Falls Creek, in southwest Colorado, is one of the most important ancient sites in the southwest. It was once a village and had burial sites.
It contained mummified remains of individuals, and has antiquities from the ancestral pueblo basket maker period from 1500-2000 years ago.
Look carefully to the right, below the waterfall and under the overhang (tap to enlarge).
You can see more here.
This sacred site was heavily plundered in the 1930’s and it is now protected, with no public access. It is under the protection of the tribal nations who are descendants of the original occupants.
I am not an archeologist. I am a psychotherapist by training. It is hard to get information on the place and it is difficult to find. Still my husband and I were curious to see what we could, without trespassing or violating the site. This is as close as we could ethically get, and these are full zoom shots. Our interest was piqued by the objects in the lower right quadrant under the overhang (enlarge to see better).
For more on this fascinating place check out the following two links:
https://www.mail-archive.com/nativenews@mlists.net/msg03828.html
If anyone reading this has more knowledge about Falls Creek, and would like to share it, I would be eager to pass on the information.
Cheers to you from the mysterious and sacred Falls Creek~
Very interesting place. I’d love to see this place. Thanks for sharing
It was a super interesting day spent trying to find the sites დ
I too would have been very interested in visiting the site Cindy! I did find this
https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/falls-creek-rock-shelters-archaeological-site#:~:text=The%20shelters%20were%20occupied%20at,has%20not%20experienced%20much%20vandalism.
If you search for the report I bet you could get all the info you need!
Thanks Wayne. I read this before, and it contains some errors. I am hoping someone with actual firsthand knowledge might enlighten us დ
If I wanted more info, I’d go the closest University archeological department and talk to someone in the know. I bet they could suggest an informative book for you to read!
my first big photographic project was a Archeological dig in Nova Scotia (76)
How fascinating. I have relatives there.
Beautiful Cindy. I’ll be looking for awhile. Love your photos! 👏👏
So happy you do Cindy & thanks much! დ
💕you’re most welcome Cindy!
I haven’t heard of this site, so thanks for taking me there. Cheers to you having the equipment and the skill for the shots.
Awww…… So appreciated Frank. We had an awesome sleuthing day trying to figure the place out დ
What a fascinating place! I’m glad to see that it’s protected now.
Yes. I am too. The looting and vandalism of these ancient sites is appalling. I have photos of ancient pictographs with people’s names scratched over them დ
How awful!
Agreed.
Once again you’ve taught me a lot! ❤️ I’m really glad the site is being protected now. It always makes me so sad to see sites plundered and destroyed by treasure hunters, ruining what could be learned from them.
I read something a Hopi anthropologist wrote about Falls Creek that resonated with me. He said something along the lines of, “How would you feel if we went and dug up the bodies in Arlington National Cemetery and put them in a museum? That’s how we feel when you dig up our ancestors for display.”
That is a great explanation!
Yes. Irrefutable დ
What a spiritual place! Beautiful and mystic!
Yes and it was so interesting trying to figure it out დ
Cindy these are incredible images of Falls Creek Colorado . Love to visit that area.
Anita
Thank you Anita. It was really interesting spending the day exploring the area დ
I’m glad it’s now protected. Such a shame that it was so badly disturbed in the 1930s.
Awful. I wouldn’t want someone digging up my ancestors and putting them in a museum. It is disrespectful დ
I couldn’t agree more.
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It’s a beautiful place – my geologist husband could tell you about the rocks if you wanted.
That is so nice of you. He probably would prefer not to be bothered! One thing I am curious about is how to tell the difference between pictographs and petroglyphs that are worn over the passage of time from normal marking on rocks. Most petros/pictos are easy to identify because of their orderly patterns, but some are difficult to separate from normal rock patterns, especially if they are worn down დ
Teddy agrees with you but can’t see anything that is definitively petros/pictos. He said the rocks look like sandstones and some mudstones with different weathering patterns. He hasn’t been there so that will be on his extensive bucket list….K x
Smiling. Thank him. We have been searching for, and finding, other far less known pictographs/petroglyphs. We have found many, but we have also found ones that are weathered and may or may not be human made. These are the puzzlers. Don’t bother your very kind hubby. I may decide to post some of the questionable ones, and if I do, he can look if he is interested. Please thank him for me.
