Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History
Volume 14, No. 3, pp. 29–67, pls. 1 and 2, 3 figs. in text
July 24, 1961
SYDNEY ANDERSON
University of Kansas Lawrence 1961

University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, Henry S. Fitch, Robert W. Wilson Volume 14, No. 3, pp. 29–67, pls. 1 and 2, 3 figs. in text Published July 24, 1961 University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas PRINTED IN THE STATE PRINTING PLANT TOPEKA, KANSAS 1961 28–7577

BY SYDNEY ANDERSON
INTRODUCTION
In the thirteenth century, harassed by nomadic tribes and beset by years of drouth, village dwelling Indians left their great cliff dwellings in the myriad canyons of the Mesa Verde, and thus ended a period of 1300 years of occupancy. The story of those 1300 years, unfolded through excavation and study of the dwellings along the cliffs and earlier dwellings on the top of the Mesa, is one of the most fascinating in ancient America. To stop destructive commercial exploitation of the ruins, to preserve them for future generations to study and enjoy, and to make them accessible to the public, more than 51,000 acres, including approximately half of the Mesa, have been set aside as Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906. The policies of the National Park Service provide protection, not only for the features of major interest in each park, but for other features as well. Thus the policy in Mesa Verde National Park is not only to preserve the many ruins, but also the wildlife and plants.