Tonto National Monument, Lower Ruin - Roosevelt, AZ - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Tonto Basin, overlooked by the dwellings, was watered by the Salt River. It was a fertile area inhabited by groups of native Americans from the mountains to the north and from what is now the Phoenix area to the south. As this mix of cultures developed, farming communities dotted the basin floor, each separated by a few miles with farm fields in between. As the population began to rise the availability of flat land diminished and the later populations looked to the canyons for homes. This particular dwelling is on the east facing side of a canyon wall which provided more shelter from the sun and a good view of the canyon and their small farm fields on the canyon floor. For unknown reasons all the prehistoric populations of the southwest left around 1450 CE and abandoned their dwellings. The area remained unpopulated until the arrival of the current tribes, then the Spanish and Anglo groups. The lower ruin received some damage when the Anglo prospectors and ranchers arrived but enough remains to give an idea of the tough conditions those early peoples conquered and survived. Additional information is available through the monuments website: (visit link)

Street address: 26260 N AZ Hwy 188 Lot 2 Roosevelt, AZ USA 85545 County / Borough / Parish: Gila Year listed: 1989 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Person Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Education, Landscape Current function: Education, Landscape Privately owned?: no Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   02/19/2022 Don.Morfe visited it