Why is it called China Wall?

When we came here as newcomers to Rio Blanco County, we were introduced to the natural wonders of Trappers Lake, the White River and Meeker’s own China Wall.  This imposing rock formation sits above Meeker and shows itself along the mountainsides to the North.  The top of the China Wall is composed of layers of sandstone that are more resistant to erosion than the stuff above or below and that allows it to form cliffs and ridgelines. 

I asked my geologist friend George Coryell to tell me something about it. The sandstone is from the Iles Formation, which makes up the lower part of the Cretaceous Mesaverde Group. Underlying the Iles Formation is the Mancos Shale. The Mancos forms the lower sloping part of the China Wall and also is the surface on which Meeker is built. Think of our China Wall sandstone as beachfront property a long, long time ago. The Mancos Shale was deposited in a sea that covered a large part of North America, including Colorado. The Mancos is also a significant producer of oil and gas in the Piceance Basin south of Meeker, where they are still drilling today. It is one of the things everyone here just takes for granted. This is where I insert a pun on rocks, “We take it for granite.” OK, go ahead and groan. 

Well, when Niki asked me to investigate the origin of the name China Wall, I thought it would be fun. I first went to Leif Joy of the county GIS department to see if I could date the first use of the name on a map. To both our surprise, it isn’t on any topographic map as China Wall. Leif did say he gets an occasional inquiry on where China Wall trail can be found. There are two trails with that name. One can be reached from the trailheads north of Meeker, the second trailhead to “Chinese Wall Trail” is 44 miles East toward Trappers Lake. Archaeologist Luke Trout of the BLM confirmed that his old maps didn’t mention our China Wall, either. To date, I have only found one small trail map of Meeker which labels the China Wall. It appears that China Wall is a local thing only. 

My next step was to take a poll of “vintage” locals. I had two questions: What was your earliest memory of hearing the term “China Wall”? Second, where do you think the name originated? I quizzed the ladies who play cards on Wednesday game day at the Recreation Center. One of the ladies is a descendant of Richard Lyttle, first editor of the 1885 Herald. Renae Nielson remembered riding her horse along China Wall as a child. Mike McGruder recalled a shooting range nearby. Rhonna Waldref remembered telling the kids to stay away from the “Moon-Man,” a strange homeless man who lived in a tent during summers on China Wall. Another lady said she remembered being told as a child to stay away from China Wall because it was unstable. Marge Rogers remembers lighting going up at Christmas time. My informal poll was almost unanimous: Everyone remembered being told about the “China Wall” as a very young child, or soon after their arrival in Meeker. That pushes it back beyond 80 years. The answer to my second question was split between “no idea” and “perhaps a reference to the Great Wall of China.” One vote was for Chinese workers who may have worked at the Black Diamond Mine nearby. 

My conclusion is that the name originated sometime after 1874 and before living memory. Unless one of our pioneers or pioneer ancestors steps forward and gives me another lead, we may never know. That doesn’t mean my time was wasted. The quest led me to meet new people and listen to some wonderful stories. If you have a story, we would like to hear it. Just reach me through the newspaper office. The Quest continues, said Don Quixote.

By ED PECK – Special to the Herald times