Chimney Rock
National Monument

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On the autumnal equinox, September 21, 2012, President Obama signed a proclamation creating the Chimney Rock National Monument. The U.S. Forest Service collaborated with tribal, community, federal and state partners to enact the legislation necessary to manifest the protection of this unique historic, cultural and educational site.

The Chimney Rock National Monument encompasses 4,726 acres of the San Juan National Forest. The care of the cultural resources of Chimney Rock as well as Peterson Mesa has been placed under the management of the U.S. Forest Service in collaboration with the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association.

Located in the southwest corner of Colorado, the mesa with protruding Chimney Rock and Companion Rock watch over the profound architectural dwellings and buildings of the Ancestral Puebloans. It is not hard to imagine why it has been called America’s Machu Picchu.

Geological fossil evidence indicates the spires were formed 100,000 years ago, when a vast inland sea retreated, followed by intense volcanic eruptions and then a glaciation. The glaciers receded around 12,000 years ago and allowed human exploration, leading them to a fertile valley capable of sustaining dwellers.

However, understanding Chimney Rock’s connection with Chaco Canyon has been the foundation of archaeological interpretations since the first dig. There are nearly 200 outlier communities of Chaco Canyon all characterized by artifacts, a great house, great kiva and roads connected to Chaco. The great houses are planned structures complete with architectural symmetry and enclosed kivas. The location of the Chimney Rock mesa ruins suggests both defensive and ceremonial purposes. Commerce between the outliers of Chacoan culture and Chaco Canyon itself is evidenced. It may have been used as a timber camp, hunting base, ceremonial center, astronomical observatory or for other reasons.

The Chacoans provided the astronomical information that orients the 18.6 year lunar standstill between the two pinnacles. The moon rises between the two towers at the northernmost transit of the moon. The lunar standstills in 1076 and 1093 coincided with construction phases of their Great House Pueblo atop the mesa. Watching the sky was important for many reasons including when to plant and harvest.  They were able to predict the summer and winter solstices, the fall and spring equinoxes.  It is thought that the Crab Nebula Supernova of 1054 had a profound effect on the culture as well.

The Chacoan innovative period at Chimney Rock was from 900 to 1150. Prior to the Chacoan influence, the San Juan River Basin was home to a number of inhabitants. They lived along the San Juan River, Stollsteimer Creek and Piedra River. They probably spoke different languages from the Chacoans. They were an available resource to the Chacoan endeavor providing assistance in building the dwellings and ceremonies.  They lived in close proximity to the Chacoans and were likely greatly influenced by them.

There are many questions as to the departure of these peoples but it is believed that those who were here are the ancestors of the pueblo peoples that are scattered through the southwest. Hopi, Taos, Zuni, and other puebloans consider Chimney Rock as a place of origin and some continue to hold ceremonies here. For the past 15 years, stewards of Chimney Rock have consulted with a council made up of twenty four tribes to provide management and resource decisions. Today, tribal members are given preferred access to the monument.

This site has attracted anthropologists from the early 1920s to the present.  The architecture, artifacts and evidence of life lived here has brought explorers to uncover some of the 200 sites that are located around the mesa. Most research has been on the excavations of the dwellings at the top of the mesa and includes the Great Kiva (1084) and pit house (1077) the Ridge House (1078) the Guard House and the Great Pueblo (1078-1093) at the elevation of 7,600 feet. A great many anthropologists, archaeologists and scholars have contributed to our understanding of Chimney Rock’s importance and history. They are listed throughout this book.

In the 1920s, local residents visited this site on foot and by horseback before the roads were paved. The present road was constructed to allow access to the visitor center and the upper parking lot.

Mystery writers attracted to the history and terrain have used Chimney Rock to provide settings for their books. Photographers are unable to resist the views the mesa provides. Visitors are treated to guided or self-guided tours that describe the previous dweller’s lives here.

There are a variety of recreational activities allowed at the Chimney Rock National Monument. Some of those include archaeological visitation, astronomical and geological special events, hiking, bicycling, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA) and its earlier manifestations have been a dynamic force in bringing this treasure to public notice. For over 40 years dedicated volunteers have joined archaeological researchers in caring for this site and worked to make it available to the public for educational and inspirational acknowledgment. With the recent national monument proclamation, the USFS and CRIA are exploring new and dynamic ways to serve the public in the appreciation of this remarkable manifestation of natural and human innovation.

