Mitchell Museum of the American Indian

Hi folks,

I came across a resource on Living Social today called the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston. It seems like an interesting resource that offers field trips for students and teachers for $3 with lesson plans. It also has a library that students will be able to conduct research at too.

Just thought I'd bookmark the resource before I forgot about it. The blog seemed like the ideal spot. :)

- Kimberly

Anasazi Heritage Center

Our trip to the Anasazi Heritage Center started with a hike to the top of the campus to view the Dominguez and Escalante Pueblo sites and the to view the McPhee Reservoir from the highest point of the campus.  We had Jeannette join us at the museum.  Jeannette is a Pueblo woman who is friends of Crow Canyon and came to give us some insight into her culture and her lifestyle as a modern Pueblo Indian.  We had great views of the McPhee Reservoir and the Sleeping Ute Mountain. The museum had great exhibits with artifacts from each era of the Pueblo people as well as a history of archeology in this part of the country.  The photographs within the museum of the American Indians were stunning.  

Museum

Sleeping Ute Mountain

Starting the hike

Views of the reservoir

Kendra and the reservior

The Escalante Pueblo

Group shot at the top

Inside the museum

Jeannette spoke to us earlier in the day about traditions and the calendar

Visit to Mesa Verde National Park

On Thursday we visited the Mesa Verde National Park.  The Mesa Verde Park is home to some of the most famous sites used by the Pueblo people like Cliff Palace and Spruce Tree House.  This visit took place after we have learned some of the time periods of the Pueblo people and how their lives evolved with the introduction of corn farming and how different eras are marked by homes, pottery and lifestyle.

 On our visit we first went to two pit houses and were able to see the advancements made over time to the homes of the Pueblo people.  Seeing the advancements to the housing over time showed improvements on structure by building pit houses deeper into the ground, larger rooms and advances in ventilation.  

Pit Houses

Kiva

Taking in the views

Cliff dwelling

After visiting the pit houses we travelled to the Cliff Palace area.  Here we walked down narrow pathways and steep stairs to reach the Cliff Palace site.  Build under a cliff the community had many multistory homes and kivas with tunnels and even more structural advances.   The craftsmanship of the buildings included balconies and artwork designed in plaster on the walls.  After Cliff Palace we visited the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling in another area of the park.  

Cliff Palace

Our Park Ranger guide to Cliff Palace

Stairs built by the CCC

Climbing up a ladder

Getting ready to hear some info about Cliff Palace from the ranger

Structure at Cliff Palace

Very different building structures

looking into a kiva

dwellings even in the upper portion of the cliff

Kim in Cliff Palace

art work in a tower

getting ready to descend to Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House with the roof still in place on two kivas

Buildings go deep into the cave

many people enjoying the views