Hovenweep National Monument, Utah.
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October 12, 2015
October 12, 2015
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Square Tower. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Photos Courtesy: National Park Service.
Square Tower Group. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Photos Courtesy: National Park Service.
Google Map To Hovenweep National Monument, Utah.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah:
We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share information with Wikipedia.
Hovenweep National Monument is located in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, between Cortez, Colorado and Blanding, Utah on the Cajon Mesa of the Great Sage Plain.
Shallow waterways run through its wide, and deep canyons; into the San Juan River.
Hovenweep National Monument is largely known for the six village groups of the Ancestral Puebloans, who lived there and built six clusters of pueblo buildings in the area.
In 1854, William D. Huntington, on a Mormon (LDS) missionary trip to the southwestern United States under the direction Brigham Young, discovered the ruins of the present day Hovenweep National Monument. The ruins were already known to the Ute and Navajo guides who considered them haunted and urged Huntington to stay away.
Then President Warren G. Harding proclaimed Hovenweep a National Monument on March 2, 1923.
The name Hovenweep means "deserted valley" in the Ute language.
The area of Hovenweep has been inhabited for thousands of years.
There is evidence that there were Paleo-Indian, Hunter-gatherers from over 10,000 years BCE, and people of the Archaic period during the transitional period from a traditional hunter-gatherer society, from about 8,000 to 6,000 B.C. until about AD 200.
Then, a succession of early puebloan cultures settled in the area and remained until the 14th century.
It is thought that the pueblos at Hovenweep were built during the Pueblo II Era � 900 � 1,160 A.D.
The Hovenweep inhabitants completed their pueblo construction over a period of time. Buildings with one story towers were built in about 1,000 A.D. Then by about 1,160 A.D. they began building larger pueblo residential complexes, up to 3-story towers, dams, and reservoirs.
During this period of time they moved their fields onto areas where water could be controlled. They also built large stone towers, living quarters and other shelters to safeguard springs and seeps. The stone course pueblos and towers of the Hovenweep people exhibit expert masonry skills and engineering. The builders did not level foundations for their structures, but adapted construction designs to the uneven surfaces of rock slabs. The seven most prominent structures are; Hovenweep Castle, Hovenweep House, Square Tower, Rim Rock House, Twin Towers, Stronghold House and Unit-Type House. These structures are part of larger community pueblos that surround the heads of canyons where various springs are located.
Domesticated crops such as maize, amaranth, beans, squash and cotton were grown in terraced fields, and their vital water supply was dammed and it also flowed to edible wild plants such as beeweed, cattail, sedges, ground cherry, milkweed, and wolf berry.
Archaeologists speculate that increased population placed the communities under stress. The Hovenweep people left their pueblos in the late 13th century, possibly in response to a 23-year regional drought.
People in the entire Four Corners region were also abandoning smaller communities at that time, and the area may have been nearly empty by 1350. Archaeological and cultural evidence leads scientists to believe people from this region migrated south to live with the Hopi of Arizona and the puebloan people of the Rio Grande in New Mexico.
From the NPS website we learn that the trail system at Hovenweep provides visitors excellent views of all the archeological sites. The Square Tower Group features a two mile loop that begins at the visitor center and is a perfect starting point for any visit. Between the visitor center and the first overlook (a distance of roughly 300 yards), the trail is paved and may be traversed by visitors in wheelchairs with assistance. Most visitors spend an hour exploring the area, with the full two-mile loop taking at least 1.5 hours.
Visitors may also explore the outlying sites, which include Cajon, Cutthroat Castle, Holly, and Horseshoe/Hackberry. Most areas have very short (a half mile or less one-way) trails which are primitive and lightly maintained. Backpacking is not permitted at Hovenweep. Outlier roads may become inaccessible during inclement weather.
The six major Hovenweep site groups are located within a 20-mile drive of each other along the Utah-Colorado border. These units vary greatly in size, the largest of which is the 400-acre Square Tower Group. Both this group, where the Ranger Station is located, and Cajon Ruins are located in Utah. The Colorado sites are Holly Ruins, Hackberry Canyon, Cutthroat Castle and Goodman Point. Altogether, Hovenweep National Monument encompasses 785 acres.
Trails are open sunrise to sunset.
If you visit the site there is:
A Visitor Center at the Square Tower Group.
With 31 campsites at the Square Tower Group.
Hiking trails.
Parking, picnic and toilet facilities.
Hovenweep is 42 miles from Cortez, CO, Approximately 48 miles from Blanding, UT. And approximately 42 miles from Bluff, UT.
We recommend visiting Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. when also traveling by car to a major city in the Southern Utah Area.
Again, Hovenweep is 42 miles from Cortez, CO, Approximately 48 miles from Blanding, UT. And approximately 42 miles from Bluff, UT. Hotels are available in these towns.
There are many hotels and motels in Utah, and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you.
We have personally, booked flights, hotels, and vacations; through Priceline.com and we can highly recommend them. Their website is also easy to use!
We have some links to Priceline.com on this page since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car.
We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep our pages active.
Whenever you make a purchase from a link on our page we get credit for that transaction. Again, Thanks!
Cutthroat Castle.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Cutthroat Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Cutthroat Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Cutthroat Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Cutthroat Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Cutthroat Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Cajon Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Hovenweep House.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Holly Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Holly Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Holly Unit.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Stronghold House, Square Tower Group.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Stronghold House.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Stronghold House.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Twin Towers.
