Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument facts for kids
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Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
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Gila Cliff Dwellings as seen from a gorge below
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 Location in New Mexico
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Silver City, New Mexico |
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| Area | 533 acres (216 ha) |
| Visitation | 41,519 (2016) |
| Website | Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000472 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NMON | November 16, 1907 |
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a special protected area in New Mexico, USA. It was created to save ancient homes built into cliffs by the Mogollon people. These homes are found in the Gila Wilderness, near the start of the Gila River.
The monument covers about 533-acre (2.16 km2) of land. President Theodore Roosevelt made it a national monument on November 16, 1907. It's located in the southern part of Catron County. You can visit the monument by driving about 37 miles north from Silver City, New Mexico on NM 15.
Contents
Exploring the Ancient Cliff Homes
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument has two main groups of ruins, plus many smaller sites. These are found within the Gila Wilderness inside the Gila National Forest. The land here is rugged and dry, with steep canyons and tall mesas. The elevation ranges from about 5,700 to 7,300 feet above sea level.
The area has many types of trees, like Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. The hot springs in the monument are a reminder of old volcanic activity in the area.
Who Lived Here?
The monument protects the remains of a Mimbres Culture community. The most famous homes are built inside five natural caves high up in Cliff Dweller Canyon. Another important site, called the TJ Ruins, is on a bluff overlooking the Gila River.
Archaeologists believe the Mogollon people lived here from about 1275 until the early 1300s. This time is known as the Pueblo III Era.
Life in the Dwellings
Experts have found 46 rooms in the five caves of Cliff Dweller Canyon. They think 10 to 15 families lived there. The TJ Ruins are mostly still buried and haven't been fully explored. We don't know why the people eventually left these homes.
Other ruins in the area include Javalina House and West Fork Ruin. Scientists used a method called dendrochronology (tree ring dating) to study the wood used in the dwellings. They found that the trees were cut between 1276 and 1287. The land around the dwellings provided food through farming, gathering, and hunting.
Visiting the Dwellings
To see the main cliff dwellings, you need to hike a well-used trail. It's about one mile (1.6 km) long and takes about an hour to walk. The trail has several footbridges over a stream. The hike starts at 5,695 feet (1,736 meters) and goes up to 5,875 feet (1,790 meters).
How the Monument Was Protected
Native American people in the area always knew about the cliff dwellings. The first European to see them was Henry B. Ailman in the summer of 1878. He was on a prospecting trip with friends when they found the site.
Over the next few years, more people visited and studied the dwellings. In the 1890s, the Hill brothers started a resort nearby and offered tours to the ruins.
The Antiquities Act
In 1906, a law called the Antiquities Act was created. This law allowed the U.S. President to set aside land with important old ruins or historical sites. These protected areas were called national monuments.
In December 1906, a forest supervisor named R. C. McClure suggested that the Gila Cliff Dwellings should be protected. He wanted to stop people from taking artifacts from the site.
Some mummified bodies were found at the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Sadly, many were lost to people who took them for private collections. In 1912, a burial site was found, and a mummified infant, nicknamed "Zeke," was discovered. This discovery became famous and brought more visitors to the monument. The Smithsonian Institution later received this mummy.
The first park ranger for the monument was an early settler named Doc Campbell. He helped park crews make the ruins stable.
Who Manages the Monument?
At first, the U.S. Department of Agriculture managed the monument. But on August 10, 1933, it was moved to the National Park Service. Later, in 1962, President Kennedy added about 375 acres (1.52 km2) to the monument. This included the TJ site and more wilderness.
Since 1975, the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service have worked together to manage the monument. The Gila National Forest is in charge of running it.
What to See and Do Today
There is a museum and visitor center at the monument, near the TJ Ruins. The U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service run it together. The museum has exhibits of artifacts from the Apache and Mogollon cultures. These items were found in the wilderness and at the monument.
One interesting item on display is a bracelet made from a clam shell. It's believed that this shell came from the Gulf of California through trade. It traveled to an ancient village called Snaketown in Arizona. There, Hohokam artists carved and drilled it. Then, it likely traveled up the Gila River to the Gila community through more trade.
Other fun things to do nearby include visiting hot springs, exploring hiking trails in the national forest, and fishing in the Gila River and Gila Wilderness.
Images for kids
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Gila Cliff Dwelling
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Looking out from one of the cave dwellings
See also
In Spanish: Monumento Nacional de las Casas del Acantilado de Gila para niños
