The Unsinkable Violet Jessop: Survivor of the Doomed Sister Ships Titanic and Britannic

 By Mary Dodge Allen

She survived the sinking of not one, but two White Star Line ships, and the violent collision of a third ship, RMS Olympic with a British warship.

Violet Jessop, undated photo (Public Domain)

Early Life - A Survivor:

Violet Constance Jessop was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 2, 1887, the eldest daughter of Irish immigrants Katherine (Kelly) and William Jessop. Her father worked as a sheep farmer, supporting his wife and six children. As a child, Violet contracted a severe case of tuberculosis, and doctors predicted it would be fatal. But she survived.

When she was 16, her father died. Violet's family returned to England and settled in London. Her mother began working as a stewardess at sea, while Violet cared for her youngest sister and attended a convent school.

Violet's First Position as Stewardess at Sea:

Violet Jessop, undated photo (Public Domain)

In 1908, when her mother's health began failing, Violet left school and applied to become a stewardess at sea to help support the family. At age 21, Violet had grey-blue eyes and thick auburn hair. In her interview, she was told she was too young and pretty to work on board the ships. So, for her second interview, she dressed in her dowdiest clothes and played down her looks. 

She was hired as a stewardess by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Its ships traveled mostly to the West Indies and South America, and many of the travelers didn't speak English.

Violet said, "In Buenos Aires I spoke Spanish, and in my convent school I was taught French... perhaps my being able to communicate in these languages impressed the personnel department." 

The work as stewardess was hard, and the youngest workers were given the heaviest, most monotonous jobs. Violet recalled, "The nights did not compensate for the day's fatigue, as I could not get used to the narrow, short bunk in my tiny cabin perched above the ship's propellers."

But Violet persevered. She had an adventurous spirit and enjoyed traveling. When she had free time in each port, she'd seek out local guides and explore the area. She said, "Every new place... was fresh ground to explore so the racking weariness of limb and feet was often forgotten; there was little time for self-pity if I wanted to absorb everything."

Working on RMS Olympic:

RMS Olympic in 1911 (Public Domain)

In 1911, Violet began working on the RMS Olympic, one of the White Star Line's largest luxury ships, which sailed between England and America. She worked 17 hours a day, and her salary was 2 pounds, 10 shillings a month. (Today's value - roughly 300 British pounds per month). 

Violet on board the RMS Olympic (Public Domain)

Violet appreciated the warmth and vitality of passengers and crew on the Olympic. She recalled, "You felt at once that you were not a cog in a wheel, as you would so often on the South American run." 

She said that American travelers often addressed crew members by name, and they "seemed to recognize that you were there to make their trip more comfortable... and the work could not always be easy."

On September 20, 1911, shortly after the RMS Olympic left Southampton, it collided with the British warship, HMS Hawke. There were no fatalities, and the Olympic made it back to Southampton for repairs. 

Violet continued working on the Olympic until April 1912, when she went to work on its sister ship, RMS Titanic.

Working on RMS Titanic:

RMS Titanic (Public Domain)

At first, Violet wasn't keen about joining the Titanic's crew. But her friends persuaded her that it would be a 'wonderful experience.' On April 10, 1912, she boarded the Titanic.

Violet was a devout Catholic who carried a rosary in her apron and believed strongly in the power of prayer. On this maiden voyage, she brought a copy of a translated Hebrew prayer that an old Irish woman had given her. Violet encouraged her roommate - stewardess Elizabeth Leather - to read it. 

On the fateful night of April 14, Violet was not yet asleep when the Titanic collided with an iceberg at 11:40 pm. She was ordered on deck to help non-English speaking passengers understand the crew's directions as the lifeboats were loaded. 

Violet was then ordered to board lifeboat number 16. As it was being lowered, one of Titanic's officers handed her a baby to care for. 

The following morning, Violet and the other survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia. While on board the rescue ship, a woman (presumably the baby's mother) grabbed the baby from Violet's arms and ran off without saying a word. 

Working on HMHS Britannic:

HMHS Britannic (Public Domain)

After the First World War began, Violet worked as a stewardess for the British Red Cross. She was assigned to the HMHS Britannic - (sister ship of the Titanic and Olympic) - which had been converted into a hospital ship. 

Violet Jessop in Red Cross uniform (Public Domain)

On November 21, 1916, the Britannic sank in the Aegean Sea after hitting a German mine. The ship sank in less than 55 minutes, killing 30 of the 1,066 people aboard. 

