Tonto National Monument
The Tonto Cliff Ruins were inhabited as late as the 14th century by early farmers known as the Salado Indians. Salado is a Spanish world which means "salty." These indians were named Salado because of their proximity to the "Rio Salado." The Tonto Monument, located near Roosevelt Dam, was established in 1907 and covers 1,120 acres.
Archaeologists believe that the Salado Indians moved into the area around 900 A.D. The Salado Indians grew corn, pumpkin, squash, beans, cotton, and their crop fields were located about four miles away from the dwelings themselves. Like the Anasayi, Sinagua, Hohokam, and Mogollon peoples, the tattered remnants of the Slado were forced to move from their homes by the new arrival of stronger marauding tribes or that simply a prolonged cycle of drought made it necessary for them to find new water sources.
Photo: Willard Clay
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