Final Report on Sierra Ancha Cliff Dwellings Now Available

March 2007

Since 1981, Richard C. Lange has been conducting research in the rugged Sierra Ancha in east-central Arizona. Numerous cliff dwellings occur in the canyons, mostly dating to the late 1200s and early 1300s CE. A final report is now available through the University of Arizona Press: Echoes in the Canyons: The Archaeology of the Southeastern Sierra Ancha, Central Arizona, Arizona State Museum Archaeological Series 198. [Editor's note: This report is out of print, but is available in the ASM Library.]

The cliff dwellings were first formally described by Emil W. Haury in 1934 under the auspices of the Gila Pueblo Foundation in Globe. Haury directed two forays into the area and his report (Gila Pueblo Medallion Paper #14, 1934) was the only formal publication for many decades. His research contributed significantly to studies extending the range of tree-ring dating below the Mogollon Rim.

Arizona State Museum’s Sierra Ancha Cliff Dwelling Project began in 1981 as a follow-up to the museum’s Cholla-Saguaro Powerline Project directed by Lynn Teague and Jeff Reid.  During the Cholla project, Lange worked with crews to map and record several cliff dwellings in drainages leading toward Canyon Creek. In writing up the materials from the powerline project, the Gila Pueblo Foundation’s site records and collections from the southeastern Sierra Ancha became important.

The Sierra Ancha Cliff Dwellings Project sought to re-locate, formally map and document, and recover additional tree-ring samples from all of the cliff dwellings identified by Emil Haury. Lange was fortunate to acquire generous funding from private sources as well as sponsorship from Earthwatch for two, four-week sessions in 1995 and 1996. Private support allowed formal drafting of the site maps, and analysis of the botanical artifacts and roofing systems. Thousands of photographs and documents are now part of the ASM collection, preserving data about these amazing sites for future use. Over the years, dozens of volunteers have shared in the thrill of studying the spectacular cliff dwellings of the southeastern Sierra Ancha, both in the field and in the lab. Now you can read all about their exciting work.

Photos courtesy of Rich Lange