The chapter expands upon the “Romance of Ruins” by considering the meaning of Native American ruins and the impact they have had on the idea of “American” culture. Early explorers like William Henry Jackson, Frederick Chapin, and Gustaf Nordenskiöld photographed the civilizations of the Anasazi, including the cliff dwellers, for the first time, igniting great interest among the general public. Their discoveries appeared in the popular press and were presented at World Expositions, while novelists like Willa Cather incorporated the meaning of the Mesa Verde in fiction (e.g., The Professor’s House). Cather’s utopian view of pueblo culture is echoed in the work of early twentieth-century photographers like Laura Gilpin, who found in the ancient ruins of the Southwest and Central America, symbols of ideal civilization. Meanwhile, architect Mary Colter created ersatz ruins in the Grand Canyon National Park that would serve as emblems of the lost civilization and as tourist attractions.
The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis. Melissa J. Homestead. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp. x+394.