Spirits of the Canyon
(Richard Wetherill 1858-1910) Presented by David Drew Richard Wetherill was a cowboy rancher in the American south west. In 1888, while searching for strays in the bleak canyons of the Mesa Verde, he and his brothers stumbled upon the extraordinary cliff dwellings of the ancient Indians - entire stone villages sheltered by giant rock overhangs, never before seen by white men.
For Richard, it was the start of a new career. From the wilderness areas of Utah to the plains of New Mexico, the heights of Colorado to the canyons of Arizona, the Wetherill wagons searched to find the lost culture of the Anasazi Indians.
But despite Richard's serious attempts as an archaeologist, he was accused by the Federal Government of pothunting and barred from further work. In the last programme of the series David Drew follows in Richard Wetherill 's footsteps and attempts to unravel the mystery that surrounds his death.
Photography JOHN BECK
Film editor LOIS DRINKWATER
Series editor BRUCE NORMAN
Producer DEREK TOWERS
Book, 'Footsteps', by Bruce Norman , £14.95 from booksellers
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