Frederick H. Chapin (5 September 1852 - 25 January 1900) was an American business man, mountaineer, photographer, amateur archaeologist and author. He is best known for his exploration of mesas and ruins found in the Mesa Verde area of Colorado. Although his book is relatively unknown today, his descriptions, maps and quality photographs are an important historical resource. Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... Mesa Verde National Park is a national park in southwest Colorado, in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ...

The Cliff Palace in 1891

Chapin visited the Mesa Verde region during the summers of 1889 and 1890, using explorer Richard Wetherill and members of his family as guides. Although active in exploring and photographing the sites, Chapin was not heavily involved in excavating the ruins or collecting artifacts due to time constraints. He did, however, photograph artifacts collected by the Wetherills, and was glad to receive artifacts they collected and forwarded to him. Chapin also assessed the climbing possibilities of mesas and peaks in the area. He described the landscape and ruins in an 1890 article and later in a 1892 book, The Land of the Cliff-Dwellers, illustrated with hand drawn maps and personal photographs. Chapin Mesa, which shelters many of the best known cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, is named for him. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2126x1543, 1651 KB) Summary Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2126x1543, 1651 KB) Summary Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado. ... Cliff Palace Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America. ... Richard Wetherill, was a member of a prominent Colorado ranching family, who became involved as an amateur explorer in the discovery, research and excavation of sites associated with the Anasazi or Ancient Pueblo peoples. ...

Publications

• The Land of the Cliff-Dwellers. Appalachian Mountain Club, W. B. Clarke and Co., Boston, 1892. Reprinted by the University of Arizona Press, with notes and forward by Robert H. Lister, 1988. ISBN 0-8165-1052-0.
• Cliff-dwellings of the Mancos Canons. American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal, vol. 12, no. 4, p. 193; and Appalachia, vol. 6 (May 1890) p. 12, 1890.
• Mountaineering in Colorado: The Peaks about Estes Park Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston, 1889. Reprinted in 1987, with forward and notes by James H. Pickering, by the University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.