Capulin Volcano NM Landscape: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Capulin Volcano National Monument, National Park Service
NPS Intermountain Regional Office and Kowalski J. 2008. Capulin Volcano NM Landscape: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Capulin Volcano National Monument, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 850018. Intermountain Regional Office/CLI Database
The Capulin Volcano National Monument (NM) cultural landscape, located in the northeast corner of New Mexico, is comprised of the remains of an extinct volcano and the related National Park Service (NPS) infrastructure. The volcano has served as an important historical landmark in the regional landscape, guiding traders, explorers, cattle ranchers, and military forces along western routes. Today, designed park features help guide visitors through the monument landscape, facilitating the experience of the unique natural resource. To date, four archeological sites have been identified on the site, but little is known about the associated history and cultures. Significant archeological resources that have been identified in the vicinity of Capulin include the Folsom Man Site and several historically significant trails, such as the Santa Fe Trail and the Goodnight-Loving Trail. The Folsom Site marks the place where a Folsom spear point was discovered in the ribcage of a now extinct bison, suggesting that humans inhabited the area at least 10,000 years BP. Little archeological or ethnographic research has been done at the monument, so there is a potential that much more could be learned from the site. The ascent road and crater and rim trails allow visitors at the Monument to appreciate the distinctive qualities of the volcano, providing a better understanding of its geology and an opportunity to enjoy the awesome views that encapsulate historic towns, trails, and expanses of prairie. The area is now home to many cattle ranchers, evidence of historic cattle drives and traditional land use practices. The volcano became inactive about 60,000 years ago; although the landscape forms continues to provide evidence of its prehistoric activity and lava flows, vegetation and wildlife are well-established on its slopes. Capulin Volcano National Monument landscape is considered an historic designed cultural landscape, expressing the values and aesthetics of the early National Park Service Era. Though the period of significance for this cultural landscape inventory is identified as 8000 BC to 1950 AD, the extant landscape features date from 1916 onward. The ascent road is a testament to the inventiveness and tenacity of Homer Farr, who became custodian of the National Monument in 1923. His desire to provide public access to one of his region's great natural resources was manifest in the road (1925) and the crater and rim trails (1934). The trails were constructed by Civil Works Administration workers. Farr’s effort to share the experience of the diverse natural landscape with the public is continued by Park Service administrators, and the park maintains both the cultural and natural resources of the landscape. The road, as well as the two trails, are still in their original locations, though the materials from which they are constructed have been replaced. Other extant resources at the park contribute to this historic setting, including the rock shelter, the rock fireplace, and the Mission 66 visitor center and residences. Retaining walls were also added and later reconstructed in response to erosion threats.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- NPS Intermountain Regional Office; Kowalski, Judy
- Date of Issue
- 2008-08-06
- Units
- CAVO , IMR
- Keywords
- Agriculture, animal husbandry, arapaho, Archaic Adaptations of the Southwest, Archeology, Ascent Road, Capulin, Capulin Mountain, Cattle Drive, Cattle Ranching, Cecil Doty, Cheyenne, Civil Works Administration, Conservation, Conservation of Natural resources, Crater and Rim Trails, Designed Landscape, Developing the American Economy, Entertainment-Recreation, Ethnographic/Traditional Landscape, Ethnohistory of Indigenous American Populations, Exploration-Settlement, Folsom Site, Geology, Goodnight-Loving Trail, historic trail, Homer Farr, Interpretive Landscape, Jicarilla Apache, Lava Flow, Mescalero Apache, Mission 66, Native American, Natural Resource, New Mexico, Origin and Development of the National Park Service, Plains Indians, Pleistocene Era, Pueblo Indians, Santa Fe Trail, Scenic Preservation, Short Grass Prairie, The Cattle Frontier, The Earliest Inhabitants, trade route, Union County, Volcano, Western Trails and Travelers, Westward Expansion of the Colonies and the United States 1763-1898