During 2007 and 2008, flying at alarmingly low altitudes and slow speeds, Adriel Heisey leaned out the door of his light plane, and holding his camera with both hands, re-photographed some of the Southwest’s most significant archaeological sites that Charles Lindbergh and his new bride Anne photographed in 1929.
Pueblo del Arroyo, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl
The minimal shadows cast by cliffs and walls in this photograph show
that it, like its matching Lindbergh image of three great houses—Pueblo
del Arroyo, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl—was taken sometime close to
solar noon. Although it’s high summer in a national park, human activity
is low, perhaps because of the heat. A few cars are parked or being
driven on roads, but the historic buildings, the ongoing archaeological
fieldwork, and the ranching infrastructure that made the 1929 photograph
so lively are missing. The park service made a conscious decision to
remove historic structures, believing that they distracted from the more
ancient Chaco period structures and features that the park was
established to protect. Park service roads, parking lots, and trails
both guide and constrain the visitor experience, and the landscape now
appears comparatively barren. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2008.
White House
White House is harder to see now because of the additional vegetation.
This is the only site in Canyon de Chelly that is accessible without a
guide and is by far the most visited ruin in the canyon. A hiking trail
leads to the site from a parking lot on the rim above. A pedestrian
bridge over the wash can be seen, as can the hiking trail. Tour trucks
and jeeps park at the ruin-end of the bridge, although they ford the
wash rather than crossing the bridge. Even outside the wash, plant
growth is lusher today, in part because the site is not being grazed as
intensively as it was in 1929. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2008.
Pueblo del Arroyo
In the years since the Lindberghs took their photograph of Pueblo del
Arroyo, Chaco Wash has been channelized and the arroyo banks have been
rebuilt around the tri-walled structure. Most but not all of the pueblo
rooms excavated by Judd are still open; some have been backfilled to add
stability to the structure. Most of the historic features visible in
the Lindbergh photograph have been removed by the National Park Service,
although Chaco Canyon Cemetery, burial place of Richard and Marietta
Wetherill and present but largely invisible in 1929, can easily be seen
against the canyon wall. The park service has added a paved road, a
parking lot, and trails for visitors touring the site. Controlling the
wash and the removal of grazing stock animals have allowed the
vegetation in the canyon to recover. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2008.
Pueblo del Arroyo, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl
This higher-elevation photograph shows three great houses—Pueblo del
Arroyo, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl—in addition to what appears to be
irrigated areas. The geographic proximity of these three great houses
is clear. These and Pueblo Alto, on the upper bench to the right of
Pueblo Bonito and not visible in this photograph, create what some have
called Downtown Chaco. Historic use of the canyon can be seen in
structures near Pueblo del Arroyo and Pueblo Bonito: buildings, a
corral, and roads. Additionally, active excavation was taking place at
Chetro Ketl when the photo was taken. Rather than being far from the
bustle of the world, those living at Chaco Canyon in the summer of 1929
must have found themselves in a lively social setting. Photograph by
Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1929.
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