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 Keet Seel and John Wetherill of Betatakin in the Navajo National Monument.  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 "In the history of the Southwest, no scholar ever found or discovered more sites, or more important sites, than Richard Wetherill-not even his indefatigable brother John. One might expect that Richard's achievement, which rivals those of Heinrich Schliemann at Troy and Hiram Bingham at Machu Picchu, should be hailed as a landmark in American archaeology. But the of controversy that shadowed his work from start to finish has never entirely lifted." 

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". 

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National Park Ranger Chuck Smith and Head Interpreter at Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Chuck Smith is one of the National Park Rangers at Rainbow Bridge National Monument.  He has a breadth of knowledge about Rainbow Bridge which includes history, geology and the involvement of the Wetherills in the discovery and protection of the monument.  John Wetherill led the expedition of discovery in 1909 and was the first Custodian of the bridge.