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Show FHR-8-300 (11-78) United States Department off the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory- Nomination Form Continuation sheet ______ _____________Item number 7___________Page 1 average was 13.2" annually; at the head of Montezuma Canyon, the average was 12" a year (De Haan 1972); and at Aneth, Utah, near the mouth of Montezuma Creek, only 7" (Hewett, Powers § Kemrer 1970). However, Montezuma Creek was probably a perennial stream in prehistoric times, and along with seeps and streams, provided adequate water for aboriginal farming. Even today, hay farming is practiced in the canyon despite the environmental destruction discussed below. The first white men in the canyon found Montezuma Creek to be gentle, clear and only a foot or so below the ground surface (Matheny 1962). After decades of grazing, timbering and farming in the valley and on the mesa tops, Moiitezuma Creek has become a strong eroding force. A shift in weather patterns since prehistoric times may also have contributed to this erosion. It is postulated that, prehistorically, the precipitation rate was more consistent throughout the year, although total inches of precipitaton probably equalled the current totals. However, the major change has been a shift to he^vy winter snowfalls and dramatic summer thunderstorms. Summer storms cause fantastic amounts of water and silt run-off from every mesa and point above th$ canyon so that Montezuma Creek often carries powerful flash floods down th^ length of the canyon. In the upper canyon, the creek has cut into the natural alluvial soil as much as eighty feet; and, in parts of the canyon, erosion has claimed as much as one-fourth of the useable land. Near the Nancy Patter son Site, the canyon is about two miles wide (compared to .2 miles in northern portion) and erosion is less. The cut banks are at most ten feet The flora and fauna of the canyon have been affected by man's agricultural activities. The water table is now so far below the surface that th^ creek provides little moisture for plants or animals. Sage brush, russian thistle, greasewood, tamarisk and cottonwoods dominate the wild flora. Because of the predator control activities of local farmers, coyote, lion and bolpcat populations have decreased, while the mule deer population is probably larger than it was prehistorically. Hay farming is a major modern activity in the canyon; pinto beans and other crops suitable to the cool, dry climate are grown on the mesas. (The clearing of the mesa tops for agriculture has also contributed to erosion.) Th^re would have been no climatic barrier to prehistoric cultivation in the canyon. Although the growing season averages only 124 days at Monticello (m^ize needs 90-150 frost-free days to mature), Montezuma Canyon would have be^n warmer longer. Blanding, on the plateau mid-way down the length of the canyon, averages 145 frost-free days; Aneth, 154. The high sandstone canyon walls absorb heat during the day and release it at night. Snow rarely accumulates in the canyon itself, although it does stay on the mesas. Overall, Montezuma Canyon and its tributaries provided an optimal environment foj: native and anglo populations asnd have supported large numbers of people. Th^ highest population density probably occurred during the Anasazi occupation. Unfortunately, the prehistoric timbering for building construction, much like the modern grazing, may have contributed to destructive erosion and ultimately to the abandonment of the canyon. |
