Richard Wetherill - Anasazi: Pioneer Explorer of Southwestern Ruins

by Frank McNitt

Anasazi, the Navajos' name for the "Ancient Ones" who preceded them into the Southwest, is the nickname of Richard Wetherill, who devoted his life to a search for remains of these vanished peoples. He discovered the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and Kiet Siel and the Basket Maker sites at Grand Gulch, Utah, and at Chaco Canyon he initiated the excavation of Pueblo Bonito, the largest prehistoric ruin in the United States. His discoveries are among the most important ever made by an American archaeologist.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction

382 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1974

Reviews

[Jim Hohenbary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I previously posted a review of this book on my website. Here is the link: https://jimhohenbary.com/2019/03/14/b....

[Jane Fudger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Wetherill was the first person to ivestigate the anasazi ruins in South West America. Wetherill was a rancher, not a qualified historian/ archaeologist, yet his work was pioneering.In modern terms he made mistakes but he worked within the understandings of his time so should not be criticised
I have visited some of the Anasazi sites during my time as a student in the USA, but as far as I can remember Wetherill's name was not mentioned. I only came across it whilst reading another book about the Anasazi
This is a story about his life, how he got involved in what became his lifetime work and its consequences on both his livelihood and family and which finally resulted in his tragic death. A compassionate and fascinating biography about a man ignored during his lifetime.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but it was more of a police procedural and ethnography than I'd expected. The author is obviously sympathetic to Wetherill, but unfortunately (and typical for his era) his conversational style lacks any footnotes and often adopts the narrative approach replete with specific details that stretch belief.

[Melissa Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was interesting all the way, but it was a slow read for me. I had no idea how contentious this topic was! Fascinating!

[Jennifer Kepesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of the finder/first explorer/best promoter of the major ruins in the Southwest (Mesa Verde, CO, Chaco Canyon, NM, and Grand Gulch, UT). Not only is this a very engaging introduction to the archeological and historical significance of each of these sites, it also explains so much about the nascent field of archeology, events that led to the Antiquities laws, and quite a bit about late 19th and early 20th century life for Anglos and their relationship to Navajos. All of this is wrapped up in a story of Wetherill's murder and the subsequent murder of his character by a slanderous power monger, the Indian Service Agent William Shelton (who years later was forced out of office not for inciting Wetherill's murder, not for the character assassination nor the beggaring of Wetherill's widow and children, but for crimes against the Navajos he was supposed to protect, including sexual coercion of young women at the Indian school. This biography is nearly 50 years old, so theories it presents about ancient indigenous people are out of date, but there is more information here about the archeology of the sites than is easy to find at the national parks' education centers.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

That should be 3 1/2 stars. This was a very interesting book with many page-turner chapters. However, some of it was dry, but probably necessary. The author's viewpoint in this biography isn't the popular opinion of Richard Wetherill. He stands by and defends his opinion very well. He convinced me that RW was an honorable man and served his fellow beings with kindness. He and his brothers and the Hyde group did an amazing job among the earlier excavators of the ancient cliff dwellings in the 4 corners area. It's too bad so many of the relics were shipped off to the east coast and even to Finland. But, at the time, there were no laws against it and the museums closer weren't interested. For all the work RW did, he died almost penniless and violently. This author gives him proper credit where it's due.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

He founded modern anthropological field methods. He made the leap from the Paleo-geologic stratiographic method to a practical application of it to the anthropological. Read it and find how.

Richard Wetherill has been seriously impuned undeservedly. Read it found out why.

He was a great American hero & towering mind in a very unexpected place and time. I admit. I admire him immensely.