Flagstaff History: Ancient pueblo ruins discovered six miles from Flagstaff

100 years ago

1926: That one of the largest and oldest ancient pueblo Indian ruins in the Southwest has been discovered within 100 yards of the old Grand Canyon road just beyond the point where that road forks from the Flagstaff-Winslow road, and that it is to be reconstructed by the federal government was the announcement of J. Walter Fewkes, chief of the ethnology bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., at Tuesday’s meeting of Flagstaff Rotary. Dr. Fewkes’ hearers were astonished. To not more than one or two of them had it previously been known that this little ruin existed, though it is only a little more than six miles from Flagstaff and close beside a road every Flagstaff motorist passes several times a month. This ancient ruin covers several acres and antedates the ancient Cliff Dwellings in Walnut Canyon, Dr. Fewkes said. The main walls have crumbled away, or were torn down, many years ago, and much of the material removed. But the foundation outlines are perfect and with his knowledge of Indian architecture of that tribe and period, it will be possible for Dr. Fewkes to faithfully and accurately reproduce the structure. Several men are excavating there and in the four days since they began, 50 Indian bowls had been recovered as well as a large amount of broken pottery. There is an extensive prehistoric Indian burial ground adjacent to the ruin. Dr. Fewkes called attention to the financial advantage the reconstruction of these ruins will be to Flagstaff.