Headquarters Loop: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Mesa Verde National Park
Regions 6, 7, & 8 Park Cultural Landscapes Program. 2012. Headquarters Loop: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Mesa Verde National Park. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 850241. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. NPS Intermountain Regional Office, Santa Fe, New Mexico / CRIS-CL Database
Inventory Unit Description: The Headquarters Loop is located at the southern end of the 20-mile long park entrance road and begins where the entrance road, Ruins Road, and Headquarters Loop road intersect in a 4-way intersection. From there, the Headquarters Loop extends south to the tip of one of the fingers of Chapin Mesa. The loop is approximately .5 miles long, sits at roughly 7,000 feet above sea level, and covers approximately 112 acres. Canyons surround the unit on three sides, and one of the canyons (Spruce Tree Canyon) contains a predominant cliff dwelling (Spruce Tree House) of the Ancestral Puebloans. The vegetation consists of old-growth pinon-juniper forest that has been recently thinned to reduce hazardous fuels. In 2002, a wildfire destroyed much of the surrounding forest, though it did not actually burn much inside the Headquarters Loop. Historically, the Headquarters Loop served as the main hub of the park with intermingled administrative, residential, visitor, and utilitarian functions. These functions were grouped accordingly into 7 sub-units, each reflecting a different land use. These sub-units, described in this inventory report, include: 1.Spruce Tree Point Lodge Area 2. Spruce Tree Camp/Headquarters Area 3. Residential Area: 4. Original NPS Utility Area/Concessionaire’s Tent and Cabin Area 5. Spruce Tree Public Campground 6. Hogan District 7. North Entrance Information Plaza Although use of the Headquarters Loop have evolved over time, the organizing structure of the 7 subareas remains today. Because of its role within the development of the park, the Headquarters Loop is nationally significant for its exhibition of Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, and Architecture; contribution to Entertainment/Recreation; and association with Politics/Government. The period of significance for the Headquarters Loop at Mesa Verde National Park extends from 1906 to 1942. The park was established in 1906, and between the years of 1906 and 1920 the park began to identify visitor needs as travel increased to Chapin Mesa. In the following years, Park Superintendent Jesse Nusbaum’s Administration (1921-1931; 1936-1939; and 1942-1946) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (1933-1942) defined over two decades of park development in a designed, cohesive landscape.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Regions 6, 7, & 8 Park Cultural Landscapes Program
- Date of Issue
- 2012-04-16
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- IMR , MEVE
- Keywords
- administrative area, amphitheater, architecture, campfire circle, campground, CCC, Chapin Mesa, civilian conservation corps, cliff dwelling, community planning and development, employee housing, entertainment/recreation, historic designed landscape, hogan, Jesse Nusbaum, Jesse Walter Fewkes, landscape architecture, lodge, loop road, Navajo, pinyon-juniper, politics/government, residential area