Sinagua Rising: A story of survival after a worldwide catastrophe

by R. G. Andersen-Wyckoff

  “Great idea,” Colby answered, “and I’ll have dad dig a nice deep trench for the latrine. We can build a nice seating area over the trench and put one of the smaller tents over it. We can even put ‘real’ toilet seats on the box,” he chuckled. They all laughed at the idea of the wooden box with real toilet seats but knew it was a great idea. They had all been campers and appreciated whatever semblance of comfort such a facility could offer. “We can make it big enough to handle at least four people at a time and we can separate each seat with plywood and canvas, for privacy. Some things will have to change from what we’re used to, and this is one of them,” he concluded.

  “Okay,” said Tanner with a chuckle, “now that we’ve solved the most important temporary issue, let’s look at the long term. When we move into the ruins we’ll need to build permanent restroom facilities, so we’d better have Bud dig the pits for the two septic tanks we have. We can’t take a chance on running out of fuel to operate the backhoe later and end up having to dig those pits by hand.”

  “I agree,” Colby and Carly echoed.

  “I’ll have Dad dig the pits over by the promontory wall to the southern end of the pueblo, just the other side of the tower ruins you can see. We’ll plan on building the restroom/shower facilities on the southwest side down there, as well, and we can then pipe it directly into the septic system below. This is going to be a first-class operation,” he impishly added.

  “How are we going to get up into the village?” inquired Carly.

  “Do you mean today, Mom.” responded Tanner, “or later?”

  “Both!” Carly answered.

  “Well, let’s talk about later, first,” answered Tanner. “I think we’ll need to build a ramp at the far end of the proposed tent area so we can haul a trailer up to the village. It will have to be pretty long in order to climb up the ten feet to the promontory so we’ll need to cross the drainage trench temporarily. We can use the last piece of culvert to allow the drainage to flow under the ramp. Once we’re through with the ramp we can push it aside and restore the security of the wall.”

  “Do you mean we’ll have to climb a ladder to get in and out of the village each time?” Carly inquired. “I don’t think our aging legs will handle that.”

  “I’ve got the answer to that,” Colby interjected. “It may not be very Sinaguan, but I guess there’re lots of things we’ll be doing that the Sinagua never even dreamed of,” he added. “I know where there are two sets of small metal spiral staircases that will be perfect replacements for the ladders in both towers. We can install doors at the bottom and top of both towers to preserve their security later; but, in the meantime that should take care of the climbing problem, Mrs. W.”

  “Now, that’s a great idea,” Tanner said with enthusiasm. “Don’t you think that will work, Mom?”

  “Absolutely,” she responded, “now, how about today? Where’s the elevator?” she said jokingly.

  “Well, there’s no elevator, Mom, but up there at the north end is the lowest point and there’s a break in the defensive rock wall where the rocks have fallen, or been pushed, down. I’ll boost you up and Colby can help pull you up from above. I’ll boost Colby up and after we get you up he can give me a hand. I don’t think he and I will have any problem climbing up.”

  “Okay,” responded Carly, “I think any other work that needs to be done in the saddle can be decided once we’ve set up the tents. So let’s get up into the village and see what challenges time, weather, and pot hunters have left for us.”

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Thirty miles to the west of Duwa, Matt, Jack, and Philip had arrived in Casey’s Corner. They had come via Beaverhead Flats Road rather than cutting cross-country as Colby had the first time. They saw no living person until they crossed Oak Creek into Casey’s Corner. Yes, they had seen some people still sitting behind the steering wheels of their cars, but they were among the non-living. One could only speculate at the cause of death but it didn’t really matter, did it?

  As they crossed Oak Creek, which at this point was really a small river, they began to see small groups of people, twos and threes, moving about in the residential and commercial areas on both sides of the highway. They paid little notice of the Mavericks, other than a quick glance, maybe more in response to the fact that a moving vehicle was passing than at the three men inside it. Some of the people were tending gardens, like nothing was different, and others were going into or out of the businesses and houses along the way; maybe collecting needed items or living there. No one moved in their direction.