He has got absolutely nothing else to do – so ask away!!!😊
Laughing…… Your hubby is VERY nice, as I said before! My husband is a biostatistician, if anyone has biostats questions, he is either retired, or says there is a computer program for that! 😉 😉
LOL! I worked with statistics in my previous career – happy to retire from them!
I think Jim is happy to retire too! 😉
Spectacular, and interesting!
Thank you, Cindy, I had no idea about this wonder.!
Happy you enjoyed Resa. It was an amazing and interesting day დ
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Huh, this was really interesting. So much history in Colorado’s nature…
Yes! It is this way throughout the southwest. There are literally ancient clues all around us დ
History Pages need to research then… Nice post. May be a ancient heritage and a lots stories behind for sure. Thanks for sharing CK✨🍀
Thanks more for appreciating my friend & cheers to you დ
I am learning through your posts as well. I keep waiting for your new post all the time. I am sure something new is ahead as usual. Thank you. 🌹 ✨ 🌹
So nice. You make me happy I post! Take good care.
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Always fascinating to think about how old were our remotest ancestors and where did they originate? Thanks for sharing this location it’s new to me as a Canadian🤓 smiles hedy
Yes! Fascinating indeed & pleased you are interested დ
They are like a well hidden Mesa Verde in southern CO, Chaco Canyon, Bandelier or Gila cliff dwellings in NM.
Yes. With the exception of no visitors. დ
Such a shame the grounds were plundered. No respect. The photographs are beautiful and the information so very interesting.
Grazie mille Gigi დ
Very interesting post, Cindy!
Thank you Peter დ
Reading the article about how the site was plundered by Helen and Zeke made me sick. I took some courses in archaeology while working on my anthropology degree, and was quite keen on that field, but even then I would have found removal of bodies and artifacts abhorrent. I think it’s awful that Egyptian mummies (King Tutankhamen, notably) have been unwrapped and put on display. At the same time, I admit it would have been intensely interesting to see the sites in an undisturbed state. Unfortunately, we modern humans find it impossible to leave anything wonderful alone. It must be revealed and exploited.
Everything you say is so true and so sad Audrey. I read something a Hopi Anthropologist said about the stealing of the mummies and the subsequent display of them. He something to the effect of, “How would you feel if we unearthed your war dead at The Arlington National Memorial and placed the bodies in windowed boxes for display in our museums?”
Perfectly well made point. We would feel that our war heroes were violated and disrespected. This is how they feel.
Mutual respect goes a long way in this world დ
And it’s possible to study remains and artifacts to discover things about the past, but it must be done with respect and permission from the descendants of the ancient peoples. That is starting to happen, fortunately.
Yes. It is about time. Museums are starting to be compelled to give back collections they stole, although they resist this mightily.
Fascinating stuff. So glad you went somewhat off the beaten track. I wonder what those 1930s plunderers did with their ill-gotten gains?
It was a man and a woman who first looted the site. The man sold the whole lot. Lots of the relics are being returned to the tribal nations who legitimately claim them. I think some of the mummies may have been returned to the site დ
Good. I’m glad it’s at least (partly) possible.
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Fascinating site. Such desecration is appallingly disrespectful
It is appalling and terribly egocentric დ
So interesting, Cindy… it’s a whole different feeling to be in a place where you know people walked and lived thousands of years ago…puts a lot of things into perspective. There is something of an energy there that can’t be explained.
Yes indeed. Lessons to be learned and respect to be given დ
A very interesting site Cindy. We have similar restrictions to our indigenous people’s sites of significance, sadly many have been desecrated, but it is good many are protected or kept from public knowledge.
