With all the hoopla going
on about a possible re-expansion of Bears Ears National Monument, I noticed a
mentioned addition was Alkali Ridge. On
one hand, there are those who state, “The monument will bring thousands of
tourists who will bring money to the economy, but also destruction.” Then there are those who state, “No
expansion, no monument, build a wall ala Trump around San Juan County. Working in the tourism industry for five
years, the influx of visitors to San Juan County has been steadily increasing,
even before the mention of the possibility of a monument. With the Alkali Ridge, visitors have been
asking about it, since I began promoting the Four Corners regions, as they
already knew of its existence. Knowledge
has become so accessible, the entire idea of “hiding” anything historical is
preposterous. Change comes whether we
want it to or not. The huge decision
that needs to be addressed, how to react to the change; will it be with
positivity or negativity? *climbs off
soap box*
I have written about the
cacao that had been found in Alkali Ridge pottery and its display in a museum
in Salt Lake City. It was exciting to
see shards of “Deadman Black on Red” pottery lying here and there around the
Landmark area when I visited it. With
that lead in, let me introduce you to Alkali Ridge Historical Landmark, or what
you could have seen when it was excavated in the 1930s.
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| Alkali Ridge National Historical Landmark |
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| Outlined with stones; possible buried Kiva? |
In the summer of 1908,
Byron L. Cummings (University of Utah) continued his archaeological work in the
Southeastern Utah region by focusing on upper Montezuma Canyon, including a
small excavation at Alkali Ridge. Along
on this expedition was Alfred V. Kidder who became a leader in the field of
archeology. However, it wasn't until
John Otis Brew of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology; a museum
affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that Alkali
Ridge was fully explored. Three separate
expeditions (1931, 32, 33) exposed the massive settlements that existed in this
area covering Basketmaker III (c. 500CE - c. 750CE) to Pueblo II period (c. 900
CE – c. 1100 CE). The site revealed
hundreds of pit dwellings, multi-storied structures, a central courtyard,
kivas, irrigation for agriculture and high quality ceramics. After documenting and photographing the site,
the ruins were covered over; all that can be seen now are piles of rubble,
stones sticking out of the ground which denote the outline of structures,
pottery shards and simple tools made from agate for cutting and scraping.
In 1964, Alkali Ridge
(covering an area of 70 square miles) was designated a National Landmark; on
August 12, 1965, at 3:00 PM, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), other Federal
agencies, local and state officials held a dedication ceremony at the Alkali
Ridge National Historical Landmark.
Archaeologists from a number of western universities attended this
ceremony; Dr. John 0tis Brew of the Pea-body Museum, Harvard University, who
did the original archaeological scientific investigations on Alkali Ridge, was
the keynote speaker. In 2013, an unusual
pottery, "Deadman Black on Red", was examined by University of
Pennsylvania and Bristol-Meyers Squibb researchers and the cacao was
discovered.
A prized possession, if
you can find a copy, and I do own a first edition, is Archaeology of Alkali
Ridge, Southeastern Utah by John Otis Brew (published 1946) which is basically
the only proof of existence of the ruins from the many photographs and
drawings. I find it fascinating to
compare the photographs of the excavations to what is actually seen at the site
now. Strolling area, one “site” are
stones that outline a circle, could this be where one of the covered over kivas
lie buried? From a stewardship
perspective, I can appreciate the need to protect historical sites. However, from an educational perspective,
knowledge empowers the masses more than any fence or wall can.
…and for those who appreciate
the chocolate aspect, a recipe for Triple Chocolate Cupcakes and Frosting. Oh yes, you can make one large cake instead
of cupcakes; just depends on how you wish to share it.
Triple Chocolate Cupcakes and Frosting
Cupcakes
Ingredients:
4 ounces each of dark
chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
5 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla
extract
1 cup cake flour
½ tsp. baking soda
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line
muffin tins with paper liners (24)
Heat one inch of water in
bottom half of a double boiler. Place in all chocolates and cream; stir
occasionally as chocolate melts until smooth (about 8-10 minutes); cover with
plastic wrap and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat
(medium speed) together eggs, sugar and vanilla until creamy; add chocolate
mixture and beat for another 30 seconds. Add the flour and baking soda; beat
for 30 seconds or until all the flour is incorporated into the creamy mixture.
Divide the batter evenly
between the 24 paper liners. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out
cleanly from center of cupcakes. Remove from oven and let cool to room
temperature.
Frosting
Ingredients:
5 ounces each dark and
milk chocolate, chopped
6 sticks unsalted butter,
softened
6 cups confectioner’s
sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla
extract
1 cup white chocolate
chips
6 Bliss white chocolate
squares (place in refrigerator to firm up for grating)
Preparation:
Place chocolate in
microwave safe bowl; at 15 second intervals, melt chocolate, stir; repeat until
chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
In a large mixing bowl,
combine melted chocolate with butter, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla; beat on
low for 5 minutes. Gently fold in white chips; frost cupcakes and grate the
Bliss squares over all.
Makes enough to frost 24
cupcakes.
Mary Cokenour