Tours and additional information regarding the Chimney Rock National Monument can be accessed online at: www.chimneyrockco.org/‎

700-850: Ancestral Puebloans migrated into the region

950: First phase of building construction along Chimney Rock mesa

1025-1075: Period of habitation marked by construction

1054: Crab Nebula Supernova visible in the sky for more than three weeks and recorded as petroglyphs around the southwest

1064: Sunset Crater (near Flagstaff, Arizona) erupted and likely seen for hundreds of miles

1073-1077: Major Lunar Standstill when the moon rose between Companion Rock and Chimney Rock and evidence of Great House construction

1094: Major Lunar Standstill and additional Great House construction

1097: Total solar eclipse seen for four daylight minutes

1111: Major Lunar Standstill took place

1125-1150: Population decline and eventual abandonment of the Chimney Rock mesa dwellings and surrounding valleys

1700s: Resettlement of region by people from the ancient Southwest regions

1921-1930: Various archaeological excavations at Chimney Rock performed by Jean Jeancon, Frank Roberts and others initially sponsored by the Colorado State Historical and Natural History Society and University of Denver

1943: First documented sighting of peregrine falcons by fire rangers stationed at Chimney Rock’s Fire Lookout Tower

1970: Chimney Rock Archaeological Area named on the National Register of Historic Places which authorized protection of 960 acres

1970-1972: University of Colorado at Boulder archaeological crew led by Frank Eddy performed excavations and stabilization of some of the structures 

1970s-1990s: Robert York, Sharon Hatch and Gary Matlock, U.S. Forest Service archaeologists carried out experimental mortar work on Chimney Rock structures sourcing local materials

1974: Site closed due to reoccupation of peregrine falcons nesting on rocks and it’s endangered species status

1978: Seasonal closure during peregrine falcon nesting season

1988: Peregrine falcon hacking project begins

2004: Chimney Rock Interpretive Association awarded 501(c)3 nonprofit status

2009: University of Colorado at Boulder archaeological crew led by Stephen Lekson and Brenda Todd performed excavations and stabilization of Great House rooms

2012: Chimney Rock National Monument proclaimed by U.S. President Barack Obama under the authority of the Antiquities Act which protected 4,762 acres of surrounding lands including Peterson Mesa

2022: Major Lunar Standstill at Chimney Rock National Monument

Rising 1,000 feet above the Piedra River to a height of 7,600 feet are two spectacular pinnacles, highpoints in the terrain, reaching toward the skies. The dramatic geology of the monument stands in stark contrast to the majestic Ponderosa pine forest and rolling savannah-like plains along the valley floor. The Piedra River cuts along the edge of Peterson Mesa in the western portion of the monument. Steep cliffs and expanses of exposed sandstone and shale are evidence of the geologic era.

The rock spires eroded from the once vast inland sea left behind fossils in the bedrock. This was followed by volcanic eruptions and a glaciation about 100,000 thousand years ago. Glaciers melted around 12,000 years ago and the climate warmed allowing exploration of this fertile valley.

Since this transition, conditions invited a variety of wildlife. Migratory mule deer and elk herds move through the area as they have for thousands of years. Merriam’s turkeys and woodpeckers are supported by the piñon pine, juniper, mountain mahogany, mock orange and Gambel oak. Ponderosa pine creates an overstory for a number of large animals including mountain lions and bears. Eagles, ravens and peregrine falcons nest here. Several desert plants grow around Chimney Rock, including cholla cactus that does not naturally occur outside the Sonoran Desert. This is believed to be associated with deliberate cultivation by the Ancestral Puebloans.

As a geologic landform, Chimney Rock has been a marker for travelers through the ages. When the function of the site as a celestial marker was first discovered, likely by the Chacoan people, it became an important location to be settled. Evidence suggests that there were numerous villages in the area and that over 1,000 people flourished for a time. They farmed utilizing the natural water flows that created silt deposits favorable to growing two races of corn. Seventeen natural water catchments developed small ponds and lakes on this high mesa. The views they experienced daily were spectacular. The night skies gave them information regarding the cycles of the seasons and the optimum dates for planting that would insure their survival.

Cultural diversity has existed for over a thousand years in this region.  The people once referred to as Anasazi meaning “ancient enemy” or “ancient ones” in Navajo, are today referred to as Ancestral Puebloans. They found life along the Piedra and San Juan Rivers sustaining and the settlements here were in place when the Chacoans realized that Chimney Rock was a celestial marker location. The local dwellers likely became labor resources for building the structures on the top of the mesa. It is believed that although they spoke different languages they were still able to share their knowledge. The corrugated jars containing corn and seeds are evidence of their agricultural skills. Corn was grown as a crop in the arable valley 2 km below as well as on the mesa top. One wonders how the children were raised. In such a perilous location, the precipices adjacent to the pit house are steep and hazardous to any curious child. They must have learned early how to navigate carefully.

Food was abundant and readily available because the people mastered storage. The average lifespan was 40 years. Eating corn ground in the metates destroyed their teeth and nutrition may have diminished with age. Though life must have been hard, it must also have been filled with the pleasures of amazing sunrises and sunsets. Their understanding of the chemistry needed to make the pottery demonstrates not only their intelligence but also the human necessity for invention and design.