  There was no sign of the drunks Colby had told them about, but maybe it was too early for them, since it was now only about 6:30 a.m. Jack made a mental note to do any scavenging they needed to do early in the morning, just at sun-up, and maybe they’d reduce the likelihood of a confrontation.

  Matt drove the truck right up to a locked gate on the north end of town. A sign on the gate read “CASEY’S CORNER FARM SUPPLY.” Matt unlocked the gate with keys he had in his pocket and moved the truck inside. He relocked the gate, just in case!

  The storage yard was filled with tractors, trailers, farm implements, small wind turbines, and varying sizes of green plastic (polyethylene) water storage tanks.

  Jack exclaimed, “This is more than I had dreamed, Matt. You weren’t kidding. I think we’ll be able to find everything we need here for our water system and Travis’ fish tanks; assuming there are PVC and fittings here, too.”

  “Never fear, Jack,” he replied. “The large aluminum barn over there has every fitting known to be used in irrigation systems and I would think that should do the trick for your water system. It has more irrigation supplies than you’ve ever seen in one place. And, if I remember correctly, there’s a big surprise for you inside the barn,” he added with an all knowing smile.

  Jack smiled and nodded in anticipation. This was so much more than he had expected. The gods were smiling on them, he thought.

  “Let’s get going before we draw too much attention,” Matt said. “Philip, Jack and I will do most of the loading and can use the forklift over there for the heavy stuff. You can help if we need you, but your primary responsibility is to keep the rifle with you and keep an eye out for any trouble.”

  Philip wasn’t too sure about this assignment, but he accepted it without question. I just hope I don’t have to shoot anyone, he thought, but I will if I have to.

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  Tanner stood in the large central plaza and admired, for the umpteenth time over the years he had explored and camped in the ruins, the craftsmanship of the Sinagua who had built Tuwalanki, nay Duwa, over 700 years ago. The village had withstood the winds and rains of time, and even the ravages of pothunters, but was still miraculously intact. The roof structures had collapsed inward and, in some cases, had taken parts of the supporting walls with them but, for the most part, the lower walls of the pueblos were in good condition.

  The walls of the lower level rooms, which acted both as retaining walls and the support structure for the second-story rooms, were three feet thick. The outer sections of the walls were built a foot apart with rough rock edges facing inward. Then the center area was filled with dirt, potshards, and clay, binding the entire wall into a sturdy, concrete-like structure. These walls extended the full height of the lower rooms, some eight feet, until they were four feet above the ground level on the plaza side, and then the second stories were built on them using the more-or-less standard 12-15 inch wall width, again for a height of about eight feet.

  Each red rock sandstone layer of the walls was cemented in place with clay that appeared to have some ash mixed in it that was, for the most part, still rock solid today. The stone faces on both the interior and exterior sides of the walls were dressed so the entire wall had the appearance of being built of varying sizes of sandstone bricks. Where shims had been necessary to level one stone against another, small pieces of sandstone or potshards had been used and then covered with clay. Some
of these clay coverings had broken free exposing the shims but the integrity of the wall was still intact.

  The lower level units had windows facing only the plaza, for security reasons, whereas the upper level units had windows facing both the plaza and the saddle, where some of those walls were still intact.

  The single story pueblos were built just like the second stories of the two-story units and placed on the partially raised site so as to give some uniformity of height to all the structures, except the two towers. There was a narrow opening, like an alley, between the eastern most unit on the south side that allowed for pedestrian travel between the plaza and the undeveloped portion of the promontory. This was the only entrance at the plaza level, other than the towers. A wind wall that had protected the entry from the south winds had succumbed to time and weather as had some of the wall structure on the unit immediately west of the entrance.

  The towers showed the effects of time and weather more than any other structures, particularly on the upper reaches, where they were most exposed to the elements and not as well protected as the living units. But the lower entrance levels were still in good repair and useable.

  The roof structures of the three kivas had collapsed and pulled the above ground walls with them but, to Tanner’s eyes, seemed to otherwise be in reasonable shape; particularly the large one.

