Southwest Studies professor Duane Smith shares expertise on Mesa Verde in national parks documentary
"It was a wonderful honor" and "really a once-in-a-lifetime experience," says Professor of Southwest Studies Duane Smith. Smith is referring to his appearance in "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," the recently released six-part, 12-hour long PBS documentary series by filmmaker Ken Burns. In the film, Smith offers commentary on events surrounding the founding of Mesa Verde National Park. The park was created in 1906, after its many ancient pueblos were discovered by cowboys-turned-archaeologists from Mancos, Colo. Smith describes how a Swedish aristocrat and amateur archaeologist was detained in Durango when he tried to take his plunderings from Mesa Verde back to Sweden, until authorities concluded he wasn't breaking any laws and had to let him go. Smith also relates the unusually powerful political role for the time that women played in getting Mesa Verde National Park created. Smith has taught history at Fort Lewis since 1964, and he is the author of more than 30 books. Six of those are specifically about Mesa Verde National Park, including Mesa Verde: Shadows of the Centuries and Women to the Rescue: Creating Mesa Verde National. Because of his expertise on the region, Smith was contacted by the documentary's co-creator, author and filmmaker Dayton Duncan, seeking information and understanding about the park's history. Then, about three years ago, Duncan invited Smith to go to Albuquerque for a weekend-long gathering of historians, authors, Park Service personnel, and others who would might be used in the film. Each person was filmed in a long, casual interview with Duncan. "He was wonderful to work with," says Smith. "A very perceptive individual who loves the West and loves the national parks." Then, says Smith, "you waited to see if you were going to be on the cutting room floor or in the program." A year ago Duncan returned and showed him a rough draft of the Mesa Verde segment, which included Smith in two separate segments. "I was flabbergasted to be picked," laughs Smith. More than his own time in the film, though, Smith says he's glad that a place so important to himself personally received the attention it deserves. "I was pleased with the coverage they gave Mesa Verde," he explains. "Mesa Verde wasn't really the type of park they'd been dealing with. It's got its own beauty scenery, but that's not what it's known for." The series itself, Smith hopes, will be give the entire national park system a much-needed boost. "It's an excellent, excellent documentary," he says. "It's sure to arouse people to have an interest in the national parks, hopefully to try to preserve what we have, and maybe preserve some more, because they are one of our great national heritages. We're very, very fortunate as a country that people before us had the foresight to do this." Below is a five-minute segment from the Mesa Verde portion of the documentary. Duane Smith appears at about 4:30.
Learn more about "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" here. Learn more about Mesa Verde National Park here. Learn more about the Southwest Studies program here.
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