What Happened Next

In 1996, the Carrikers proposed a partnership with BLM, knowing that there was strength in numbers when it came to effecting change. Completing an archeological survey was the first priority to find out more about the number and kind of sites in the canyon. In addition, the survey could help secure National Register of Historic Places designation for Sand Canyon, opening up the possibility of more grants. Thus, in November of that year, MCRI and BLM jointly applied for a Colorado Historical Society grant to conduct a survey of the undocumented archeological sites in the Sand Canyon Resource Area. The proposal was funded.

MCRI helped staff the survey with 111 volunteer Elderhostel participants, and Kelly Place offered lodging and camping facilities for the helpers. As the first survey week approached, MCRI found that they had filled all the volunteer slots and had a waiting list in excess of 200 people.

To fully appreciate the monumental task undertaken by the survey participants, note that getting to the sites involved a four-mile jeep trail drive followed by hikes of various duration, depending on the sites’ locations. Water, tools, and other materials had to be packed in by horses.

The survey took place between March 1997 and March 1998. The completed survey of 1,600 acres of BLM land identified 136 cultural resources, including 100 sites and 36 isolated finds. Seventy-three of these sites had not been recorded previously, and 20 previously recorded sites were located more accurately and re-recorded. Fifty-two sites were recommended as being eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The survey reinforced the tremendous need to secure the most severely deteriorated structures in a more stable form.

“Because of declining budgets, we would not have been able to accomplish the survey without the help of the Kelly Place. Partnerships like this have become our only way to offer interpretation, protection, and public enjoyment of cultural resources,” explains Richard Steegle, BLM Recreation Coordinator.

Since the survey’s completion, Kelly Place’s successful partnership with BLM and Elderhostel has continued with six one-week “working vacations” each year. The emphasis has changed from survey work to structural stabilization and preservation. Participants stay at Kelly Place, learn about the history and archeology of the area, and work side-by-side with trained archeologists to preserve ruins in Sand Canyon. After each trip, the archeologists document the work for future archeologists in carefully detailed reports.

Timeline

• 1996 - Partnership struck between Kelly Place and BLM
  
  MCRI and BLM receive grant from Colorado Historical Society to conduct survey

• 1997 - Elderhostel guests volunteer to help with survey

  Kelly Place offers lodging and camping for volunteers

  1,600 acres of BLM land surveyed over a one-year period

• 1998 - 52 sites recommended for listing in the National Register

• 1999 - Partnership continues with 6 one-week ‘working vacations’ to locate and record additional sites

• 2000 - Area designated as Canyons of the Ancients National Monument by President Clinton

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