The casa grande great house is covered by a structure erected in 1932 for its long term protection at casa grande ruins national monument in coolidge, az. Whether casa grande was a gathering place for the desert people or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners is but part of the mystique of the ruins. Casa grande ruins, just for kids be a junior ranger. For teachers buildings of the united states book series uva press architecture books. Casa grande ruins national monument casa grande visitor center built in 1932, but not finished until 1956, the visitor center building itself is a modern treat for the adobe fan. Casa grande ruins national monument sah archipedia.
Though casa grande has grown and modernized much in recent years, its still retained much of its history and charm. Correspondence and reports dealing with casa grande ruins national. The vestiges of casa grande, near phoenix, are one of the few prehistoric. Coolidge the friends of the casa grande ruins is seeking to add a little more color to the national monument and attract both human and animal visitors to the site. August 10, 1869, book 629, bureau of land management office, phoenix. Smaller national parks like casa grande ruins were also important in pinkleys mind in light of their cultural significance, she noted. Berle clemensen illustrated html at national park service items below if any are from related and broader terms. Be a junior ranger casa grande ruins national monument. One of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in north america, its purpose remains a mystery. Birds roost on the north wall as wooden beams support the western wall of the casa grande great house at casa grande ruins national monument in coolidge, az.
It was named after the casa grande ruins national monument, which is actually located in coolidge. Proclaimed casa grande reservation by an order of president benjamin harrison on june 22, 1892, casa grande ruins became the first prehistoric and cultural reserve in the us. Browse our collection of books exploring american history as it relates to outdoor public lands and national parks of the western united states. The first story of casa grande is filled with earth, apparently to support the other three stories of the structure. Casa grande ruins national monument park, arizona, united. Casa grande, arizona images of america series by dawn. Casa grande by dawn snell and casa grande valley historical.
Aug 17, 2019 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Casa grande ruins trail by southwest parks and monuments. The history of casa grande ruins national monument sallie van valkenburgh harris on. Casa grande ruins national monument in coolidge, arizona, just northeast of the city of casa grande, preserves a group of ancestral puebloans hohokam structures of the pueblo iii and pueblo iv eras. This agency office contains the survey field note books of the various. American history books us history books western national. List of historic properties in casa grande, arizona. This is an artists depiction of the casa grande great house and its surrounding compound as it may have appeared around 50 c. Hohokam village 300 ce ad casa grande meaning big house. Among these ruins is the casa grande, or big house, one of the largest and most mysterious prehistoric structures ever built in north america. The sonoran desert people left no written history behind about their agricultural lifestyle, but the earthen structures reveal complexity and purposeand hints of how these prehistoric residents lived their daily moments. A centennial history of the first prehistoric reserve 18921992 a. List of historic properties in casa grande, arizona wikipedia.
Set aside as a federal land reserve in 1892 and then as a national monument in 1918, casa grande ruins is a very special place, a place where history transcends 600 years of continuous occupation. Discover the history of casa grande ruins, the people living here in ancient times, and the story of how they managed to flourish in such a harsh environment. Casa grande ruins national monument 1100 w ruins dr, coolidge, arizona 85228 rated 4. The cerro colorado mine, which sits a little less than 20 miles from the arizonamexico border, produced mostly silver but also small amounts of gold, lead, and copper. The bookstore at casa grande ruins national monument is operated by western national parks association, a nonprofit cooperation association of the national park service.
Many areas and significant structures in the city are named after him, including peart park, the peart center and peart road. Headquartered in tucson, arizona, the association was originally founded at casa grande ruins in 1938. Karen, my father bill, and i visited casa grande ruins national monument. Authorized as casa grande ruins reservation in 1889 and proclaimed as such in 1892, the site was designated a national monument in 1918. He may not have been the first european to encounter the casa grande ruins, but he was the first to make note of the ruins in a written account, unwittingly giving the ruins the name meaning. Aug 23, 2016 who lived in the original casa grande and where did they go.
