Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Friday, 1 March

After enjoying golf for several days, we made today a sightseeing day.  In researching the area, we did not find much earby that interests us except Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.  And golf.  And warmer weather.  So after a leisurely morning, we headed in that direction, about 45 minutes away.

We arrived at the Visitor Center just before 11:30am, and caught the video that started at 11:30.  The video did a nice job talking about how Casa Grande came to be.

Early Spanish explorers named it “Casa Grande” for “Great House” when they visited in 1694.  The main structure, which we later learned was the only exposed structure in 1694 through today, was four stories tall and completed around 1350AD.   Other parts of the walled village were buried under sediment from series of floods over the centuries.


The area was settled by Native Americans around 300 AD as they used vast canal systems to irrigate crops.  Evidence indicates the village was abandoned by 1460AD.  Then they moved on.  Scientists are still trying to determine why they moved on.  We recall that the residents of the Gila Cliff Dwellings that we visited in December also vacated their homes shortly after they were completed.  Their cliff structures were constructed around 1280AD and vacated in the early 1200s.  Maybe a change in climate patterns impacted their way of life.  

Casa Grande Ruins became the first prehistoric and cultural reserve in the U.S. in 1892, and was re-designated a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson on August 3, 1918.  Excavation has uncovered other parts of the village structures.  Casa Grande Ruins village is one of seven known villages in the area, but is the only one exposed for viewing.

Just as we finished the video, the 1200 noon Ranger-led tour started.  Ranger Barb provided an exceptional presentation on Casa Grande lasting over an hour.  We were most fortunate to have done the guided tour, something that does not always factor into our visiting.  We would highly recommend doing the Ranger-led tour if you visit.  It seemed to be offered six or more times a day on the hour, making it pretty convenient to include as part of our visit.  Some places seem to only have guided tours once or twice a day which does not always coincide with our trip planning.  

Another nugget we got from the Ranger was that visitation to the national monument is down since the Government shut down.  She did not offer any explanation as to why, just stated it as a fact. 

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