I agree with you. It is sad you have to hide places like this in order to protect it, but it is necessary დ
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I am so grateful for you Sharon. Sincere thank you დ
what a sacred and beautiful place, I wish that people would not disrespect it
I feel exactly the same. It is like the people who deface ancient petroglyphs. Horrible დ
Fascinating! I am glad you were able to get as much as you could!
Happy you enjoyed Chris. We were thrilled to find the site დ
Is it because of COVID restrictions you explore your own country? Actually, we are trying to find something special faraway from our homeland and do not check for something interesting around the corner. All your recent posts about US unique and special sites are awesome, full of secrets and mysteries. Thank you for taking us there, Cindy.
Thank you very much Alexander. Yes. Our lives changed dramatically due to covid. I am so homesick for international travel (the world is my home). We are finally going to be getting on planes in the next few months and have some adventurous trips planned that hopefully will not be cancelled by another variant outbreak დ
I believe the COVID is not anymore an issue. We have more dangerous things around the World. Hopefully, everything will come back to normal.
Yesterday we said good buy to our Ukrainian relatives who stayed with us for almost 4 months. We could not convince them to stay any longer. They would like to be home, which is understandable. This is why we pray and hope that all that horror will come to the end.
Anyway, it would be nice to see your new posts from around the World, Cindy. All the best.
You are right. There are incredibly more dangerous things happening in the world. I hope your friends remain safe and I pray Putin loses and leaves the poor Ukrainian people alone.
I believe the World will defeat this bastard. The question is – what is the price of victory?
Anyway, let’s be optimistic! Everything will be alright!❤️🌹
It is hard to imagine one person being so destructive. I have been to Russia. I saw how propaganda operates there. Sad that so many people believe the lies he spins.
Cindy, it is huge subject to discuss, and WP is not the place to do so.
I lived in Soviet Union for 46 years. I have Lithuanian background, but I am feeling by my skin that huge monster Russia. Unfortunately, society there have deformed consciousness, and this bustard just could easy manipulate them. There are a lot of smart and normal people in Russia, but most of the population blindly trust and follow propaganda.
“Deformed consciousness” is a accurate way to describe the heavily indoctrinated sense I got from a fair number of people, not all as you say, but too many. And you are right. There is more danger in the world than just covid, and this is not the best place to discuss it. Take good care my friend.
Wonderful scenery
Thank you Sheree & cheers to you დ
Very impressive. Thank heavens the site is restricted.
Agreed. It is precious დ
This is another great find Cindy. Maybe you’re becoming an archeologist in training? I loved Mesa Verde, but how fun that you’re discovering less known and visited sites. Enjoy. And I’m glad they are protected now.
Thanks much Brad. It is definitely more interesting to discover a place with no one else there დ
I bet. I haven’t been out exploring in too many years. Thanks for the nudge. 😍
Oh, good! You’re nudged….. 😉
Facinating!
Indeed. We were definitely fascinated by the site დ
Cindy, I’m sorry I have no knowledge of this place or what went on there. However, the photos are most interesting, and I suspect it’s a good thing the place is protected now.
Yes. We are finding all sorts of far less known picto/petroglyphs. Several are defaced with people’s names scratched over them. Sad დ
Thanks, Cindy, for making me aware of that intriguing place. I had never heard of it.
You are most welcome & cheers to you დ
Fascinating… I have never understood the urge for destruction. 😢 Thank heavens it is protected now!
They view it as acquisition, as collections. I want this! Not the most honorable human drive დ
You make me want to really know what is there. I am glad though that the place is now protected.
