1912 Map of Soda Canyon

About this map

Mesa Verde National Park and the surrounding Ute Mountain Indian Reservation are captured here during a pivotal era of archaeological documentation. The map reveals a dense concentration of ancestral Puebloan sites along the southern mesas, including the world-renowned Cliff Palace, the Sun Temple, and Sprucetree House. This survey reflects the landscape just years after the park's establishment, noting specific architectural features such as the Double Walled Tower and Sixteen Window House. The topography is defined by the deep incisions of the Mancos River and its tributaries, which carve through Chapin Mesa and Moccasin Mesa. Travel across this complex terrain is noted by historic routes like the Wheeler Road and the Whites Trail, providing a look at early 20th-century access to these remote dwellings.