Kiva History

In 1935, Buck was a social worker in Montezuma County; the Koshares began making many visits to Mesa Verde. These early Koshares became aware of the kivas and the hundreds of them that are in the Four Corners area – used by Prehistoric Indians thousands of years ago. During the summer, Buck spent his Fourth of July weekend in Chaco Canyon. He was the guest of Bill Postelwaite, an amateur

At the end of World War II, the Koshares were beginning to get ready to plan their kiva and go to work on it. They had the architect’s plans in hand. So far the Koshares had collected about eight thousand dollars which was hardly enough to start, but they were ready to go. They planned to start in September of 1948. Custis Green and a committee from the Lions Club, told the Koshares, “Wait a minute, give us a month and see what we can do.” This committee took it upon themselves to assist by matching the amount; they shot around La Junta and collected money to help the kids build their kiva. On October 3, 1948 the ground was broke as the Koshares came to a fine start. However, many obstacles were soon to come.

archaeologist, who was digging with the University of New Mexico. In 1939 the Koshares visited Aztec National Monument. During this trip one the kids said, “Gee, wouldn’t it be swell if we had a great kiva where we could keep our supplies and do our dances.” That was the start of a dream. For years they made plans and built models.

The Koshares wanted the Mesa Verde type roof. These Indians built their kivas by putting four posts in it to hold up the roof. However, the Koshares didn’t want any posts in their kiva. Buck contacted his old college friend, architect Damon Runyon to help draw up the plans. Damon, an Eagle Scout himself, volunteered to do the architectural drawings for the Kiva. After much work and wearing out three slide rules trying to figure out if the Mesa Verde type roof could be constructed without the supporting poles, Runyon had come to the

As Buck’s men cleaned the poles, the walls of the kiva were being built. To get the twelve inch cinder blocks needed to build and reinforce the walls was another problem the Koshares came upon. At that time the school district in La Junta was just completing Columbian School – ending up with a mountain of twelve inch pumice blocks. These blocks were currently being stored at the football field. Buck went to the superintendent of the schools, Kent Macaulley, and asked, “Could we possibly buy those cinder blocks out there at the football filed that the kids are tearing up.”

conclusion that white pine poles had to be used.

The Koshares contacted several companies in Portland and found the poles were going to cost thousands of dollars. At the time, however, the government was taking apart the Air Base used during World War II, north of La Junta. The Koshares had seen all these beautiful white pine poles that had been used out at this base. Buck went to his friend, Paul Summer, who was the mayor of the city and told him that he thought those poles would be adequate to use in the roof of the Koshare Kiva. Mayor.Summers told Buck, “I don’t know if they’re mine to give away or not, but I’ll send the city crews out to take the poles down.” Those great helpers brought those poles in and put them out in the parking lot at the south side of the kiva. Buck’s employees got out their knives and started skinning and cleaning the poles.

Upon arriving at the kiva Buck and his men were met by the kiva’s contractor, Carl Hendren. As the loads were unloaded, Carl and his men began building the walls of the kiva. As the walls were being constructed another problem developed.

Originally, Damon Runyon had proposed that a vermiculite concrete be put over the top of the log roof. They began to worry that by doing this there would be too much weight. As the Koshares, the contractors, and architect worried about this weight, Buck contacted the city engineer – Tom Russell. Mr. Russell came up with a plan to solve this problem. Tom recalled a brick yard building brick kilns on the west side of town where the old brick plant was. But, the job was given up before it could be competed. They had these beautiful laminated beams that were set. These beams would be Tom’s solution and so again the city helped bring these laminated beams up to the kiva. Instead of putting the vermiculite concrete over the top of the kiva, an arch beam roof was built over the top.

In constructing the log roof, it was believed that the poles would crawl. So drift pins would have to be used to put the logs together. A drift pin was a pin about eighteen to twenty four inches long and about as thick as your finger. To get these pins the Koshares would have to send clear back east to Pittsburgh. It was going to cost several thousand. Once again Mayor Summers stepped in and suggested, “Those old railroad stock cars we’re being destroyed east of the La Junta rail yards and if you’ll bring those rods that are laying out there in, we’ll plan a party and have all the kids dance.” All the men working in the back shops came a couple of afternoons, went into the blacksmith shop, and using all their tools they had at that time, they cut and pointed the drift pins. All the Koshares did was furnish them coffee and donuts and in a couple of evenings after work, the men produced hundreds of drift pins that Carl and his crew put into the log roof. Carl thought the roof would be so strong because of the drift pins that the roof could be picked up as a whole.

The stage in the kiva is a little different. In the kivas at Chaco and Aztec they usually had a ceremonial room. The Koshares saw this and got the idea to enlarge what would be the ceremonial room and make a stage so the kiva would have multiple uses.

Imbedded around the wall are stones the Koshares got through a friend at the Regional Office of the Park Service, Pulley Pullitson. Pulley had sent word to all the different Archaeology areas in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah giving them the authority to let the kids bring back to the kiva surplus stone that was built, quarried and used by the Indians a thousand years ago for their kivas.

Years ago when the University of New Mexico was excavating the great kivas in Chaco Canyon, they had finished on of the great kivas about sixty feet in diameter (as ours is). These men were sitting there looking in to the pit and all of a sudden with the late afternoon sun they became aware that there were niches all around the room and they started digging these niches out. Behind these niches they found thousands and thousands of jet, shell, and turquoise. A lot of this turquoise has been strung up and have been seen in the museum in Santa Fe. Miles of turquoise was found in the back of the niches. So when the Koshares put their niches in, they put some turquoise back there too.