The shadow of Steve Wooten’s cowboy hat and outstretched arm lies against the ancient rock panel, bridging the gap of thousands of years. He runs his hand along deep grooves, squiggly lines and formations of animals long past. He explains that this area “exists, is unique and is yet undiscovered.”
The long drive into the base of the canyon was rough. We sloshed through greasy clay roads, passing by several Hispanic homesteads and a distinctive fenced in area dating back to the 1800’s. Wooten still uses this enclosure for his own cattle, following the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” rule. The truck barely made it through a muddy dip in the middle of the ravine. A short hike up a hill to an area covered in large boulders brought us to a lookout onto the Purgatory River and archaeological sites scattered throughout the years. This place is special. Wooten describes it as having its “own energy.” The rock art that covers the walls of the sandstone boulders shows that this energy has marked this place for thousands of years.
The Picket Wire Canyon/ Purgatory River Valley lands are home to hundreds, if not thousands of identified archaeological sites. This area has a rich history dating back to pre-historic times. Archaeologists have found everything from enclosed rock circles, to historic burial sites, to the petroglyphs and pictographs that speckle the canyon walls. Historically this land represents the movement west in the United States. The Sante Fe trail runs along highway 350. Rusted remains of homesteads lie throughout the grasslands. Archaeologists have found evidence of the land being occupied by the pre-historic Clovis and Apishipa people. In addition the Ute, Comanche, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes show their presence on this land. Hispanic settlers made their homes throughout the canyons. After the United States Homestead Act of 1862, White settlers built ranches that are still in the same families today. Steve Wooten represents the fourth generation of his family ranch, “This rural agrarian society of multi-generational agriculture programs is cased into an area almost indigenous to the short grass prairie region. It’s become its own unique vestige of rural agriculture and rural communities.” Ranchers like Wooten consider themselves the stewards of working cultural landscapes. Private ownership of the land, where these rock art panels are found, has done wonders in terms of preservation. The dry climate, the hidden nature of the sites and protection by law has saved the panels from vandalism both intentional and accidental. However, with the United States Military’s new proposal for an expansion of their existing 245,000-acre maneuver site, material remains like the rock art are at risk.
Michelle Stevens is a Forest Service archaeologist for the Comanche National Grasslands, “The rock art with habitation sites is world class. We do get researchers from around the world to come look at the rock art.” While the local art is mostly in the form of petroglyphs, or designs that have been pecked into the solid rock, archaeologists do find the occasional pictograph. A pictograph is a design that has been applied to the rock as either a drawing or a painting. Petroglyphs are common as they are better preserved and more permanent. Regardless of the artist’s aesthetic medium, interpreters know that these symbols have great significance. What the exact meaning is will probably never be known for sure. Were the artists depicting the landscape or the rich resources? Were they documenting important events? Were they marking territory? Laying claim to the land? Or were they just creating something they found to be beautiful? Archaeologists, historians and intrigued minds alike see these symbols, along with other material remains, as a great insight into our past and into understanding the origins and movement of human beings in general.
These petroglyphs are tucked away in ranches and open lands of small towns like Thatcher, Kim and Branson. They have been a well-kept secret, gems hidden in Colorado’s backyard. Until recently landowners kept their treasures to themselves, using the land in the same way it has been used since its original inhabitants. In 1982 the United States military seized over 245,000 acres of land belonging to ranching families. This spurred a movement for action. Suddenly landowners were under attack and were forced into contacting people who could help. While nothing could be done to protect their land in 82,’ the recent proposal to add 400,000 acres to their current Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) has the community preparing for battle.
While the reasons for opposing the PCMS expansion are numerous, the history that lies in these lands speaks for itself. This area’s historical resources make it comparably as rich as archaeological reserves like Mesa Verde National Park. The opposition has covered all their bases bringing in considerations ranging from the land’s rich biological features, to the environmental implications of military seizure, to the folklore of local and world history. Rebecca Goodwin has a special interest in this land. As the fourth generation daughter of a rancher, and a cultural anthropologist, Goodwin describes the Picket Wire/Purgatory River Valley lands as a cultural landscape, “There are very few places left in this country where there are large areas like this that are in their same basic use as they have been for hundreds and hundreds of years.” Goodwin describes the short grass prairie lands as, historically, a grazing area for huge herbivores, later bison, then sheep, and today cattle. Ranchers in the region appreciate the history of the area and have learned from the prehistoric people, Native Americans and Hispanic homesteaders who came before them, “They have paid attention to the signs. They really have to watch and appreciate the land,” says Goodwin.