  The sun was now appearing above the eastern walls and shining on the plaza and western walls, casting the entire village in a golden glow.

  “This is in a lot better condition than I would have expected,” commented Carly, who had not been to the ruins in almost 10 years.

  “I was here just three years ago and I knew it had good possibilities for rehabilitation,” Tanner said, “and I’m glad to see it hasn’t noticeably deteriorated in the meantime.”

  “You know,” Colby interjected, “on our hunting trips we camped in the saddle and only came up into the ruins to look around. The last time I was in the ruins was at least ten years ago, like Carly, but I think we can rebuild this in a way that would make the Sinagua proud. And, give us a place to be proud of, as well, of course.”

  Cole pointed out that “All the exposed walls can be re-chinked where needed and concrete added to strengthen any portions of the walls that appear to need additional strength before we rebuild the upper portions of the walls that have collapsed. We can reclaim the needed stones from the rubble inside the structures and from the kivas, using concrete to make sure they’re plenty strong and stable before we rebuild the roofs.

  “Instead of building log and wattle roofs we’ll build more modern roofs with 2x6 laminated beams covered with plywood, roofing paper, and sealer. I have a large amount of earth-tone, asphalt shingles and flashing to finish them off. In fact I have more than enough to finish off all the buildings we might build, as well. To rebuild the flooring in the second-story units we’ll do the same thing but leave off the roofing materials. In the single-story units we’ll put in a 2x4 floor overlaid with plywood. We can scavenge enough padding and carpeting to cover all the floors to make them warmer and more comfortable.

  “Oh, yes,” he added, “I think we’ll raise the ceilings on all the second level units to nine or ten feet, so they won’t feel so much like low boxes. We might even add skylights or solar tubes to make them more light and airy. We can run the solar tubes into the lower units and use them for storage and sleeping rooms, keeping the upper rooms for living quarters. Maybe we can install metal stoves in the upper and single level units, venting them through the new roofs, to give us some warmth in the winter. Improving the doorways and windows on the plaza-facing side might help, too.”

  “I knew your construction skills would be handy,” Tanner exclaimed, “but I didn’t realize how quickly you’d get into this project, Cole.”

  “I like a challenge and I think we can really make this whole village quite livable. It may take a while, like maybe next summer, before we can get it completed because the monsoons are coming and then winter will be on us before we know it, but we’ll work every day that we can.”

  “I think there may be a couple of other building projects that should take priority over the living units,” Tanner responded, “and we have the tents for shelter for as long as we need them. I think moving Travis’ greenhouse and building whatever he’ll need for the new aquaponics system he mentioned, will be priority number one. We need to start growing food right away because the meals we have from the Ranger Station supplies will only carry us so far. But, I have an idea.”

  “Son, you’re just full of ideas,” Carly interjected. “I’m beginning to think you’re really enjoying the situation we’re finding ourselves in. Now, what do you have in mind?”

  “Well, Mom,” he replied, “I don’t like the situation we’re in any more than anyone else, but I see some opportunities to live some of the lifestyle of the Sinagua that I’ve lectured about for years in the classroom. Since we have to face reality, why not use the resources and opportunities at hand?”

  “You’re right, son. Your enthusiasm and education will certainly come in handy in our new reality. So, what did you have in mind?”

  “A lot will depend on what Cole has to say, but I’m thinking that if we clean out the large kiva, right down to its original clay floor, and build a roof structure above it, with glassed in walls on the east, west, and south sides and glass in much of the south-facing roof, we can build a first-class greenhouse right in the middle of the village: a secure fruit and vegetable resource right where we need it.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Carly exclaimed. “What do you think, Colby, can we do it?”

