On Thursday, August 10th, Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA) is proud to continue their free lecture series with a special presentation by Jason Chuipka titled “A Discussion of the 2017 Restoration and Conservation Work at the Chimney Rock Great House.” The lecture is free of charge and will begin at 7:00pm, following CRIA’s social hour at 6:00pm at The Springs Resort and Spa (Ecoluxe Building) located at 165 Hot Springs Blvd.  The presentation will provide an overview of recent restoration work completed at Chimney Rock Pueblo, an overview of the stabilization and restoration history along with an explanation of how decisions are made regarding what gets repaired, what is rebuilt, and what is left unexcavated. The presentation will also provide an overview of what documentation completed in the past decade tells us about what the Great House looked like, when it was built, and what makes this structure Chacoan.

Jason Chuipka is a co-owner and Vice President of Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants based in Cortez, Colorado. He received his M.A. from the University of Colorado and is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and member of the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists. Jason has been a professional archaeologist working in the northern Southwest for 21 years. He has documented thousands of archaeological sites and been involved with research at varying scales across the region. Much of this work has been conducted in the Eastern Mesa Verde Culture Area that includes the Piedra River Valley where he has completed archaeological survey, excavation, and stabilization projects on and around Chimney Rock Mesa. In 2012, some of this data was summarized in a co-authored article published in Kiva: The Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History (Volume 78, Issue 4).   Jason was involved with the 2010 restoration efforts at the Great House, as well as the preceding detailed architectural documentation and condition assessment of the site. He was also part of the CU crew that conducted the excavations in Rooms 5 and 7 at the Great House in 2009.