More Travels of John & Mimi: Gila Cliff Dwellings

A handsome couple! This is Curt and Donna, from the Puget Sound area of Washington. We found that we had lots of things in common, including enjoying crab fishing. We will stop by to see them this summer and maybe do a little of that fishing, eh? Mmmmmmm

Thursday morning was the start of our cliff dwelling expedition. It was cloudy and cool in Silver City. The drive is about 45 miles to the dwellings, but that is, "As the crow flies". Instead we followed this twisty, winding road, averaging about 25 mph.

We did see some interesting wild life, including a group mule deer. We also saw an interesting animal that looked like a large squirrel with pointy ears of a jack rabbit. We called it a jackosquirrel.

The view became more interesting as we reached higher altitudes.

Finally, after a 1 1/2 hour roller coaster ride, we arrived.

This is our first view of the dwellings on the hike up.

The entrance way to the dwellings is by ladder, that can be drawn up for defensive purposes. The dwelling structures were build by the Mogollon people around 1270. They only resided in the dwellings for a generation. Actually the cliffs had been occupied for 20,000 years by people in the area, including the Mogollon. Generally, the Mogollon lived on the land in hut-like structures. In the 1200's the area experienced a severe drought. Food became scarce, and aggression likely increased. It is thought that they retreated to the cliff caves and fortified them with walls for self-defense. The ladder can be drawn up to make entry difficult.

It is thought that the Chiricahua Apaches moved in following the exit of the Mogollon in the 1500's.Their legendary leader, Geronimo was born near this area in the early 1820's.

Interior of the dwellings. There are a series of seven attached caves which were subdivided by walls of local stone. The rooms had various functions, including cooking, sleeping, and conducting ceremonies.

This is the end cave. The holes in the walls held poles, which supported roofs.

Mogollon picture window. A fantastic view, which was a southern exposure. Sunlight enters the dwellings in the winter to heat them, but not in the summer, helping to keep them cool.

Front porch. You can easily imagine Mogollon family members doing the same activities as these tourists 500 years ago.

The hike back revealed these colorful streaked marking on the cliffs. Manganese and other minerals dissolved in the ground water is deposited as it flows over the edge and down the face of the cliffs.