Latest / Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico / 010 - The Natural Scene Establishment and Administration Related Areas

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010 - The Natural Scene Establishment and Administration Related Areas · Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico

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  Speaker 1: Section nine of Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Read by Prettipah Aztec Ruins National Monument,
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico by John M. Corbett, The Natural Scene Establishment
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  Speaker 1: and Administration, and related areas. The Natural Scene Aztecruins National
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  Speaker 1: Monument is located on the Animas River in northwestern New Mexico,
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  Speaker 1: about twenty miles below the Colorado state line and fourteen
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  Speaker 1: miles above the point where the Animas flows into the
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  Speaker 1: San Juan. The monument is on the west bank of
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  Speaker 1: the Animas on high ground, about half way between the
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  Speaker 1: river and the low lying hills and mesas which border
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  Speaker 1: the river valley. The valley, although narrow at spots, is
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  Speaker 1: about two miles wide at the point where the Ruins
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  Speaker 1: are located. The floor of the valley is composed of
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  Speaker 1: fertile alluvial soil, which produces fine crops irrigated Today, as
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  Speaker 1: in prehistoric times, the population of this area is concentrated
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  Speaker 1: along the river. It was this permanent source of water
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  Speaker 1: that induced the builders of the Aztec Pueblo and in
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  Speaker 1: later times, the white Man to settle this valley. No doubt,
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  Speaker 1: many of the fields cultivated today are the same ones
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  Speaker 1: that were tilled by the original inhabitants of the area.
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  Speaker 1: The valley floor and valley terraces are dotted with salt bush,
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  Speaker 1: rabbit brush, greasewood, and sage brush. The river banks and
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  Speaker 1: ditches are lined with willows and huge cottonwoods. Cat Tails
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  Speaker 1: and reeds grow in the marshy areas, and wild roses
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  Speaker 1: grow in the shady spots. The low hills and uplands
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  Speaker 1: bordering the river valley have a sparse cover of vegetation
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  Speaker 1: because of the small amount of rainfall. Therefore, the main
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  Speaker 1: growth is juniper and pinon, typical of the upper Sonoran
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  Speaker 1: life zone. These small, hardy trees can withstand dry periods
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  Speaker 1: and survive in semi arid country. Today, much of the
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  Speaker 1: valley is under cultivation or in pasture, and the mild
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  Speaker 1: and very dry climate is well suited to growing non
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  Speaker 1: citrus fruit. Elevation at the monument is about five thousand,
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  Speaker 1: six hundred feet above sea level. Average annual rainfall is
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  Speaker 1: about nine and a half inches. The humidity is usually
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  Speaker 1: very low. Temperatures will reach the mid nineties during July
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  Speaker 1: and August, but evenings are cool and pleasant. Night temperatures
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  Speaker 1: in the sixties are not uncommon even after the hottest
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  Speaker 1: summer days. Occasional afternoon thundershowers give relief from the heat
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  Speaker 1: during late July and August. Spring and autumn are relatively
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  Speaker 1: dry seasons, when the skies may remain cloudless for weeks
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  Speaker 1: at a time. In September, a great range of temperature
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  Speaker 1: from night to day, as much as forty five degrees
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  Speaker 1: is noticeable. The winters are mild, the temperature rarely drops
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  Speaker 1: to das zero or below, and there are very few
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  Speaker 1: prolonged periods of cold weather. Infrequent snows are usually light
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  Speaker 1: and melt quickly. Many days are warm and cloudless. At
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  Speaker 1: the time that the Aztec Pueblo was inhabited, no doubt,
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  Speaker 1: a few deer, pronghorn or antelope, and big horn could
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  Speaker 1: be found in and near the valley. Occasionally deer still
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  Speaker 1: may be seen along the river to the north of
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  Speaker 1: Aztec Ruins. Many of the smaller animals which were familiar
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  Speaker 1: to the people of the Aztec Pueblo are still present
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  Speaker 1: in the valley. And may occasionally be observed in the monument.
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  Speaker 1: Jack rabbits, cotton tails, rock squirrels, skunks, porcupines, and in
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  Speaker 1: occasional gray fogs, all of which were probably well known
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  Speaker 1: to the Pueblo people, frequent the monument. Gambols, quail, and pheasants,
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  Speaker 1: which are both relative newcomers, may also be seen in
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  Speaker 1: the monument. Ducks, geese, and a few large shore birds
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  Speaker 1: may be seen along the river during the cooler months.
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  Speaker 1: Meadow larks, robins, and numerous other birds may be seen
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  Speaker 1: during warmer months. Several species of lizards and a few
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  Speaker 1: bull snakes, which are harmless and beneficial and should not
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  Speaker 1: be disturbed, may be observed around the Ruins area during summer.
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  Speaker 1: Establishment and administration as to Ruins National Monument was established
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  Speaker 1: by Presidential proclamation on January twenty fourth, nineteen twenty three.
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  Speaker 1: Most of the land was donated to the government by
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  Speaker 1: the American Museum of Natural History in nineteen twenty one,
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  Speaker 1: nineteen twenty eight, and nineteen thirty. In nineteen thirty one,
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  Speaker 1: an additional six point eight acres was purchased by the
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  Speaker 1: federal government from the heirs of H. D. Ebrahms, who
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  Speaker 1: had originally owned the entire site, and in nineteen forty
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  Speaker 1: seven the Southwestern Monuments Association purchased the one point two
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  Speaker 1: acres containing the Hubbard Mound and presented it to the government.
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  Speaker 1: The monument, now containing twenty seven point one acres, is
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  Speaker 1: administered by the National Park Service u S Department of
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  Speaker 1: the Interior. Created in eighteen forty nine, The Department of
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  Speaker 1: the Interior, America's Department of Natural Resources, is concerned with
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  Speaker 1: the management, conservation, and development of the nation's water, wildlife, mineral, forest,
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  Speaker 1: and park in recreational resources. It also has major responsibilities
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  Speaker 1: for Indian and territorial affairs. As the nation's principal conservation agency,
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  Speaker 1: the Department works to assure that non renewable sources are
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  Speaker 1: developed and used wisely, that park and recreational resources are
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  Speaker 1: conserved for the future, and that renewable resources make their
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  Speaker 1: full contribution to the progress, prosperity, and security of the
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  Speaker 1: United States now and in the future. A Superintendent whose
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  Speaker 1: address is Route one, Box one oh one as Tech
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico, is an immediate charge of Aztec Ruins National
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  Speaker 1: Monument related areas. Other monuments in the national system also
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  Speaker 1: preserved the remains of different types of prehistoric ruins. Two
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  Speaker 1: of these, Maysaverde National Park, Colorado and Chacocania National Monument,
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico, contained remains of Indian groups which seemed to
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  Speaker 1: have been related to those at Aztec Ruins National Monument.
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  Speaker 1: A third, Bandalia National Monument, New Mexico, contains the remains
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  Speaker 1: of another type, but still may be one of the
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  Speaker 1: areas in the Rio Grande drainage in which some of
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  Speaker 1: the Indians lived after they abandoned the San Juan region.
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  Speaker 1: End of section nine. End of Aztec Ruins National Monument,
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico by John M. Corbett