Violet was put into lifeboat number 2, and she was nearly killed when the ship's propellers began shredding the lifeboats that drifted toward them. Violet jumped out of the lifeboat and suffered a head injury, but she was rescued.

Years later, Violet recalled the shocking sight of the Britannic sinking: "All the deck machinery fell into the sea like a child's toys. Then she took a fearful plunge, her stern rearing hundreds of feet into the air until with a final roar, she disappeared into the depths."

Later Life:

Violet Jessop, undated photo (Public Domain)

In 1920, Violet returned to work as a stewardess for the White Star Line. And in 1923, she married John Lewis, a fellow White Star steward. Unfortunately, they divorced one year later.

Violet went on to work for the Red Star Line and the Royal Mail Line. She retired in 1950, and moved into a cottage in Great Ashfield, Suffolk. In 1971, Violet died of congestive heart failure at the age of 83.

When reflecting on her life, Violet said, "Yes, I did my job well, and three times I lived to tell a tale of an experience the like of which few women [have] had."

_______________

Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides

Mary's story, entitled: A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need. 

Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:   Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Book

How A Fresh Perspective Can Shed More Light On World War Two

By Donna Wichelman

Dear Readers, for two years, it's been my pleasure talking about the nineteenth century mining history of Colorado, specifically in Georgetown and Clear Creek County. I've enjoyed telling you about the beloved people, fascinating events, and interesting industrial developments that led to western expansion across the United States. I will always have a special fondness for that era here in Colorado and hope my blogs have encouraged your interest in visiting someday.

But now I return to a series I began in the fall of 2023 when I started collecting research for my World War Two slip-time novel, Power of the Thorn--particularly the years leading up to and during the German Occupation of the Bordeaux region of Southwestern France.

Bordeaux, France: Bridge at Night
Image by Alexander Gresbek from Pixabay.com

The war has fascinated me since I was a child, listening to my parents talk about living through some of the darkest days in the history of the United States and the world. Much has been documented over the last eighty-six years. Though some books and movies have romanticized the war, it was not romantic or glamorous, but brutal and daunting, and it demanded self-sacrifice, men and women dedicated to the cause of freedom in France and the rest of the world. My hope is to bring a fresh perspective on those times.

I begin today by recounting my privilege to have interviewed a Frenchmen, who lived through the war as a boy/teenager. Sadly, he passed away since I interviewed him in October 2023. But his story lives on in this blog and the pages of the book I'm writing.

When I first met Mr. René Avril, I found a kind and gentle man--mostly deaf and blind--who'd lived a long and fulfilling life despite a beginning wrought by war even before his birth. He was eager to talk about the war and surviving the German occupation.

Donna and Mr, René Avril, Libourne, France: Donna's Gallery October 2023

Born near Saint-Malo, Brittany in June 1931, Mr. Avril came into the world when France still had not recovered from World War I. Every French man, woman, and child had lost someone. Despite having won the war, it left an indelible scar on the war-weary nation. Yet the armistice between France and Germany on November 11, 1918, also made the world uneasy. The terms laid upon Germany were onerous to the extreme. The people of France knew war fomented beneath the surface. "Everyone knew it, and everyone feared it," Mr. Avril said.

The inevitability of another war set the stage for the events in May and June 1940 when the German Army made a surprise assault north of the Maginot Line through Belgium. Named after the French Minister of War, André Maginot, France built a series of concrete fortifications and weapons installations, then filled them with special ops troops during the 1930s to defend France's border along Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Italy.

Bunker Ouvrage Schoenenbourg, Maginot Line, Alsace France
Photo 254297474 © Renaud Philippe | Dreamstime.com

But the French had scaled back fortifications on the Maginot Line north of Saarbrűcken, which ran through rugged forested terrain where no one expected an attack. It was the perfect place for the Germans to break through French defenses, sending them southward in retreat. By the time German troops arrived in Paris on June 14, 1940, 1.8 million French soldiers were taken as prisoners of war--ten percent of the adult male population. Over a hundred thousand died.

Mr. Avril was nine years old when the German Army marched west and south, capturing Paris and most of the north of France. Like most French people in Brittany, his family was poor; their house had seven people, three bedrooms, four beds, and no running water. But they had a magnificent garden with vegetables and hens, and they enjoyed the company of friendly neighbors.

