Chaco Canyon lay quiet and empty for centuries after the last ancestral Pueblo family walked out for the final time. Then others slowly filtered in, called it home, raised livestock, sold trade goods and explored the canyon’s treasures. Pastoral Navajos came to stay. Mexicans with flocks of sheep or stocks of liquor passed through. So did white soldiers, freighters, would-be homesteaders, and men interested in native cultures and evidence of the ancient past. This is their story.
Florence has helped us to understand and appreciate several forgotten chapters of time in the Chaco. We are richer for knowing those times and the people who made temporary homes in a valued place.
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