so plants can survive here.
Four Corners has a monument with a large circle and lines dividing the four quadrants of the states. Around the edge is written, “Here meet in freedom under God four states.” The thing to do is have your picture taken on the monument to show you were there. As a result they built four ramps for people to go up and be able to look down on the monument and the people.
It was funny to see what people did. One woman bent over so her feet were in two states and her hands were in the other two. Before we left we saw people lying down on the monument. I just stood with my feet on the dividing lines. Of course people ask other visitors to take their photos so it is a moment of community in some ways.
In a square around the circle they built booths for Native Americans to sell their arts and crafts. There are a lot of booths, but not all were being actively used the day we visited. However, for me walking around the booths was the highlight of our visit. The reason was I talked to a number of the vendors and learned quite a few things.
One of the first men I talked to was selling knives made from buffalo bones. I found that quite unique so I asked him about that. He said he had a source for the bones. He also sold arrows made from local branches of a willow which he collected. However, he confided in me that one of the instruments he makes, he buys the base at Home Depot.
One older woman told met she has been making beaded items for 55 years. She said she was retired, but she was still there selling her products. Another man was also doing beading. He said he had an order for beaded pins, and he needed to get them sent off. He told me he used to be able to create 24 in a day, but now he only does about eight.
I happened to be wearing my Mariners shirt that day, and as I walked by one vendor pointed to it, and then I noticed he was wearing a Seahawks hat. He said that as a young man he had played baseball as a pitcher. He ended up playing with the minor league team in Tacoma, but injured his arm and had to quit. This was back in the ’90s. However, while living in Tacoma he became a fan of our sports teams. He was a very talkative man, and I enjoyed visiting with him.
After leaving Four Corners, I decided to do a loop around the area of New Mexico before returning to Colorado. That drive was through a very desert environment. I read about a major rock formation called Shiprock near the town of Shiprock so I wanted to see it. We did see it as it dominated the skyline in many places. Unfortunately visitors can’t get close to it as it is on private property and is considered sacred to the Navajos.
The challenge then was to get a decent photo of the formation. I kept thinking there would be a vista point or something from which to take a photo. By the time I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I had passed by the best locations for photos. When I finally stopped, I wasn’t able to see the base part. Silvette got a more complete photo just from the car. Hers is on the right.
Driving back up to Cortez, we passed some other interesting rock formations and cliffs that reminded me somewhat of the rock formations in the Garden of the Gods, although they were not from red rock.
That afternoon we drove to the Visitor Center of the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. This is a very large national monument, but most of it is not easily accessible. The Visitor Center is not actually in the main part of the monument, but there is a small section around the building that is considered part of the monument.
The Visitor Center has a museum which we were able to visit without charge since I had my America the Beautiful senior card. The museum informs visitors about the Native American group that lived nearby in Colorado. They particularly focused on an excavation that took place which revealed a place where natives had lived. This was called the Delores Project and apparently involved a number of different locations.
Besides the ubiquitous gift shop there, the center had a special exhibit area. At the time we visited, they were displaying some art pieces by Native American artists. The paintings were large and colorful.
Outside the center is a half mile hike up the hill to an old pueblo one can check out. The trail is paved and goes up through a series of switchbacks so it is a fairly easy walk up as well as being accessible to people in wheelchairs. Along the way signs indicate the plants that are there and how native peoples used them. One information post even had a recipe for serviceberry pie.
At the top one can see the excavated structure which had a number of rooms to it including a round room. This is not a complete building. It basically shows the foundation of all the rooms.
From this high up visitors have great views of the surrounding area. Right below this hill is a large reservoir, and on the opposite side of the reservoir is a state park. This makes the view is really nice and includes distant snow-peaked mountains. There are mountain ranges in other directions. It was a little hazy on this day, particularly to the south so the mountains were not all as clear as I might have liked.
Our learning about the native groups in this area is not complete yet. Tomorrow we will visit Mesa Verde National Park which is about the cliff dwelling peoples. It will be another day of learning more about the native peoples and their culture. Look for the post next Wednesday. Meanwhile, I hope you have plans for your next travel experience. We can learn so much as we travel.