Wetherill, Marietta, 1876-1954

Born in Serena, Ill. Marietta Palmer Wetherill visited the Southwest with her family beginning in the mid 1880's. On one of these trips she met her future husband, Richard Wetherill. She and her husband lived among the Navajo at Chaco Canyon. In 1908 she was adopted into the Chee clan of the Navajo tribe.

Marietta Palmer Wetherill was born on October 5, 1876, in Serena, Illinois. As a child and throughout her adult life, Marietta was interested in music, the outdoors, and in studying the Indians. The Palmers were an adventure seeking family. In the mid 1880's, Marietta's family took their first trip to the Southwest, visiting and playing music at most of the Rio Grande Pueblos. In 1895, the Palmers made their third trip to the Southwest, this time to visit the Mesa Verde ruins. During this trip, Marietta and her family met the Wetherills.

Richard Wetherill, one of the men credited with "re-discovering" the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, led the Palmers on a trip to see the Mesa Verde ruins. During this expedition, Marietta's father, Sidney Palmer and Richard Wetherill planned a winter trip to explore Chaco Canyon. Richard proposed to Marietta during the Chaco Canyon trip, and in December of 1896 the two were married.

In 1897, Richard and Marietta Wetherill moved to Chaco Canyon, where Richard led excavations. They set up a trading post at Pueblo Bonito, and employed, interacted with, and lived among the Navajo. In 1908, Marietta was adopted into the Chee clan of the Navajo tribe. Soon after Richard was murdered in Chaco Canyon in 1910, Marietta moved to the mountains near Cuba with her children. Eventually, Marietta moved to the outskirts of Albuquerque where she lived until her death in 1954. Marietta's ashes were buried in Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon behind Richard's grave, as per her request.