Anasazi is the Navajo name for the 'Ancient Ones' who preceded them into the
Southwest. And Anasazi is the
nickname
of Richard Wetherill, who
devoted his life to a
search for the remains of
these vanished people. He discovered the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, the
Basket Maker civilization, and Kiet Siel - Arizona's largest cliff house. He
initiated the excavation of Pueblo Bonito, largest prehistoric ruin in the
United States, abandoned about 800 years ago. By the time of his murder in
1910, Wetherill had become one of the most controversial and tragic figures
of his day, falsely labelled as pot-hunter, anti-Navajo, even cattle thief.
The author, Frank McNitt, spent five years untangling the truth about
Richard Wetherill's extraordinary career.
Richard Wetherill Anasazi
1858-1910