Once the Germans occupied the land, farmers' lives became harder as German soldiers requisitioned the farmland, requiring farmers to yield a part of their crops to the German Army. Ordinary French citizens--farmers, like Mr. Avril's family--received the left overs, barely enough to subsist.

French Country House: Donna's Gallery October 2023

Mr. Avril and his friends tried to get news from the BBC, but the Germans forbade wireless (radios) in French homes, sometimes confiscating them. Still, they discretely listened to news that passed through the grapevine, news that most likely came from the Resistance network.

School-age children and young adults attended school, but a massive shortage of teachers made receiving an education difficult. There simply weren't enough men available between those who'd been taken prisoner, killed, joined the Resistance, or sent to Germany under the Compulsory Labor Program (STO) to work on the Wehrmacht (the German War Machine).

Also, the Germans requisitioned school buildings. Though the building where Mr. Avril attended school was a beautiful facility, the Germans turned it into a hospital. Mr. Avril recalled the first time he returned to school in the fall of 1944 after the liberation. He was thirteen at the time. The building smelled like disinfectant, having been cleaned by American and French soldiers, removing materials Germans left behind, like their jackboot grease.

Example of German Jackboot: Photo 35359114 | German © Soloway | Dreamstime.com

The French can attribute much of their resilience to the French Resistance--the Maquis. Most of the one hundred thousand of them, by the war's end, were farmers and peasants who wished to avoid conscription into the German military (STO). Their stealthy methods and brave actions saved countless lives--French, Jewish, and Allies alike.

Mr. Avril's favorite uncle worked as a spy in Lorient, but unfortunately, he and forty of his compatriots received the death sentence when German soldiers discovered them. Though it was a sad loss, pride entered Mr. Avril's voice for an uncle who helped them win the war.

French Resistance March in Liberation Celebration, Libourne, France, Libourne City Archives

In early August, after the Allied assault on Normandy, Mr. Avril heard his aunt shout from another room. "They've arrived!" Of course, everyone was excited the Allies had come. But they were also worried, as the fighting could be nearby. Indeed, a significant battle occurred in Saint-Malo in which the Allies won, capturing Germans holding out in underground foxholes. But the battle destroyed the coastal town, making it a heap of rubble, as with many of the towns along the way.

Mr. Avril's family watched them from their garden as German convoys migrated west on neighboring roads, hoping to hold off the Allies in the coastal town of Brest. But the Americans were more powerful. At first, the community was scared when they heard the noisy roar of American airplanes--P-47 Thunderbolts--descending rapidly form the sky. But very soon, they realized that if the planes swooshed down, they were attacking Germans, and they all shouted, "Good riddance!" Mr. Avril's voice rose with with exuberance. "It was a happy moment," he said.

P-47 Thunderbolt297700101 © Paulbroad Dreamstime.com

In the post-war years, the French prioritized rebuilding ruined towns. Everyone participated. Mr. Avril's father, a blacksmith, repaired the ironwork on a railroad bridge. They also gathered piles of rubble onto trucks and airplanes and dumped them into the ocean. The change was rapid, and life became normal again.

My final question of Mr. Avril was what message he wanted to leave for the young people of today. He didn't hesitate. He wanted them to know that Marshal Philippe Pètain, President of Hitler's Vichy government, had given in to the enemy. "These people were creatures of the Nazis; they helped them; they saved the industry to work for Germany ... Pètain was against the Resistance ... He was a collaborator from the beginning." From his tone of voice, I sensed his disgust over a man who had at one time been a war hero for France during WWI, but had betrayed his country in the Second World War.

Pètain was tried as a collaborator and sentenced to death in August 1945. His sentence was immediately commuted to life in solitary confinement. He lived the rest of his life in a fortress on the Ile d'Yeu off the Atlantic coast and died at ninety-five. 

This blog post originally appeared on December 4, 2023 on the Heroes, Heroines, and History Blogsite at www.hhhistory.com.

Donna is an Angel-award-winning author of Historical Romance for A Song of Deliverance. Book Two in the Silver Singing Mine series, Rhythms of the Heart, was released in November 2025. Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before becoming a full-time writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. 

Donna and her husband of forty-one years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.

Spotlight: Kimberly Keagan

     

Unlike many authors, I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a writer. I was a good student and enjoyed writing book reports and research papers (history was my favorite subject!), but I didn’t wander around with stories swimming in my head. I did, however, wander around with my nose in a book. Literally. Bumping into furniture and people was a frequent occurrence. So was my mother having to repeat herself because I was so caught up in a story that I never heard what she’d said.

