Just before you reach New Mexico from the Panhandle you will drive through the small town of Kenton, sitting underneath the shadow of Black Mesa -Kenton is not much more than a village. I stopped in at the tiny museum on my way through and had the best conversation with long time resident Mr. Asa Jones. I was returning from a workshop on the Ancestral Puebloans in the Mesa Verde region and was very fascinated at the very southwestern landscape that reminded me so much of the Ancestral Puebloans homeland. As I spoke to Mr. Jones, he told me the history of the area and of the findings that people used to make and donate to the museum. Not expecting to see Puebloan artifacts (after all it was not in the Oklahoma History curriculum) I was surprised to be told stories of petroglyphs, manos and metates, pottery sherds, Kiva ruins and everything that was telling that, the Puebloans had found their way into the extreme North West corner of Oklahoma.
A tiny building filled with a rich history. This "forgotten" area of Oklahoma is a fascinating place to visit.
Manos and Metates, the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) used these to grind their corn. They are worn with wear. Mr Jones told me of a man who fell into a "round cave" and found a room full of these, of course to me the "round cave" obviously sounded like a Kiva. Just such an interesting man who knew a lot of history and a wonderful little museum. A gem of artifacts out in the "middle of nowhere"
More artifacts...
Casts of Dinosaur Tracks - now these are pretty neat.
Pot sherds, these sherds are Puebloan of origin - red slip and grey, and some red corrugated pottery. It is interesting to note that the people who were known as the basketmakers came before the Pottery makers in the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) world.
Mr. Jones told me that a farmer had brought this artifact in- he plowed it up in his field (its broken in two) but they did not know what it was. It is smooth, like a tumbled rock. If anyone knows what this is, please email me, I'm curious about this artifact.
If you decide to make the trek to Black Mesa, please be sure to stop in at this museum and see the wonderful history and artifacts.
Recent Comments