ABSTRACT
The story of the archeological rums of the Southwest is a rather depressing story of gross vandalism for many years, somewhat like the vandalism of the giant sequoias; a story of pertinacious but, for several years, futile efforts on the part of a few devoted people and organizations to secure protection, and of final success in saving some of what was left of the ruins and of the priceless archeological objects in them. The events leading up to passage of the Antiquities Act, which enabled the setting aside of special areas as national monuments, also paved the way for establishing Mesa Verde as a national park.
