Ruins

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"The ancient people lived in villages, or pueblos, but during the growing season they scattered about by the springs and streams to cultivate the soil by irrigation , and wherever there was a little farm or garden patch there was built a summer home of stone. When times of war came, especially when they were invaded ... these ancient people left their homes in the pueblos and by the streams and constructed temporary homes in the cliffs and canyon walls... Ultimately the ancient pueblo people succumbed ... and were driven out." John Wesley Powell, The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons. 1895

The canyon and the river were a source of water and a refuge for the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in this area. There were many ruins to mark their presence throughout the area.

Click on images below for enlarged view.

Canon EOS 1Ds, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L @ 18mm, ISO 100

Granaries at Nankoweap

These structures were used for storage by the people who lived up the valley of Nankoweap Creek that enters the Colorado a half a mile or so behind this scene. This view shows the 900 feet we climbed to get to this spot. If you look very closely you can see our raft beached along the right bank of the river.

Canon EOS 1Ds, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L @ 30mm, ISO 100

Hilltop Ruin

This ruin lies about 6oo feet above river level. The open area (now named Furnace Flats) was used for farming in the past, but this ruin's purpose is unknown. This is the most open part of the canyon and is the only place I could see the viewpoints on the North Rim and the South Rim from the same spot.

For an essay I wrote on taking this image check "Where to put the house?" on Steve Kossack's website.