A park well known for historical graffiti – El Morro National Monument is a hidden gem of the National Park System. We speak with Ranger Wendy Gordge about the park’s unique history, what it means to leave your mark, and the camel corp.

Show Notes found at: https://www.virtualkamper.com/pwpr3/

Podcast Resources:

* El Morro NPS website
* Patreon – We hope you love Podcasts with Park Rangers as much as we love working on this passion project! Consider joining our Patreon where we host exclusive content for our Patrons!
* History, Preservation, and Power at El Morro National Monument
* El Morro National Monument – Nomad

Topics Covered

* About Ranger Wendy Gordge
* The Difference Between a National Monument and a National Park?
* About El Morro National Monument
* Ancestral Puebloans
* The Spaniards
* The Americans
* The Camel Corp
* Why leave their mark?
* Preservation
* Modern Camel Corp Reenactment
* Wendy Gordge’s Love for El Morro NM
* Volunteer Efforts at El Morro
* Let’s Connect More!
* Disclosure

About Ranger Wendy Gordge
Wendy Gordge is the lead interpretive ranger at El Morro National Monument. She worked at ten different National Parks, but for the past 10 years, she’s called El Morro home.
She grew up visiting National Parks as a kid and wanted to work outdoors with the public. So, the National Park Service is a great fit.
The Difference Between a National Monument and a National Park?
The biggest difference between the two is how they are added to the National Park System. Presidential Proclamation designates National Monuments. National Parks are created via congressional vote.
About El Morro National Monument
The name, El Morro, means the headland in Spanish. The National Monument is the second place to receive such a designation in 1906, by President Teddy Roosevelt.
Located in the Northwest corner of New Mexico in a high desert plain, the bluff stands out as very intricate, unusual and beautiful. Made of beautiful Zuni sandstone, and its base is a small pond. The mesa top is composed of slick rock with tall trees growing on the surface.
It’s famous for historic inscriptions — over 2000 inscriptions and several hundred Native American petroglyphs are on the sandstone bluff.
Ancestral Puebloans
The Ancestral Puebloans built a village on the top of the mesa. People climb down the cliff to retrieve water via hand-and-toe holds carved into the cliff face. Additionally, small depressions in the rock, called tinajas, catch water to drink.
Archaeologists believe about 600 people called the mesa home. Today, the modern Puebloan people call the place Atsinna, place of writing on the rock.
The Ancestral Puebloans drew Petroglyphs on the sandstone. But, their meaning is unknown. Depicted are carvings of bighorn sheep and paw prints of a grizzly bear.
A western viewpoint might see the village site and b...