Kids of all ages will enjoy the activities, games, and puzzles designed to learn about the this very special place. Casas grandes, at its apogee, was a rich and likely cosmopolitan city ruled by a priestly elite in which it can be presumed that many inhabitants spoke several languages, worshipping in turn mesoamerican deities like tlaloc, xipe totec, and quetzalcoatl in addition to local indigenous deities. The mountain ranges around the monument are precambrian granites and schists. Casa grande national monument prehistoric ruins ms. Located in the town of coolidge near florence, this place has been on ms. A centennial history of the first prehistoric reserve 1892 1992. The history of casa grande ruins national monument casa grande as part of the national park system in other sections of the country, the idea of a government branch which would be directly responsible for the care of national parks and monuments, a national park service, was growing. Casa grande was named after the hohokan ruins that can be found at the casa grande ruins national monument. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. You are leaving and going to the website of our trusted provider. Scroll down to learn more about our programs, collections, neighboring museums, and local culture. When the first europeans arrived, all that remained of this ancient culture were the ruins of villages, irrigation canals, and various artifacts.
Jun 04, 2019 the sonoran desert people left no written history behind about their agricultural lifestyle, but the earthen structures reveal complexity and purposeand hints of how these prehistoric residents lived their daily moments. Casa grande ruins trail, by southwest parks and monuments association gutenberg ebook the repair of casa grande ruin, arizona, in 1891. Casa grande ruins is the first archeological site to be preserved by the federal government and the fifth oldest unit in the national park service. The providers terms, conditions and policies apply. The second and third stories had rooms in them that were. Casa grande ruins national monument casa grande ruins. Archeologists have discovered evidence that the ancient sonoran desert people who built the casa grande also developed widescale. The history of casa grande ruins national monument. Our american history collection has a focus on the west. Park bookstore casa grande ruins national monument u.
Jan 17, 2020 discover the history of casa grande ruins, the people living here in ancient times, and the story of how they managed to flourish in such a harsh environment. Its open year round, except for major federal holidays. With exhibits, artifacts and handson activities that relate to the areas plants and animals, native inhabitants, and history and industry, the museum should have something to interest even the staunchest historyhater. President woodrow wilson later proclaimed casa grande ruins to be a national monument in 1918 and management of the site was. View all hotels near casa grande ruins national monument on tripadvisor. Karens bucket list for as long as weve lived in tucson. Be a junior ranger casa grande ruins national monument u. A centennial history of the first prehistoric reserve, 18921992, by a. Casa grande was named after the hohokan ruins that can be found at the casa grande. Berle clemensen illustrated html at national park service filed under. Sorry for the noise in the lobby, ac unit running, canon gets every little sound in dolby. Whereas parks like grand canyon national park or yellowstone national park lured millions of visitors in a year because of their natural wonders, parks like casa grande ruins offered a cultural and historical insight that could rarely be found anywhere else. Are arizonas casa grande ruins hiding a giant mystery. The ruins of a walled compound, discovered in 1694 by eusebio kino, a jesuit missionary, are dominated by the extraordinary casa grande big house, a fourstory building constructed of unreinforced clay caliche.
We invite you to explore the museum of casa grande to experience the early days of arizona. On may 19, 1879, when early summer heat halted construction of the railroad in what would soon become casa grande, only three buildings and five residents constituted the town. Proclaimed casa grande reservation by executive order 28a of president benjamin harrison on june 22, 1892, casa grande ruins became the first prehistoric and cultural reserve in the us. The american experiment is one filled with twists and turns, each one adding to the common story that brings us to where we are today. Casa grande ruins national monument in the gila river valley of south arizona preserves a village once occupied by the hohokam indians.
