Butler Wash Ruin - October 2013

Butler Wash Ruin is a short walk through washes and across slickrock to an overlook of the ruin. It was a cool day in early October when we were there. The lower part of the ruin was obscured by trees but the ruins in the cliff face were unobscured. The people that lived here had used every space the cliff provided for storage or housing. The area of the ruins looked like an oasis compared to the mostly rocky area of the mesa top.  Where dirt accumulated on the slickrock, flowers were blooming; there must have been some recent rains and the fall temperatures meant that the moisture did not bake away immediately.

There was a good ‘feel’ to the place. The climate in southeastern Utah would have always been challenging - but this place must have provided a measure of stability for the people that inhabited it. They found what they needed.