Eroded Boulder House. Square Tower Group.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Hovenweep House.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah.
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| Square Tower. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Photos Courtesy: National Park Service. |
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| Square Tower Group. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. Photos Courtesy: National Park Service. |
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Google Map To Hovenweep National Monument, Utah.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah:
We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on this page. We share information with Wikipedia.
Hovenweep National Monument is located in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, between Cortez, Colorado and Blanding, Utah on the Cajon Mesa of the Great Sage Plain. Shallow waterways run through its wide, and deep canyons; into the San Juan River. Hovenweep National Monument is largely known for the six village groups of the Ancestral Puebloans, who lived there and built six clusters of pueblo buildings in the area. In 1854, William D. Huntington, on a Mormon (LDS) missionary trip to the southwestern United States under the direction Brigham Young, discovered the ruins of the present day Hovenweep National Monument. The ruins were already known to the Ute and Navajo guides who considered them haunted and urged Huntington to stay away. Then President Warren G. Harding proclaimed Hovenweep a National Monument on March 2, 1923. The name Hovenweep means "deserted valley" in the Ute language. The area of Hovenweep has been inhabited for thousands of years. There is evidence that there were Paleo-Indian, Hunter-gatherers from over 10,000 years BCE, and people of the Archaic period during the transitional period from a traditional hunter-gatherer society, from about 8,000 to 6,000 B.C. until about AD 200. Then, a succession of early puebloan cultures settled in the area and remained until the 14th century. It is thought that the pueblos at Hovenweep were built during the Pueblo II Era � 900 � 1,160 A.D. The Hovenweep inhabitants completed their pueblo construction over a period of time. Buildings with one story towers were built in about 1,000 A.D. Then by about 1,160 A.D. they began building larger pueblo residential complexes, up to 3-story towers, dams, and reservoirs. During this period of time they moved their fields onto areas where water could be controlled. They also built large stone towers, living quarters and other shelters to safeguard springs and seeps. The stone course pueblos and towers of the Hovenweep people exhibit expert masonry skills and engineering. The builders did not level foundations for their structures, but adapted construction designs to the uneven surfaces of rock slabs. The seven most prominent structures are; Hovenweep Castle, Hovenweep House, Square Tower, Rim Rock House, Twin Towers, Stronghold House and Unit-Type House. These structures are part of larger community pueblos that surround the heads of canyons where various springs are located. Domesticated crops such as maize, amaranth, beans, squash and cotton were grown in terraced fields, and their vital water supply was dammed and it also flowed to edible wild plants such as beeweed, cattail, sedges, ground cherry, milkweed, and wolf berry. Archaeologists speculate that increased population placed the communities under stress. The Hovenweep people left their pueblos in the late 13th century, possibly in response to a 23-year regional drought. People in the entire Four Corners region were also abandoning smaller communities at that time, and the area may have been nearly empty by 1350. Archaeological and cultural evidence leads scientists to believe people from this region migrated south to live with the Hopi of Arizona and the puebloan people of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. From the NPS website we learn that the trail system at Hovenweep provides visitors excellent views of all the archeological sites. The Square Tower Group features a two mile loop that begins at the visitor center and is a perfect starting point for any visit. Between the visitor center and the first overlook (a distance of roughly 300 yards), the trail is paved and may be traversed by visitors in wheelchairs with assistance. Most visitors spend an hour exploring the area, with the full two-mile loop taking at least 1.5 hours. Visitors may also explore the outlying sites, which include Cajon, Cutthroat Castle, Holly, and Horseshoe/Hackberry. Most areas have very short (a half mile or less one-way) trails which are primitive and lightly maintained. Backpacking is not permitted at Hovenweep. Outlier roads may become inaccessible during inclement weather. The six major Hovenweep site groups are located within a 20-mile drive of each other along the Utah-Colorado border. These units vary greatly in size, the largest of which is the 400-acre Square Tower Group. Both this group, where the Ranger Station is located, and Cajon Ruins are located in Utah. The Colorado sites are Holly Ruins, Hackberry Canyon, Cutthroat Castle and Goodman Point. Altogether, Hovenweep National Monument encompasses 785 acres. Trails are open sunrise to sunset.
If you visit the site there is:
Hovenweep is 42 miles from Cortez, CO, Approximately 48 miles from Blanding, UT. And approximately 42 miles from Bluff, UT.
|
We recommend visiting Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. when also traveling by car to a major city in the Southern Utah Area.
There are many hotels and motels in Utah, and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you. We have personally, booked flights, hotels, and vacations; through Priceline.com and we can highly recommend them. Their website is also easy to use! We have some links to Priceline.com on this page since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car. We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep our pages active. Whenever you make a purchase from a link on our page we get credit for that transaction. Again, Thanks!
|
| Cutthroat Castle. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Cutthroat Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
|---|---|
| Cutthroat Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Cutthroat Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
| Cutthroat Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Cutthroat Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
| Cajon Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Hovenweep House. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
| Holly Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Holly Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
| Holly Unit. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Stronghold House, Square Tower Group. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
| Stronghold House. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Stronghold House. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
| Twin Towers. Eroded Boulder House. Square Tower Group. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. | Hovenweep House. Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. |
Click On Any Of The Following Links By Amazon.Com
For Books Or Videos About Hiking Or Touring In Utah. No Obligation!
We Are Proud Of Our SafeSurf Rating!
| Back To Utah Tours Page
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| Back To DeLange Home Page
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