Southern pacific railroad company named the town casa grande after the prehistoric hohokam indian ruins located 20 miles to the east. The casa grande valley historical society was founded in 1964 to preserve and. Scroll down to learn more about our programs, collections, neighboring museums, and. Casa grande ruins national monument, precolumbian ruins in southcentral arizona, u. Census estimates, the population of the city is 57,232 as of 2018. Thompson rodney peart was one of the founders of casa grande. In addition, learn about casa grande ruins national monuments unique history in the establishment of the national park service.
The presence of the southern pacific railroad contributed to the growth of the town. Though considered by most arizonans to be a suburb of metro phoenix, casa grande is really an interesting little town with a unique character, thats decidedly different than its big city neighbor. Located two miles south of the gila river, the casa grande ruins national. Sallie van valkenburgh deserves recognition for her pioneering work on casa grande ruins national monument history. Introduction casa grande ruins national monument lies within the basin and range area of southern arizona which is a part of the sonoran desert. The highly developed hohokam culture was superbly adapted to survive in environment.
Jan 10, 2006 the repair of casa grande ruin, arizona, in 1891 fifteenth annual report of the bureau of ethnology to the secretary of the smithsonian institution, 189394, government printing office, washington, 1897, pages 315348. Casa grande, arizona city information, fast facts, schools. The development of casa grande ruins national monument continued 7. In 1891, the monument underwent repairs supervised by cosmos mindeleff of the bureau of american ethnology, until funds ran out. Sep 16, 2014 hohokam village 300 ce ad casa grande meaning big house. Its still a great place to escape the hustleandbustle of the big city. The repair of casa grande ruin, arizona, in 1891 fifteenth annual report of the bureau of ethnology to the secretary of the smithsonian institution, 189394, government printing office, washington, 1897, pages 315348. The casa grande valley historical society was founded in 1964 to preserve and exhibit the history of the casa grande region. Fifteenth annual report of the bureau of ethnology to the secretary of the smithsonian institution, 189394, government printing office, washington, 1897, pages 315348, by cosmos mindeleff gutenberg ebook. The first shelter for the ruins was built in 1901 and replaced with a second shelter in 1932, and now the incredible casa grande seems to sit like a buildingsized abuela protecting itself with a. Inside, there are exhibits, bookstore, park orientation, and a twentytwo minute film.
Still a standard work on arizona and new mexico to 1888. The national monument consists of the ruins of multiple structures surrounded by a compound wall constructed by the ancient people of the hohokam period, who farmed the gila valley in the early th century. United states department of the interior national park service table of contents. Casa grande ruins national monument, coolidge tripadvisor. Casa grande ruins as a national monument continued c. Please return to to learn more about other benefits. This richly hued work depicts the pottery, jewelry, and structures built by the prehistoric hohokam while also describing their complex culture. Casa grande spanish for big house is a city in pinal county, which was founded in 1879 during the arizona mining boom. Enjoy activities, games, and puzzles to learn about this special place. Casa grande ruins national monument tourism and history. It is named after the casa grande ruins national monument, which is actually located in coolidge. You are invited to see the casa grande and to hear the story of the ancient ones the akimel ootham call the hohokam, those who are gone.
The mining boom in arizona led to the establishment of casa grande in 1879. Thirteenth annual report of the bureau of ethnology. Located on west florence boulevard in downtown casa grande, the museum of casa grande is small but packs a lot of punch. Garden to attract pollinators, visitors to casa grande ruins. Starting in 1927 the national park service leadership began to approve special use permits for casa grande. Casa grande, arizona, is located on desert and farmland between tucson and phoenix and began as the end of an unfinished railroad linethus its early name, terminus.
Casa grande ruins national monument paperback march 1, 1996 by rose houk author. Thirtythree photographs embellish a new fullcolor edition of casa grande ruins national monument. The fourstory casa grandegreat houseis one of several structures that make up these ruins in coolidge, arizona. Friends of the casa grande ruins is a nonprofit organization with a mission to assist the national park service in preservation, protection, education and enjoyment of the park.
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