I grew up in a military household, and we moved often, which meant constantly having to make new friends. Books—and the characters living inside them—became my most faithful companions.

When I was thirteen, while visiting my grandmother, I picked up one of the many historical romances she kept on her bookshelf.

And I was hooked.

In my late teens (yes, I was young), I married my own handsome hero and, four years later, earned a degree in accounting—not exactly the most romantic field of study. Around that time, I took a writing class taught by a historical romance author at a local community college. Soon, I had filled a notebook with story ideas set in another time and place. I even bought a stack of history books for research (before e-readers). I started a dozen different manuscripts and finished exactly none of them.

Then we had two children, and writing was quietly set aside.

During those years, I discovered another passion alongside reading romance: genealogy. I became quite good at tracking down records and breaking through brick walls. I also helped friends research their own family trees. During one of my many historical rabbit trails, I stumbled across an article in an 1895 New York newspaper about the growing conflict between department stores and small bookshops. The idea for my Hearts on Display series was born.

Yet I still didn’t write the book.
 

2020 arrived. My children were grown. The world ground to a halt. Like so many people suddenly finding themselves at home with time to think, I finally became serious about writing. It took five years of studying the craft, joining author groups, attending conferences, and praying my way through countless challenges before I independently released my first novel, Perfect, in June 2025.

As for that unromantic accounting background? It turns out a detailed, analytical mind is a genuine asset when writing historical romance. I love diving into old maps, period advertisements, newspapers, and archival records—anything that helps build a world that feels authentic. And the patience and persistence required to work through financial reports? Those qualities have saved more than one story from the delete key.

On May 20, 2026, one year after publishing my first book, I published my fifth. 

 

Click on the graphic, or here, to go to my series page on Amazon.

When I’m not writing, you can still find me enjoying a good book or disappearing down a family-tree rabbit hole. I also love to bake, organize closets (yes, really), watch sports, and go for walks. Although I’ve lived in nine U.S. states, as well as Germany and England, I’m now happily settled in Arizona with my husband and an adorable—but very talkative—corgi. Best of all, our two grown children live nearby.  

One of my favorite things about being a published author is connecting with readers. I'd love to connect with you too! Look for me here:

Instagram

Facebook 

Pinterest 

 

If you go to my website at KimberlyKeagan.com and sign up for my monthly newsletter, I'll send you a free Gilded Age romance novelette you can download right away for free!  

Weird Inventions that Saved Lives: Railway Fog Torpedo

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Welcome back to our series on Weird Inventions That Saved Lives. Today, we explore a lesser-known device used on the railroad.

The railroads spread rapidly throughout the world, offering a modern and fast way to travel. However, the railways brought massive risks to both passengers and railroad employees. One major danger was collisions caused by track hazards, such as damaged lines, washed-out bridges, repair crews, or stalled trains.

Edward Alfred Cowper
Inventor of the Railway Torpedo

If an engineer failed to see a hazard in time, the results were deadly. Heavy fog, blinding snowstorms, or simple distraction could cause a driver to miss a vital visual signal. This recurring problem caused countless tragic deaths during the early days of steam travel.

Many inventors tried to solve this deadly issue using complex sound signals triggered by moving trains. Most proved too expensive, inflexible, or unreliable. Then, in 1841, a mechanical engineer named Edward Alfred Cowper came up with a simple, brilliant idea.

He put a small amount of gunpowder inside a small metal capsule, which was fastened to the rails with lead straps. When the heavy wheels of the train passed over it, the capsule detonated with a loud "bang." This sound instantly alerted the engineer to stop, even in zero visibility or if he was distracted by the train's mechanical needs.

Here's a video demonstration, if you're interested. 

While it is a little weird to think that an explosion is saving lives rather than taking them, this incredibly simple device was cost-effective, reliable, and DID save thousands of lives. In the United States, it became known as a "railroad torpedo." While Edward Alfred Cowper designed many things, this humble fog detonator was his most impactful and life-saving legacy.

