Abandoned Places: Tonto National Monument in Arizona

Tonto National Monument

Looking out one of the windows in the ruins at Tonto National Monument



The lower ruins of the Tonto National Monument in Arizona are pretty amazing. I had the opportunity to check this place out not too long ago. The higher ruins are closed for a good part of the year, so I was not able to check them out this trip. About 700 years ago the Salado Indians found shallow caves on the side of mountains in the Sonoran Desert and decided to build houses there. These dwellings overlook the Tonto Basin, which is now Roosevelt Lake. The Salado (named after the Salt River which flows in the Basin) lived here for three centuries. The Salt River and Tonto Creek deposited rich soil in the floodplain, making it suitable for farming.
Nomadic people found their way into the basin around 7,000 years ago.

Looking out from the ruins at Roosevelt Lake and the Tonto Basin. Salt Creek flows into the lake


Erosion had long been at work carving out recesses in a layer of siltstone partially exposed on the hillside. The floors of these alcoves were littered with debris from the ceiling. Bonding rocks with mud, the Salado constructed apartment-style dwellings adequate for sleeping, storage, cooking, and protection.
The pueblo now called the Lower Cliff Dwelling consisted of 16 ground floor rooms, three of which had a second story.
Rocks like these were used to build the dwellings

Charred rocks inside the cave due to fires from cooking and probably heat as well

Looking up at the monument one can see just how steep of a climb it is. Today there is a walking trail to the ruins, but I can only imagine how hard it must have been to get to it, even more so with supplies on your back. One can only guess that the reason for building here was to keep other tribes out, protection from animals, and the harsh elements of the desert.

Looking up at the ruins. You can see how steep the climb is

The Salado lived in Tonto Basin for about 300 years. Sometime after AD 1450 they left and no one knows why. Archaeological study continues to reveal information pertaining to this culture. To this day, archaeologists have only a vague notion of who the Salado were. They left no written record of their existence and no chronology of events that shaped their society. The most vivid signs of life are in their pottery, in remnants of fabric, and in smoke stains found on rocks from their cooking fires. Tonto National Monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, one of the first National Monuments to be proclaimed under the new Antiquities Act of 1906.

Looking down into the Tonto Basin. Its amazing how steep and rugged it is here


If you go, please be kind to the ruins and don't take anything but pictures. The visitor center is a wealth of information on this place. Also if you like to camp, check out Roosevelt Lake. I shot this picture from my campsite. What a beautiful view to wake up to!

Roosevelt Lake around daybreak

Thanks for reading,

-Guary Nicholson
Writer and Photographer

Followfocus Productions

Followfocus

***Want to Hire me to write for you? Get in touch with me on my website. I currently write for several online magazines.

Add to: | blinklist | del.cio.us | digg | yahoo! | furl | rawsugar | shadows | netvouz