Mesa Verde Administrative History

Early Museum Collections from Mesa Verde
(Wetherill-Mason)¹

1st, Collection:

Made by the Wetherill Brothers, mainly Al, and Charles Mason the winter of 1887-88, in Johnson Canyon. Sent by B. K. Wetherill to Mrs. Chain of Denver (wife of one of the partners of the Chain-Hardy Stationers and Booksellers of Denver) who had visited and explored the cliff dwellings in the Mancos Canyon and was very interested in them.

2nd, Collection

December 18, 1888, in Cliff Palace, by Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason. The items of interest picked up by the two discovers, including a stone axe with the handle still attached. Probably added to the 4th collection.

3rd, Collection

Made by Charles McLoyd, Howard Graham and L. C. Patrick and John Wetherill December 22, 23, 24 and possibly 25 at Cliff Palace. (Mason states that he and Richard returning from the discovery trip met the McLoyd-Graham-Patrick party they told of their finds and these men became so interested they took 3 or 4 days supplies and accompanied by John Wetherill left immediately for Cliff Palace where, before their supplies were used up they found as much stuff as they could carry out. (The dates given are on the basis of John Wetherill's statement to C. M. Finnan that he believed Cliff Palace was discovered the 18th as he first saw it December 22, 1888 and worked in it until sometime in January 1889.)

I can't seem to find out what happened to this collection. It is possible that this was combined with the 4th, which in turn was combined with the 5th and according to Mason sold to the Colorado State Historical Society. It could be too, that McLoyd-Patrick-Graham combined it with one of their later collections from the Grand Gulch area.

In connection with this, the 4th and 5th collections there is some doubt in my mind as to what actually happened to the material. In the Art Catalogue of the Minneapolis Industrial Exposition of 1892 (the 7th Exposition) it states that at the Sixth Annual Exposition there was shown a collection of mummies, tools, potteries and relics collected by Richard Wetherill and Brothers. That it was the interest in this collection (displayed in Minneapolis in 1891) which led Mr. H. Jay Smith to organize the Smith-Exploring Expedition to Southwestern Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. The mention of mummies would lead me to think that at least part of the collection made in the winter of 1889-90 was displayed here as it wasn't until the spring of 1889 that the first mummy was discovered—the one of a small child found by Clayton Wetherill and Charles Mason, (the 5th collection). However, Mason says that in the winter of 91-92 they started in to enlarge the collection of the winter of 89-90, which had not yet been disposed of. It is possible that part of the collection of 89-90 (the 6th) was sent to Minneapolis for display. If it were not for the mummies one would wonder if maybe the 4th and 5th collections, which were displayed at Durango and then taken by McLoyd to Denver and sold to the State Historical Society might not have been loaned by the State Historical Society to the Minneapolis Industrial Exposition for display.

4th Collection

Made by the Wetherills and Mason (with possibly the McLoyd-Graham-Patrick party for part of the time as Charlie says "they camped with us for some time") the winter of 1888-89. This collection made in Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree House, Square Tower House and Johnson Canyon. This collection was displayed in the spring of 1889 in Durango, then added to the 5th collection, taken by McLoyd to Denver and sold to the State Historical Society.

5th Collection

Made in three weeks late in the spring of 1889 after the boys returned from making the 4th collection and had taken it to Durango for exhibit. This was made by Clayton Wetherill and Charles Mason, and on this expedition they made some good finds, including the first mummy ever discovered, that of a child of a few months of age. This was added to the 4th collection, the entire combined collections taken to Denver by McLoyd and there sold to the Colorado State Historical Society.

6th Collection

Made the winter of 1889-90; started in December of 1889-90; by Richard, John Al and Clayton Wetherill and Charles Mason. It was made in the Mancos Canyon (Sandal House); The branch of Johnson Canyon known as Acowitz Canyon (Fortified House); the left fork of Johnson Canyon (She House); Cliff Canyon (Cliff Palace); Navaho Canyon (Square Tower House); Spruce Tree Canyon (Spruce Tree House); Long Canyon (Spring House, Step House and possibly others); Rock Canyon (Mug House, Long House, High House (?), Kodak House and other smaller, un-named ruins). This collection was combined with the 8th and sold to H. Jay Smith and C. D. Hazzard of Minneapolis in 1892 and exhibited by them at the Minneapolis Industrial Exposition (7th) of 1892 and later at the World Columbian Exposition (First Chicago World's Fair) of 1893, and, according to Mason, later donated to the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Articles known to have been collected on this expedition of 1889 include the skeleton of the man in the buckskin jacket (Minneapolis Art Catalogue Nos. 1576-77); the mummy "She", Cat No. 1575; and possibly Cat. Nos 1610-11, the bashed skulls from She House.

7th Collection

Made in the summer and fall of 1891 by Gustav Nordenskiold with John Wetherill as foreman. From Painted Kiva House, Long House, Kodak House, Nos. 11, 12 and 16, Mug House, Jug House, Step House, Spring House, Spruce Tree House, Square Tower House and Cliff Palace. Now located at the Finnish National Museum, Helsinki, Finland.

8th Collection

Made in the winter of 1891-92; by the Wetherill Brothers and Charlie Mason, to enlarge the collection made the winter of 1889-90 (no work done the winter of 90-91). In the spring of 1892 the combined 6th and 8th collections were sold to H. Jay Smith and C. D. Hazzard of Minneapolis and exhibited by them at the Seventh Annual Minneapolis Industrial Exposition of 1892, and later at the World Columbian Exposition (First Chicago World Fair) of 1893; and later, according to Mason, donated to the University of Pennsylvania Museum.

9th Collection

Made later in 1892; by the Wetherill Brothers and Charles Mason for the state of Colorado to be used as part of the State Exhibit at the First Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Made under the direction of A. F. Wilmarth, of Denver; and the field direction of D. W. Ayers, of Durango and Richard Wetherill, of Mancos. Sold to the State Historical Society of Colorado and now, at least in part, in that institution. There was considerable Step House material in this collection.

(This was the last collection made by the Wetherills and Mason in Mesa Verde.)