A Railway Torpedo
Photo By Ralph Mayer - Flickr

The most famous historical testament to its effectiveness occurred on the foggy, rainy night of April 30, 1900, during the legendary final ride of engineer Casey Jones. As Jones hurtled his Illinois Central passenger train through Mississippi to make up for lost time, a stalled freight train blocked the tracks ahead. A flagman had walked back into the darkness and placed warning torpedoes on the rails. When Jones's locomotive crushed the tiny devices, the sudden, deafening explosions instantly alerted him to the danger. Though he could not stop completely before the collision, the torpedoes gave him just enough time to slam on the emergency brakes. Jones tragically died at the controls, but his split-second reaction—triggered solely by the blast of the torpedoes—slowed the train enough to save every single passenger on board.

Today, modern railway technology has made the torpedo mostly obsolete, but we can look back with gratitude for how this simple invention protected so many people.

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with her prince charming and two boys. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/  and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Echoes of the Ancient New Testament Cities: Laodicea and a Mini Arc

Matthew James Elliott

Bibleinfo.com

In the Bible, there are seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Have you ever wondered why they were the churches mentioned and how they came into existence? I know that was one of the biggest questions on my mind when I was in college earning my degree in Biblical Studies.

I was so fixated on those seven churches that I missed some important discussion about the different beliefs about the end times and had to go back and study those on my own. There was something about those churches that just seemed important. Otherwise, why would they have been mentioned? For the next few posts, I intend to dive into the history of those seven churches. First on this deeper dive is the city of Laodicea.

It may be the last church mentioned in the book of Revelation, but its history merited being one of the first three I researched for this series. Why? Well, because its history lies hand in hand with Colossae, the city I wrote about last month. Truthfully, once I knew I was going to write that article, I knew I was going to do this one too. After all, Colossae is only one of three cities that are part of the Tri-City network I talked about last month. Let's not forget Ephesus from a few months ago either.

Laodicea was a wealthy and strategically placed city. Its position along the major trade routes from the east and west meant it played a huge role in several industries. Financially, it was one of the wealthiest cities of its time. Medically, it produced several industry-moving discoveries because it was home to a thriving medical school. Commodity, the black wool industry contributed significantly to its reputation for prosperity.

When we hear about the city in Revelation 3:14-20, verses 15-16 talk about a lukewarm church. That's not just a spiritual statement; aqueducts positioned miles away from the city walls brought their water in. By the time it found its way there, it was tepid and lukewarm. Hierapolis had hot, mineral-rich springs. People knew Colossae for its cool and refreshing water. Laodicea had neither, and its water tasted horrible.

Around 60 AD, Laodicea was hit with a devastating earthquake, and not the one that destroyed Colossae approximately four years later. This is a critical event because the city was wealthy enough to rebuild itself without any assistance from Rome. Historians consider this an important historical fact. If we take another look at 3:17-18, scripture calls them out on this sentiment.

One of the more well-known passages from Revelation comes from 3:20. “Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in…” It reminds us, or at least me, that I’m a work in progress, just as much as this church was. Paul expresses his concern for the church in Laodicea when he writes to the Colossian church, and he encourages them to share his letter with the Laodiceans.

Painting of Epaphras from safequardyoursoul.com

There is also a rumored letter that was written to the church by Paul, but that has been lost. Even just the mention of Laodicea and Hierapolis in Colossians 4:13-16 means that it had value to the ministry of Paul and his companions. Scripture doesn’t actually tell us who founded the church in Laodicea, but the most historically grounded explanation is Epaphras, based on the scripture I just provided. This means that between 50 AD and 60 AD, Laodicea was an active community recognized by the early church.

When Revelation was written in the 90s AD, the city failed to meet this calling. During Domitian's reign, the city had temples dedicated to the imperial cult. Archeology confirms that builders constructed temples, which likely honored Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, and even emperor worship. This stands to show that there was a diverse group of people living in Laodicea, and echoes that lukewarm spirit mentioned in Revelation.

All of this history makes for a good story, doesn't it? It also reminds us that history is shaped by more than just the people who lived it. History can be shaped by the industries of the past as well. What are some places you have learned about that echo this?

See you in the pages, 

MJE

PS, (Next Time we get to visit two cities, Smyrna and Philadelphia)

~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which gave him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is married and has three wonderful children who bring him immense joy and inspiration. One of his favorite things to do with them is to share stories they can someday learn from. When writing a story, he aspires to minister to others with love, equip them with encouragement, and use the gift God has given him as a writer to help readers experience God in a real and meaningful way.

