Wetherill
A History of Discovery
As you browse through this Web site, you will find many interesting stories and fascinating people. The Wetherill family were responsible for some of the most important archeological discoveries in the Southwest, in particular Richard Wetherill and the discovery of Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde, Colorado. They were some of the first explorers of Southwestern Native American Cultures in the Four Corners area. Other creative members of the the family were Robert and Richard Wetherill of Chester, Pennsylvania who were two of the most influential industrialists in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century. They formed the Robert Wetherill and Company, manufacturing the Wetherill Corliss Steam Engine and other heavy machinery. You will find families of considerable wealth and prestige or those that were contributors to the development of this country. Several of the allied families arrived with Juan de Onate in New Mexico in 1598. Many descendants of these families still live in the same communities established during that time. Descendants of Benjamin Kite Wetherill and Marion Tompkins Wetherill can claim Daniel B. Tompkins as a cousin. He was Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States under Monroe. Descendants of Marietta Palmer Wetherill can claim Ulysses S. Grant, eighteenth President of the United States as a cousin.
SUGGESTED READING
Reading list is provided so that you may read other
information written about the Wetherill family
The Wetherills: Friends of Mesa Verde by Fred Blackburn
Wolfkiller by Louisa Wetherill & Compiled by Harvey Leake
Richard Wetherill: Anasazi by Frank McNitt
A Difference of Perspective by Harvey Leake
In Search of the Old Ones by David Roberts
Through their study of the cliff dwellers and association with their Native American neighbors, the Wetherills developed a value system that was quite different from that of the dominant culture. Harvey Leake contrasts these beliefs in this article entitled "The Wisdom of Nature and why we try so hard to avoid it".
The 2008 Wetherill Mason reunion, Dolores, Colorado
Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde, Colorado
The Wetherills: Friends of Mesa Verde
Following in the wake of what one noted scientist called "transients who neither revered nor cared for the ruins as symbols of the past. The Wetherill family became the earliest students of Mesa Verde. Their careful excavations and record-keeping helped preserve key information, leading to a deeper understanding of the people who built and occupied the cliff dwellings. Based on decades of meticulous research, author Fred Blackburn sets the record straight on these early protectors of Mesa Verde.