The vegetation that grows here now may be different from plants during earlier times due to the changes in climate. There is no evidence that the people collected piñon nuts though today we savor them. The Ponderosa pine trees were here then and now as well as other plants. Elk, deer, bears, and birds provided them sustenance and played an important role in their survival and worldview.

From the 360-degree vistas of the rivers and mountains that encircle the spires one watches peregrine falcons swoop and dive while ravens perch in the 400 year old piñon and juniper trees. Visitors are able to climb to the top of the cuesta to observe the lunar events and even attend occasional classes on Ancient Puebloan techniques for creating their pottery and utensils. Visitors leave this monument with a respect for the creativity and skills needed to live here and the labor employed to build such dwellings in this lofty location.

In 1921, Jean Jeancon and crew undertook an archaeological expedition of the Piedra District, supported by the Colorado Historical and Natural History Society and the University of Denver. Jeancon had been an assistant of Jesse Walter Fewkes while at the Smithsonian Institution’s Bureau of Ethnology from 1919-1921. His crew’s discoveries ignited scientific interest in Chimney Rock, and the young science of anthropology spread like wildfire in the region. Their observations illustrate a fascinating narrative.

Towering above the Piedra River, which is named for the unmistakable pinnacles, many small groups of people built their homes, raised their children, and grew food according to the advice given by the revered sky watchers who studied the movement of the moon in reference to the two spires. Communication with Chaco Canyon was possible using fires and thus provided vital strategic information to the cultural center in the south.

The pinnacles have witnessed the excitement of early residents and the erratic interests of peoples that followed. After a bustling group of Chacoans and locals made Chimney Rock their home for nearly 100 years, they suddenly disappeared from the archaeological record, leaving us to speculate on the cause of their exodus. After abandonment, the site languished, became overgrown with vegetation and debris, and interest in Chimney Rock’s significance waned.

Early archaeologist’s observations and discoveries in the 1920s inspired new interest. Jeancon was assisted by a handful of Denverites and locals including Etienne Reanud, Frank Roberts, J. S. Palmer and ranchers on the Pargin and Harlan properties, among others. These early explorations were followed by Frank Eddy and crew in the 1970s, and most recently by Stephen Lekson, Brenda Todd and crew in 2009. Recently Wendy Sutton, the USFS archeologist for the San Juan National Forest investigated the check dams. 

The earliest crews claimed that the Chimney Rock ruins antedated Mesa Verde because of the pottery found and believed that made them “the most valuable in the entire west.” Sporadic activity over the last one hundred years includes locals, pick-and-shovel archaeologists and scholars all fascinated with this significant but quiet cultural landmark.

The information gleaned over the course of these investigations regarding the tools used, the pottery and plume holders made, the effigies created and the feather holders connects us to and amplifies the nature of the human journey through time. Photographic documentation from these archaeologists enhances our ability to imagine life as it may have been a thousand years ago.

Chimney Rock has attracted many archaeologists over the years. Local residents explored the site and J. S. Palmer was the first to contact the Colorado Historical and Natural History Society to alert them to the worthiness of investigating these ruins. R. R. Gallegos, a local sheep rancher assisted Jean Jeancon in his early efforts. The discoveries uncovered ignited funding for the excavations that followed.

Only a handful of the over 200 archaeological sites that exist at Chimney Rock have been excavated. Pottery found exhibits influence of the Chacoans and local clays allowed development of the skill. Corrugated pots were the most utilized for storage vessels. Piedra Black on White, Tusayan polychrome, Payan corrugated and Chacoan pots were found to be used at this site as well.

Core and veneer are the terms used to describe the walls of the excavated dwellings at Chimney Rock. Two walls were created with a space in between that was filled with rubble to provide stability, interior and exterior. The walls here have been noted to be stronger and thicker than other core and veneer walls in other Four Corner’s residences. This may have been a decision based on maintaining warmth in winter and coolness in summer. It is also possible that the construction was designed to provide good shelter to view the winter lunar standstills.

The largest excavated sites on the high mesa are designated great kivas. The East Kiva is nearly 44 feet across with a bench-like structure and what have been called foot drums, stone lined vaults (cists) as well as a fire pit or altar. It has not been determined if this construction had a roof or not. 

The Pit House dwellings in the High Mesa area that have been excavated held many treasures. Numerous artifacts have been uncovered and photographed and nearly all are stored at the Anazasi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado. Some of the artifacts recovered and restored include household goods, utilitarian tools and ceremonial objects. Stone axe heads, anvils, manos, metates, food storage containers, serving ladles and other kitchen-like utensils have been found. Local clay from the area provided a resource for the pottery. Yucca provided a useful agent in creating paintbrushes, as well as sandals and thread. Plume holders found are ceramic and contain four holes for the placement of feathers. More have been found here than elsewhere in the Four Corners.