On the hike with Steve Wooten we come across two boulders covered in petroglyphs from top to bottom. One has a large indentation measuring around 4 feet in diameter. A series of six or seven connected vertical lines adorn the top of the indentation. These etchings may be a form of dating. Above the etchings are rows of vertical squiggly lines topped by two straight horizontal lines, tiny circles and up facing symbols resembling pitchforks. To the right of this collection of symbols there is a tiny sun figure. Wooten said this symbol is not typical of the region adding to its mysterious quality. Looking at these markings and the surrounding area I can’t help but feel the connection. The squiggly rows of lines may mimic the heavy flow of the Purgatory River. The sun figure may point to the sun high in the sky above as it is on this warm afternoon. Below the panel there is an opening to a small cave that doubles as the entrance to a structure on the other side of the formation. This rock art tells us that this place was special. You gaze at these marks only hoping to come to some sort of understanding of the people who made them. What was their worldview? What did they want to communicate to future generations?
Rock art like this is yet to be thoroughly examined, dated and interpreted. For now, all Wooten and his visitors can do is guess. One of the nearby boulders has a hallowed out interior. I can easily picture it being a comfortable, cool spot for lounging on a warm day. We see pecked out figure towards the roof of the inside of the boulder. I stare at the figure in fascination as Wooten laughs. He remembers sending his own kids out to play on the ranch and pictures this spot as a prehistoric playground. The art isn’t that advanced compared to others in the area, so Wooten believes it might have been the product of a child.
Willard Louden, a local celebrity who has worked with nearly all the archaeologists to pass through the region, has a great passion for everything historical, “It’s greatly exciting, and it’s great detective work. It’s fun to try to figure something out.” He explains that most people don’t expect such wide array of history from an area like southeastern Colorado, making the fight against PCMS expansion even more difficult. The seemingly empty prairie lands hide the remnants of stone tools. Drop offs in the land expose deep canyons that are rich in paleontological remnants. You can walk the paths of dinosaurs in footprints four times the size of the average person. At the age of 82 Willard has lived through many years of archaeological work in this region. He has also aided in some great discoveries, adding to a priceless historical record. Even he admits there is still a lot more work to be done, “There are just so many questions and it’s intriguing to try and understand the people.”
On the current PCMS, bullet holes speckle the walls of the canyons: remnants of careless passerby’s letting out a round, having used the rock art shapes as targets. A vast cultural landscape used to thousands of years of grazing animals, wagon trains and the occasional country truck has been inundated by the presence of tanks and over flying helicopters. The meaningful shapes that mark the canyon walls hold the stories of thousands of years of existence. They seem out of place for the first time in their natural and original setting. The ranching community, along with local and national historians, archaeologists and professionals are asking us to question our values. At what point do war games become more important than preserving our history, protecting our heritage, and conserving that which has and continues to give us insight into the presence of human beings on this earth?
Willard Louden has seen a lot in his 82 years. Of anyone in the area, he best represents the continuation of history and the sense of belonging to land that has surpassed time and space. He wanted to leave me with some advice, some knowledge that he had experientially gained. He explained that he had worked with many botanists over the years as an archaeologist. He remembered a botanist examining a flower, illuminating its different features like the stamen and the petals, but when the botanist handed the flower to a loved one it was done in a different way, “There was a gentleness, there was a sensitivity, there was beauty. That is part of the biology of that flower, its beauty. Don’t depend entirely upon the intellect, let your emotions enter into this and it’s a lot richer, a lot more fun.”
These words are significant to the rock art of southeastern Colorado that faces an unknown fate. Ranchers have done everything they can to protect this history. They have lovingly safeguarded their land. In many ways the stewards of this historical landscape have handled it like the botanist with the flower. They appreciate it for its meaning and historical importance, but do not overlook its beauty and relevance to the future generations they hope to pass it on to.