Unfortunately, too many people cannot be trusted to respect and leave places as they are დ
This reminds me that so many thousands of years have passed, so many cultures, and yet Life remains the same for us as for the Anasazi or Pueblo or whoever those dwellers were. Make a living, raise families, mix joy and sorrow… We just had the visit of old friends form France for a few days. So we took them to all the significant places and museums, including Frida Kahlo’s house… All our technology doesn’t change the simple facts. Thanks for the post, Cindy. 🙏🏻
Very true. Human beings are subject to the same forces then and now. You are most welcome my friend and I appreciate your perceptive thoughts დ
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Experiencing a long power outage followed by an even longer internet outage just in the last week gave me a new appreciation for the wonders of modern technologies and conveniences. But I do agree that the basics of who we are as humans seem to have remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years, regardless of the trappings of comfort we wrap ourselves in… Thank you for the great reminder!
Most welcome. Now it could be benefit in the next World War: we are so dependent on technology, that most weapon systems will fail at the very beginning… 😉
Ugh! Sorry about the outage and agree, technology is so wonderful, except for the ways it isn’t. And too much of the “progress” of our civilizations seem to actually be anti-progress. Some speculate these early cultures may have disappeared from drought and disease. Sounds familiar to me დ
Breathtaking, Cindy. Hugs.
Flying back 2UX2 Teagan დდ
Nice place
Grazie დ
It is always amazing what rock formations nature creates over time that outlast everything. Thank you for sharing, Cindy. LG Marie
You are most welcome Marie and yes, the earth’s geology is fascinating to explore. Hopefully the tree will shrug that paint right off დ
is it the little rock that looks like a table or altar that captured your interest? We have a very old beech tree in our local park. It must be hundreds of years old. The park keeper said it is the tree she loves the most, and I feel the same, as I’ve found it a good companion over the years. Some child has spray painted a smiley face on it. Let’s hope it washes away soon.
Yes! You are perceptive. There are also, on the same level, further right, what appear to be wrapped objects. I can’t tell how many, since they go back under the overhang but I can see several at least. I also thought the bare white Aspen trunks in a row, in front of the cave, looked unusual. No idea what I am seeing though დ
Thanks for this. I’ll have another study of the photos. I love the colours of these places you share.
The beauty of Mother Nature’s palette cannot be equaled. I am happy you enjoyed Angie & cheers to you დ
Love this adventure! Thank you Cindy 💛🙏💛
So happy you came along with me Val. You make the experience richer დ
Thank you Cindy. I so enjoy joining you on your explorations … as well as the Hollers fancy residents❣️
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Your images inspire me to reflect on the complex legacy of this site – thank you for bringing the stories to me.
P.S. psychotherapist? At first I was taken aback, but I can see the healing of your art in everything you post. Not surprising at all.
You are a kind human being Sheila. Thank you my friend დ
Plainly, I would say you were lucky to get that far back and to get that close. In SW Colorado, you are already crossing onto tribal lands, the Ute Mountain Ute reservation to be specific. While they do not have an ancestral connection to the original peoples of those dwellings, the Ute Nation and Mountain Ute Nation do feel they have the obligation to protect the sacred areas. Laurie and Andrea have done emergency medical missions into the general area. They are genuinely warm, grateful people but some topics are off limits … like sacred sites because so much of the heritage from their own nations and other nations have been systematically plundered. Both nations are trying to retrieve tribal pottery and tribal goods (blankets and clothing) returned to them from the Denver Art Museum. The museum has no desire to return the materials. (I loathe to use ‘artifacts’ to describe the items.) The museum is also fighting the Navajo Nation and Hopi Nation regarding similar items. Neil Gorsuch (yes, that one) has ruled more than once the Denver Art Museum has no legitimate claim (legal or otherwise) to tribal antiquities or tribal goods, taken, stolen, or sold. I can write more expansively when I get home.
RE: Covid. Don’t be lulled into believing covid is behind us. Some of the data that have been published are indicating we could see a daily infection rate of 1M+ cases this coming fall. Currently, we are around 100-125K daily cases. It is believed the new case number may be much higher since testing is no longer a priority. Laurie’s and Andrea’s work really has not seen any kind of reduction. COVID-terminal cases are defined as those that do not respond to any kind of treatment. And, the new covid variants have adjusted to the treatments and vaccinations that are being employed. Paxlovid, the anti-covid treatment used for mild-to-moderate cases, is not having the desired effect. Plus, there is the nagging issue of a relapse within 3-5 days and may affect cardiac enzymes during the course of treatment and become a long term issue.