Archaeoastronomy evidence recorded by John McKim Malville and Ron Sutcliffe has authenticated the connection of this magical place with the Chaco Canyon center and provides moon watchers with significant to observe this transit of the moon to the North and back. The Stone Basin located near the Pit House has been noted to be a reference point used in the construction of the Great Wall and also a viewing place for the lunar standstill.  It resembles ones that are found in Chaco Canyon and on the summer solstice is a spot to watch the sun appear along the line of the Great Wall. It has been noted that stone basins often indicate a water collection spot nearby and the one at Chimney Rock exemplifies this because there is evidence of a water collection pond near the stone circle.

Archaeologists are finding new ways to date and to explore sites and it is expected that the research here will continue to evolve and interpret new clues.

One of the most heartening and inspiring aspects of any preservation effort is the long list of dedicated and passionate stewards. The story of Chimney Rock is no exception. Although found within a geographically remote area, it is remarkable how many persons have shown a steadfast dedication to protecting and promoting this monument.  

Since the 1970s, groups of volunteers have led tours, written grants and sought to preserve, protect and educate the public about the Chimney Rock resources. Original members focused on protecting the sites from pothunters and evolved into providing site maintenance, land stewardship projects, interpretive tours, night sky programs, working with scholars, archaeologists and schools in equal measure. In 2006, the group named Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA) became a formal nonprofit organization and is thriving today with over a hundred members.

In partnership with CRIA, the employees of the U.S. Forest Service (of the San Juan National Forest, Pagosa Ranger District) manage the area’s land and resources. Over the years, employees and volunteers of the District have included archaeologists, forest rangers, geologists, wildland managers and others who have been important players in the rearing of Chimney Rock. Some of their initiatives have included site stabilization, wildflower tours, prescribed burns, and the meticulous mapping and recording over 200 archaeological sites. They continue to manage the land and resources for tribal and public access. With the recent transition to national monument designation, management and long term planning continues to shift their energies as funds and interests allow. 

Due to the cooperative efforts of these dedicated people, Chimney Rock National Monument now protects over six square miles (4,726 acres) in Archuleta County, Colorado.

1. 1. Chimney Rock National Monument, www.chimneyrockco.org

   2. Eddy, Frank W. Archaeological Investigations at Chimney Rock Mesa: 1970-1972. Boulder, Colo: Colorado Archaeological Society, 1977.

   3. Hands of Time Volunteer Training Handbook. The Chimney Rock Interpretive Association’s Training Manual. Pagosa Springs, Colo: Chimney Rock Interpretive Association, 2013.

   4. Houle, Marcy C. Wings for my Flight: The Peregrine Falcons of Chimney Rock. Boulder, Colo: Pruett Publishing, 1999.

   5. Jeancon, Jean Allard. Archaeological Research in the Northeastern San Juan Basin of Colorado During the Summer of 1921. Denver, Colo: The State Historical and Natural History Society of Colorado and the University of Denver, 1922.

   6. Lekson, Stephen H. A History of the Ancient Southwest. Santa Fe, NM: School for Advanced Research Press, 2008.

   7. Lister, Florence C. In The Shadow of the Rocks: Archaeology of the Chimney Rock District in Southwest Colorado. Durango, Colo: Durango Herald Small Press, 2011.

   8. Malville, J. McKim. A Guide to Prehistoric Astronomy in the Southwest. 3D Press, 2012.

   9. Malville, J. McKim, ed. Chimney Rock: The Ultimate Outlier. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2004.

   10. Mysterious Chimney Rock: The Land, The Sky, The People. Colorado Historical Society, Chimney Rock Interpretive Association, 2006.

   11. Raby, Glenn. From the Bottom of the Ocean to the Top of the World (…and Everything in Between): The Geology of Pagosa Country. Pagosa Springs, CO: San Juan National Forest & BLM Public Lands, 2008.

   12. Renaud, E. B. (Etienne Bernardeau). Field Notes: 1st Expedition Summer 1921 Piedra Parada and 2nd Expedition Summer 1922. (Unpublished. Original manuscript housed at Denver University, Department of Anthropology, Special Collections.)

   13. Richardson, Helen L. editor. Visions of Chimney Rock: A Photographic Interpretation of the Place and Its People. Montrose, Colo: Western Reflections Publishing Company, 2006.

   14. Roberts, Frank H. H. Early Pueblo Ruins in the Piedra District, Southwestern Colorado. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 96. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1930.

   15. Sutcliffe, Ron. Moon Tracks: A Guide to Understanding Some of the Patterns We See with an Emphasis on Southwest Ancient Puebloan Cultures. Pagosa Springs, Colo: Moonspiral Press, 2006.