Salmon Ruins
Encyclopedia
Salmon Ruins is a site in the far northwest of the American
state of New Mexico
hosting a Chacoan Anasazi great house built between approximately 1088 CE and 1100 CE. The complex contained around 150 ground-level rooms arranged into a D-shaped profile; up to 100 second-floor rooms are estimated to have sat atop them. The complex was remodeled before being abandoned in the late 13th century. The pueblo is situated on the north bank of the San Juan River, just to the west of the town of Bloomfield, New Mexico
, and about 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Pueblo Bonito
in Chaco Canyon. The site is situated on an alluvial terrace above the river bottom.
A fire burned a large portion of the site in 1250. A large number of children and one woman were killed when the kiva
roof on which they were standing collapsed, causing them to fall into the burning kiva. Another large fire in 1270 destroyed the great kiva and much of pueblo.
The site was abandoned permanently at some time after this date.
slabs in the Chaco Canyon style. The structure is generally rectangular in shape and is oriented with its long axis running northeast to southwest. The back, or north wall of the ruin is roughly 400 feet (121.9 m) long.
There are about 250 large rooms arranged into suites, perhaps as family dwelling units. Two room blocks extend southward from each end of the rear section, enclosing a large plaza
. The plaza contains a great kiva similar to the one found at Aztec. There is also a "tower kiva", similar to the one at Chetro Ketl
in Chaco, situated in the center of the main roomblock.
The rooms are roofed with large wooden beams and stringers (also known as vigas
and latillas) in the style of most ancient and modern pueblo structures. The logs used as beams were cut from ponderosa pine
, Douglas fir and other large trees that had to be transported to the site from approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) away. Dendrochronological samples taken from these beams indicate that the logs were cut between AD 1088 and 1093.
The great kiva measures about 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter. The roof of the kiva was supported by four large columns built of alternating layers of stone and wood. There were other special function rooms in the site, including four milling rooms, and a room that may have served as a shop for making and repairing metates.
and outbuildings remain near the ruin, and have been preserved as part of Heritage Park. The Salmons, and later owner Charles Dustin provided protection for the site.
The non-profit corporation known as the San Juan County Museum Association acquired the 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) tract of land containing the ruins and the Salmon Family homestead in 1969. San Juan County made the final purchase of the property, and the Association operates the facility under a lease agreement.
The site was excavated in the 1970s under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Irwin-Williams.
The Salmon Ruins Museum, also located on the property, opened in 1973. The museum includes exhibits of artifacts
found at the site, as well as rotating exhibits of regional interest topics. The museum, pueblo, and Salmon homestead are all open to the public.
The site was placed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
and the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
hosting a Chacoan Anasazi great house built between approximately 1088 CE and 1100 CE. The complex contained around 150 ground-level rooms arranged into a D-shaped profile; up to 100 second-floor rooms are estimated to have sat atop them. The complex was remodeled before being abandoned in the late 13th century. The pueblo is situated on the north bank of the San Juan River, just to the west of the town of Bloomfield, New Mexico
Bloomfield, New Mexico
Bloomfield is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,420 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bloomfield is located at ....
, and about 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Pueblo Bonito
Pueblo Bonito
Pueblo Bonito, the largest and best known Great House in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, northern New Mexico, was built by ancestral Pueblo people and occupied between AD 828 and 1126....
in Chaco Canyon. The site is situated on an alluvial terrace above the river bottom.
Construction and occupation
Tree-ring dates indicate that the main structure was built in a span of seven years from AD 1088 to 1095. The plan of the Salmon great house is very similar to that of the nearby Aztec Ruins. The site was abandoned by the Chacoan builders around 1150 and later re-occupied by Northern San Juan Anasazi peoples from the Mesa Verde area.A fire burned a large portion of the site in 1250. A large number of children and one woman were killed when the kiva
Kiva
A kiva is a room used by modern Puebloans for religious rituals, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, kivas are square-walled and underground, and are used for spiritual ceremonies....
roof on which they were standing collapsed, causing them to fall into the burning kiva. Another large fire in 1270 destroyed the great kiva and much of pueblo.
The site was abandoned permanently at some time after this date.
Architecture
The walls of the Salmon great house are constructed of thin sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
slabs in the Chaco Canyon style. The structure is generally rectangular in shape and is oriented with its long axis running northeast to southwest. The back, or north wall of the ruin is roughly 400 feet (121.9 m) long.
There are about 250 large rooms arranged into suites, perhaps as family dwelling units. Two room blocks extend southward from each end of the rear section, enclosing a large plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
. The plaza contains a great kiva similar to the one found at Aztec. There is also a "tower kiva", similar to the one at Chetro Ketl
Chetro Ketl
Chetro Ketl is a Chacoan Anasazi great house and notable archaeological site located in Chaco Canyon, a canyon in the U.S. state of New Mexico. In the cliffs behind the ruins there are ancient stairways that lead to prehistoric roadways that connect to Pueblo Bonito...
in Chaco, situated in the center of the main roomblock.
The rooms are roofed with large wooden beams and stringers (also known as vigas
Viga (architecture)
Vigas are wooden beams characteristic of older adobe construction in the southwestern United States of America, and commonly encountered for ornamental rather than functional purposes in Pueblo Revival Style architecture...
and latillas) in the style of most ancient and modern pueblo structures. The logs used as beams were cut from ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
, Douglas fir and other large trees that had to be transported to the site from approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) away. Dendrochronological samples taken from these beams indicate that the logs were cut between AD 1088 and 1093.
The great kiva measures about 50 feet (15.2 m) in diameter. The roof of the kiva was supported by four large columns built of alternating layers of stone and wood. There were other special function rooms in the site, including four milling rooms, and a room that may have served as a shop for making and repairing metates.
Preservation and interpretation
In the late 19th century, George Salmon and his family homesteaded the property. The Salmon homesteadHomesteading
Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.-Current practice:The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, homesteading...
and outbuildings remain near the ruin, and have been preserved as part of Heritage Park. The Salmons, and later owner Charles Dustin provided protection for the site.
The non-profit corporation known as the San Juan County Museum Association acquired the 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) tract of land containing the ruins and the Salmon Family homestead in 1969. San Juan County made the final purchase of the property, and the Association operates the facility under a lease agreement.
The site was excavated in the 1970s under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Irwin-Williams.
The Salmon Ruins Museum, also located on the property, opened in 1973. The museum includes exhibits of artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
found at the site, as well as rotating exhibits of regional interest topics. The museum, pueblo, and Salmon homestead are all open to the public.
The site was placed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties
The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The Cultural Properties Review Committee...
and the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1970.