Stay well, safe travels.
Yes, I read the data on the two Omicron subvariants and their ability to evade all of the vaccinations/boosters/ and even antibody response from prior covid infection. Currently new vaccines are being developed to address the new variants. It seems like chasing the proverbial horse that ran out of the barn, a long time ago in China…… The virus is faster than they are. They keep reporting lower rates of hospitalization and severe disease. I hope this is the case. The case numbers in San Diego are not good either. Rising. We are waiting to see what will happen in the fall too. We are getting on planes though. I am tired of living life on hold. That said our plans are conservative at this point until we see what fall/winter will bring.
Regarding Falls Creek, I know that some of the stolen ‘artifacts’ have been returned to the rightful caretakers. They have my full support in protecting their sacred places and keeping us away from them. We have proven our track record over time and it ain’t pretty. I am so tired of searching for and finding rarely seen petroglyphs only to see some morons name scratched over it. დ
How terrible that so many sites have been plundered. I’m glad they are now protected.
Thank you Kathy. I am too დ
It’s an interesting place. Thank you for sharing Cindy. 🙂
Hope all is well with you? I haven’t heard from you in awhile. დ
A beautiful sacred site, Cindy. Thank you for sharing your excellent photos.
You are most welcome Jennie & cheers to you my friend დ
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What a lovely area!
Yes. Thank you. Beautifully mysterious დ
Hi Cindy, thank you so much for continuing to share these beautiful photographs with us!
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Reblogged this on charles french words reading and writing and commented:
Please enjoy these beautiful photographs from Cindy Knoke!
Thank you much more for you kind thoughtfulness Charles. You are so very appreciated. Take good care my friend დ
fascinating!! I also liked reading some of your back story–that you are a psychotherapist!! so cool!
Well thank you Katie. Much appreciated დ
I would love to visit these places, this is another fascinating one 😊
It is wonderful to hear from you! How are you? დდ
A little on the warm side🔥🌞😉And coronavirus is rampaging through my workplace again so even hotter since this requires countering with face masks😷 in the fiery summer sun!☀️
It is getting a bit toasty where you are. Fires burning in the forests of Spain (where the wolfies are) and France. Denmark adjusting to desert temps. And covid is filling up the ICU beds here, yet again, in mid summer nightmares. Monkey pox is monkeying around. I have never stopped wearing a mask. It’s not like I thought masks were ultimately efficacious, it was more like I didn’t want to put on makeup. დდ
The world is getting far too hot!🔥 🥵 We had more wildfires last weekend- came back to a smelly haze of smoke after a day out and donned the mask 😷 purely for environmental hazard reasons! Monkeypox is doing the rounds here too – we seem to be a rather plague riddled world these days! I’m the “designated person” for Covid outbreak control in my workplace and they’ve been dropping like flies of late again, so busy busy😬Like you I have never stopped wearing a mask 😷 (and still caught it despite 3 jabs!). Having worn them throughout the last few years and it being mandatory for work, it’s now totally normal and very scary to be out without one…but I do like to put make-up on and have settled for eyes only or have it all rub off on a nice shiny white mask! Just means a lot of facial enhancements on selfies 🤳 as the difference shows too much for my vain wolfie self!!😂
We’re in Maui now and the masks are gone since everything is ‘outsidish’ in Hawaii. 4 jabs and I avoided it so far, but there is the second plane ride home and the airport, where we are masked the whole time. Still, these are our first extended time around crowds since we left OZ at the start of the outbreak, which is daunting. I am tired of living life on hold. Monkeypox is terrible. We’ve got a lot of serious problemns on this planet. Stay safe & well დ
Everything will pass in the fullness of time…never fear!
Wow, I love that you are still very adventurous and are seeking out and sharing your sites.