  “Of course we can,” Colby chuckled, “we can do anything. Seriously, that’s a pretty big structure, since the kiva is 30 feet across, but if we build the structure as a square we can easily put supporting pillars in the four corners and maybe a few in the center of the kiva to accomplish what Tanner has suggested. We can scavenge enough sliding glass doors and glass panels from our homes, and others, to make a really neat greenhouse. We can allow a five or six foot setback from the sides of the kiva and that will give us plenty of room at the corners for the pillars and to grow fruit trees or other plants in addition to the growing beds Travis can build inside the kiva. I like it, Tanner! You must have lost some sleep thinking this one up.”

  “Well, that’s partially true,” Tanner replied. “Once I started thinking how Tuwalanki might be the best answer to our need to get out of the Village, to provide for our health and security, I started thinking about the kivas. The three of them take up a major portion of the plaza so I knew I had to put them to good use and then I thought about Travis’ greenhouse. I really haven’t thought about any use for the two small kivas, but we could just fill them in if need be.”

  “Well, I have a use for them,” Carly responded. “We can fill them with good dirt and plant some shade trees and flowers in them to help cool the plaza during the summer and provide some much needed color to this place. We could also plant strawberries.”

  “Just like a woman,” Tanner exclaimed, “always thinking of ways to make life more colorful and pleasant. With all the gardeners in our group, Mom, I’m sure you’ll have flowers and trees everywhere, and that’s good.”

  “You know,” Colby added, “once we get the reconstruction completed on the structures and get the greenhouse built, I know where we can salvage enough flagstone to cover the plaza so it won’t be a mud bath during the rains or snows. We’d just need to get down to the hard clay base I’m sure the Sinaguan’s applied to the plaza, ostensibly for the same purpose. Then we can bring up some sand from the floodplain in Woods Canyon and lay a right nice flagstone plaza,” he finished with a drawl.

  “A couple of other things I’ve been thinkin’,” said Tanner, following Colby’s drawl, “is that Jack will probably have his water supply come into the village up there at the highest point.” He pointed to the highest area up near the northeast corner, overlooking the creek. “In that way he
can let the water flow by gravity down to wherever we need it, like a kitchen and sanitary facilities.”

  “I hope by sanitary facilities you mean toilets and washing facilities,” Carly directed at Tanner, being very serious.

  “Don’t worry, Mrs. W,” Colby responded, “Dad and I will make sure we have a first-class segregated bathroom facility with real toilets and bathing facilities. We need to make sure we conserve our water so we’ll have to design it accordingly, but you just leave that to Dad and me. And we’ll build a really nice community house for us to meet and eat in with a real restaurant-style kitchen. We’ll get input from the cooks in our group before we design it but, as I said earlier, I’m thinking we want to build both those facilities down near the tower, overlooking the saddle, so we’ll have good water pressure and they’ll be right above the area Dad will dig out for the septic tanks. Just leave it to us and we’ll get on that right after we get the greenhouse built. In the meantime, we’ll have to use the latrine facilities we’ll build in the saddle. By the way, I think we ought to call the saddle the Duwa Valley; it sounds so much swankier!”

  “Colby, you are a man of surprises,” Carly responded, “so cultured. I like Duwa Valley, too, and I know you and Bud will build us the nicest bathhouse and eating establishment we could possibly ask for,” she chuckled.

  “Speaking of water, well we were speaking of water in the bathhouse,” Colby added, “we’ll make sure we build the roofs with downspouts to collect the rainwater in barrels. We all have 55-gallon barrels at our homes and we can bring them up here. That extra water might come in handy for bathing, cooking, watering our plants, or even helping to flush the septic tanks.”

  “Well, I think we’ve done enough planning for now,” Tanner interjected, “let’s go see how Bud’s doing with the grading and then get down to the others so we can start moving everything up here.”

  ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

  “I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Jack exclaimed. They were inside the large barn. It was well-lit by skylights on both sides of the angled ceiling and by the light coming through the sliding doors they had opened at the end of the building. Both sides of the barn were lined with stalls, like horse stalls only larger, with PVC in varying lengths and diameters, windmill parts, large spools of flexible PVC, bin after bin of PVC valves, couplings, elbows, and insulation sleeves for the PVC. Jack had never seen so much irrigation supply in once place, and he gasped at the sight.