WALNUT CANYON Guidebook 1941

Walnut Canyon National Monument preserves the remains of some 200 small prehistoric cliff dwellings. In addition, there are many small surface ruins of the same early period, which have all weathered to unspectacular mounds of rock and clay. Walnut Canyon is also a scenic area and of geological and biological interest.

Why Did the People Live Here?

Through the monument area Walnut Canyon is approximately 400 feet deep. The lower part is carved into a cross-bedded sandstone, once the dunes of an ancient desert. The upper 270 feet of the canyon was cut through a marine limestone deposit containing many fossils.

The limestone formation is made up of layers varying in resistance. Due to the processes of "differential weathering" through past ages, the softer layers have retreated, leaving a series of ledges and recesses along canyon walls. It was in these recesses that the cliff dwelling Indians built their one-room homes, using the overhanging ledge for a ceiling. Usually, several rooms were constructed side by side in the same recess. As there were no doors in the dividing partitions, it appears that one family lived in each room.

Other inducements for living in the canyon were: there was sufficient water in the canyon (before the recent construction of a dam upstream); dwelling sites were sheltered from unpleasant wind; difficult accessibility furnished some protection from enemies; fuel was abundant, and fertile soil for the cultivation of crops was available on top, close to the canyon rim.

Overhanging ledges protected homes

How Did the People Live?

These Indians were farmers, growing corn (maize), beans, pumpkins, and sunflowers; they gathered many wild plants; they hunted various animals; they were excellent pottery makers; and they wove good basketry and perhaps cotton cloth.

Some of the more common wild plants in the canyon known to have been used by historic Indians for food, fiber, dye, medicine, fuel, construction, ceremonial purposes, or as materials for implements, weapons, and household furnishings, included: yellow pine, pinyon, oak, four species of juniper, Douglas fir, locust, black walnut, aspen, willow, box elder, hoptree, hollygrape, serviceberry, elderberry, snowberry, lemonade sumac, mountain mahogany, cliffrose, currant, saltbrush, tobacco, Mormon tea, grape, mescal, yucca, and several species of cactus.

Animals which they could have hunted for meat, sinew or skins were: deer, elk, antelope, bear, cougar, wolf, coyote, bobcat, fox, rabbits, pack rats, squirrels, porcupines, and many species of birds, ranging from wild turkeys to sparrows.

They traded extensively with other tribes for such things as pipestone, sea shells and turquoise for ornaments, pottery vessels of "black-on-white" types, stone axes, salt, and cotton.

The cliff-dwelling Indians were stone age people with no knowledge of metal, nor did they have domestic animals, except dogs and possibly turkeys. Their modern descendants, such as the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona, make good use of sheep, goats, cows, horses and burros, and of fruit trees, all introduced by Europeans since 1629. With only stone and wooden tools, it was more difficult to earn a living in prehistoric times than today, and the cliff dwellers must have worked long hours.

Ruins show construction methods

When Did They Live Here?

The period of occupation has been determined from the various types of pottery in Walnut Canyon. Identical pottery has been found at other sites which have been accurately dated by the Douglass "tree-ring" method. The period of greatest population was from 1000 to 1200 A.D. Pottery dating from earlier than 1000 A.D. is sometimes found.

What Happened After They Left?

For several hundred years the little cliff dwellings stood deserted and unmolested. Then white men began to visit and plunder them.

Since the earliest known report in 1883, and before the area was placed under the protection of the National Park Service, "pot-hunters" had removed the great accumulation of cultural material seen by pioneer scientists, and our understanding of the area is largely derived from investigations at other contemporaneous sites. The dwellings themselves suffered a great deal of destruction and defacement in the same period from the selfish acts of a few unthinking persons.

Sheltered against attack

How to Reach Walnut Canyon

Walnut Canyon National Monument may be reached from either east or west, by an unsurfaced road from U. S. Highway 66. The western entrance is 6 miles long, leaving the highway 3-1/2 miles east of Flagstaff. The eastern entrance is 7 miles long, leaving Highway 66 at a point 14 miles east of Flagstaff. Autoists passing through Arizona via Highway 66 increase their mileage only 3 miles to visit the monument, when entering by the first road encountered and departing by the other. The eastern entrance is sometimes impassable, however, in bad weather.

Admission to the monument is free.

A cliff room

Facilities

A custodian is stationed in the monument. Visiting hours are from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. There is no guide fee. A good foot trail leads to 30 of the cliff dwellings, and from this trail about 100 more may be seen. Informational signs have been placed along the trail, identifying plants and giving some of their uses by modern Indians. The trail signs also call attention to features of geological and archeological interest. Young people sometimes make the trail trip in 20 minutes, but the average time for all parties is 50 minutes.

For those who do not wish to climb the steps of the trail, a good view of the canyon and some of its cliff dwellings may be seen from the observation porch at the canyon rim.

Construction in 1940 of an attractive exhibition and observation building has provided additional facilities for the comfort of visitors. Museum exhibits interpret various interesting phases of the life of ancient inhabitants of the Walnut Canyon region. Nearby there is a small picnic area.

There are no accommodations except for picnicking; meals and lodgings are available in Flagstaff and along U. S. Highway 66 between Flagstaff and the monument's western entrance.

Administration

Walnut Canyon National Monument comprises 1,879 acres. It was created by the Presidential proclamation of November 30, 1915, and enlarged by the Presidential proclamation of September 24, 1938.

The National Park Service is charged by the Congress "to conserve the scenery and natural and historical objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment thereof in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for future generations." Some of the consequent necessary regulations follow:

Dogs and cats must be kept on leash or in cars.

Do not destroy or mutilate vegetation.

Hunting is prohibited.

Picnickers must use only the designated picnic area and must leave a dead fire and clean camp.

The injury or disturbance in any way, of any public building or sign, of any animal or bird, of any tree or flower, of rock formations, of any ruins or relics, or of any other public property, may be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not exceeding 6 months, or both.

For additional information, address the Custodian, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Flagstaff, Ariz.

Walnut Canyon National Monument
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