******March 25, 2008 **Messages From The Past
We are perched upon the Colorado Plateau, amid towering Ponderosa Pines, wondering how global climate change might affect humanity or how geological and climactic changes affected the past.
Flagstaff, Arizona founded in 1881 sits smack within 1,800 square miles of the San Francisco Peaks Volcanic Field. With the towering Humphrey’s Peak (12, 633 feet) a stratovolcano within our view, I am constantly reminded about the active nature of our environment and the role humans play within this beautiful ecosystem. Our basaltic heritage has forged not only the development we see today in the 21st century, but the people and lives of the past; let’s say between 700 – 1100AD. If you look to the east there is Sunset Crater, a baby geologically who last hiccupped in 1064 AD, to the north The Grand Canyon, forged by other natural elements; wind and water. To the south, off the plateau lies the Sonora Desert and to the west the Colorado River as it carves its way to Mexico and the Gulf of California.
Today ponderosa pine forests dominate the landscape, a few more in number from thousands of years ago, but still the same majestic sentinels protecting the past, and preserving the future. Amid their covering boughs lie remnants of an earlier time, signs that peoples before us thrived in their lives upon this volcanic terrain.
Mindy Bell, PolarTREC 2007 and I exploring some of the many wonders of Northern Arizona.
Mindy Bell, PolarTREC 2007, and I decided to spend an afternoon learning a bit more about our local history especially that of the Cohonina, who inhabited this plateau over a thousand years ago. As March is National Archaeology Month what a perfect time to join Kaibab National Forest Archaeologist Neil Weintraub on a hike to Keyhole Sink. As we walked the short mile trail off of historic route 66 we talked about the towering ponderosa pines, questioning how 100 year old trees could be so small and spindly.
Learning more about Northern Arizona and the hidden wonders.
Our guide Neil reminded us that many decades of fire suppression had changed the ecology of the ponderosa pine forests. The majestic trees of the past were now overcrowded and potential high intensity fire risks. With these thoughts in mind we turned a corner and there is was, a basaltic fault, looking eerily like a pre-historic buffalo jump. Today though with the March sunshine upon our shoulders this idyllic place was magical for then we saw them, messages from the past. Petroglyphs etched in stone, a thousand years old telling us a story of lives gone by. These markings were of wildlife, of the sun, and best of all a scene that looked like this place was used as a possible hunting area, that the people used these up-thrust rocks for exactly what they looked like, a place to ambush prey.
Messages from the past, preserved in rock for future generations to wonder about messages from the past.
Many people were on this archaeological walk, viewing the past through new eyes. Mindy and I clamored over rocks got closer and savored our human history, confident that we had learned just a little bit more about who had lived before us, and the nature of their lives. And as we left this marvelous hidden wonder my mind wandered to what archaeologists in a hundred years would say about our passing, and the signs we will have left upon the walls.
**FOR MY STUDENTS: **Please see if you can find other archaeology sites in Northern Arizona, should we take a field trip?