Dear HCN,
Couldn’t help but notice
the page 7 photo, “Power Site: Chimney Rock, New Mexico (Dale
Schicketanz photo),” in the recent issue I received (HCN, 5/21/01).
The Chimney Rock in the photo framed by those “National Scenic
Powerlines,” is six miles north of New Mexico in Colorado (on the
Ute Mountain Reservation lands, along the southwest base of Mesa
Verde, and just east of the junction of Highways 160 and
666).
Of course, this isn’t the only Chimney Rock
in Colorado. Another one, located 14 miles north of New Mexico, is
the site of numerous ancestral pueblo archaeological sites,
including a “Chaco Outlier” site. This Chimney Rock is located
between Durango and Pagosa Springs. The Chimney Rock Archaeological
Area of the San Juan National Forest (4,100 acres) is designated
surrounding the spires at this location. I work there. A volunteer
program runs interpretive tours of the archaeological sites from
May to the end of September. The Web site is www.chimneyrockco.org.
The “co” on the end of the address is vital, since Web sites for
Chimney Rock, N.C., and Chimney Rock, Neb., are located out there
on the Web as well. Seems those pioneers loved to name rocks after
chimneys.
By the way, ever wonder how many
Sycamore Canyons there are in Arizona or Cottonwood Canyons in
Utah? Or Rio Puercos in New Mexico?
Tom Ferrell
Pagosa Springs,
Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Rocks that look like chimneys.
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