National Park Service – Mesa Verde

“One snowy December day in 1888, two cowboys from nearby Mancos chanced upon Cliff Palace while they were out herding cattle. Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law, Charlie Mason, emerged from the dense pinyon-juniper forest at the edge of the canyon. Through a veil of blowing snow they observed what they said looked like “a magnificent city” in the cliffs across the canyon. After news of their ‘discovery’ spread, other people, including Richard’s brother Al, stepped forward and claimed to have seen it earlier. Others, including the Ute Indians whose reservation then included Cliff Palace, did know about the site and its location, but it was the Wetherill family who made it famous by excavating the site and escorting visitors to see the ancient city.” *

This is an excerpt from the description of the Cliff Palace dwelling at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Lanza will be translating the entire description into German and French for the over 650,000 people that visit the park each Summer.

* Written by Rose Houk.  Special thanks to Julie Bell and Patricia Lacey.