Find Matthew on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and even Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

If you're curious about The Hope of Inheritance or any of my books. Right now, my followers on my REAMStories Author Page are being entered into a drawing for some fun gifts. To check it out, just follow me there. You can also read Mysteries in Ephesus, Season 2 of The Ephesus Pages, while you're at it.

~~~

One Story Still Untold. Four Unlikely Authors.

Together, their Message will speak to Many.

The city of Rome was a vast and beautiful place-- on the surface. That is, until a great fire burned and destroyed most of it. Deep in a world hidden from those who would strike against them, four unlikely men work together to share a message of truth. This truth was spoken by those who were cut down because of the calling to go forth and preach. 

The message has always been clear: The hope of our inheritance is Christ living within each of us. In the echoes of persecution, sorrow, and even death, this message still reigns supreme, but will the people listen? Only time will tell, but before anything, these four men must come together and unite a church separated by fear and suffering.

Aztec Ruins and Chaco Canyon by Nancy J. Farrier

My husband and I just returned from a trip to New Mexico where we visited Aztec Ruins, just outside of Farmington. The Ruins were fascinating and the information was something I wanted to share with you.

Small doorways
to navigate

The name Aztec Ruins is a bit deceptive since there is no historical indication that the Aztecs came north. Instead, the person at the Ruins suggested that the Spaniards at that time traveled north and named everything Aztec—possibly because they were so impressed with the Aztecs and their culture.

So, who inhabited Aztec Ruins? The consensus is that in the late 1000s and 1200s the ancestors of the Pueblo people built and inhabited the Ruins. They were migratory and the first known place they built a home was in Chaco Canyon to the south of Aztec Ruins.

 

By Rationalobserver
Wikimedia Commons

Chaco Canyon was the home of the ancestral Pueblos from about 850 A.D. to the early 1000s. In Chaco Canyon, they built what is called Pueblo Bonito, a house that had approximately 800 rooms and 37 kivas—ceremonial chambers. It is thought to have housed around 1,000 people. There are other sites within the park that housed even more people, along with more ceremonial kivas.

Original roof/ceiling

It is thought that the Pueblos left Chaco Canyon and migrated north. Some of them ended up building the ruins in current day Aztec, New Mexico. The historic site is Aztec Ruins.

The Ruins has a great Kiva, a ceremonial structure that still has the original rooms with a reconstructed building and timber roof. The room is mostly underground and has a sacred feel to it. There are pits inside and ladders leading to upper rooms at the back of the structure. The construction is fascinating.

Great Kiva ladder leading to
back rooms and exit

Great Kiva fire pit
and floor vault

Inside wall showing
use of stones.

Throughout the Ruins the structures, whether the houses or the standing kiva, are more polished on the outside, but a little rougher on the inside. There is a use of homemade bricks interspersed with rocks, making an interesting design. Along one of the outer walls, there is a section that is made up of green rock set among the bricks. It is unknown why they did this, maybe just for a design.

One of two roofless kivas

The large kiva contained a central fire pit, two floor

Another roofless kiva

vaults, and four pillars at each corner of the sunken room. There was bench seating around the outer walls. The intricate ceiling was beautiful and there were probably places for torches to add light. It is thought that the people put sticks across the floor vaults to use as foot drums during ceremonies. There were other smaller kivas that didn't have a roof. 



The Great Kiva was excavated in 1921 by Earl Morris. In 1934 he led the crew that reconstructed parts that were missing. After finding bits of plaster from the original walls, Morris matched the reconstruction paint color and type as best he could.

Corner doorway in
upper back

One of the questions in the construction is the unusual use of corner doorways. There are two of them in Aztec Ruins. These are unique and detract from the stability of the walls. There is much debate about the reason these corner doorways were installed, but no clear indication of the reason.

North wall of ruins

There are so many fascinating aspects to the Ruins, but one of the most amazing to me was the north wall of the building. It was designed so that if you stand at the end at dawn on the summer solstice, you could watch the sun rise along the wall. Lining up the walls with the solstice was something the Pueblo people did. It also aligns with sunset of the winter solstice. I would love to be there at one of those times and see that phenomenon.

Green rock section on outer wall.

The Pueblo ancestors left Aztec Ruins by around 1300. There is no obvious reason, possibly because of drought or social factors. They traveled north where they established the Mesa Verde ruins in Southern Colorado. You can read an HHH article about Mesa Verde here.

Have you ever visited Aztec Ruins? It's a fascinating place. There is so much history and so many questions about the people who lived here. I loved the reverant feel of the place and the care that is taken to keep it intact.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.