Goodman Point Pueblo and Goodman Lake

The Goodman Point Ruins Group of Hovenweep National Monument is a mostly unpublicized site in the vicinity of the north end of the Sand Canyon Trail in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. 

Goodman Point was the first site in the country to receive protection, withdrawn from homesteading in 1889. In 1951 it was added to Hovenweep National Monument, though the other Hovenweep sites are many miles to the west.

The site has a good sign but it is down the trail and not visible to those driving by. There are hints that there might be something here. In summer, there may be portable rest rooms that don't have an apparent reason for being there.

There are two entrances through the fence into the site along County Road P between Roads 17 and 18 northwest of Cortez in southwest Colorado. The site fence has some tiny NPS signs that are also a clue that there is something here. In 2012 a small parking area has been constructed next to the east entrance, making this entrance more obvious.

The Goodman Point Unit consists of 42 different sites. In April 2006, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center began a six year project to examine these sites. The easiest site to view is the main pueblo site on the east side of the unit.

In 2008 many of the rubble piles had trenches cut into them, string lines placed, sandstone bricks neatly stacked and piles of excavated soil resting on plastic sheeting. The trenches were all covered with custom fitted doors, but in spring 2011 this activity appeared to be mostly finished.

Entering at the east entrance and following the trail to the head of the canyon, there are two short trails on each side of the drainage leading to the numerous rubble pile sites.

.In the drainage area there is the Juarez spring that is thought to yield 2800 gallons per day, enough water for the 500-800 residents thought to have lived here. The environment here is Pinon Pine and Juniper forest with sage brush mixed in. 

There are very large rubble piles on both sides of the trail. The short brochure has a map of the site showing the locations of towers, kivas, and the village enclosing walls. I didn't see any intact wall sections but the amount of rubble is enormous. Goodman Point Pueblo seems to have a high number of Kivas, maybe more than 100 for the 500-800 residents.

Along with the Sand Canyon Pueblo, this is one of the largest pueblo sites in the area, and it is interesting that Sand Canyon and Goodman Canyon are adjacent. The site enclosing walls are reasonably easy to pick out, long and low structures on the east end and also along the north side.

The site map shows a great kiva on the south side of the canyon. Although the rubble piles are confusing for amateurs, there is a large circular area with a depression in the center that is reasonably recognizable. I walked around this large area for about 2:00 hours on a 44 F degree late March day.


Goodman Lake Hike

Goodman Lake is thought to be an Ancestral Pueblo reservoir and it is associated with the Goodman Point Pueblo. It is about 0.5 miles to the south but the direct route from the Pueblo is blocked by a strip of private land.

On the east boundary of the Goodman Point Unit of Hovenweep Monument there is a 0.5 mile strip of Canyons of the Ancients Monument. This strip of Ancients allows for a hiking route around the private property.

I followed the trail that is on the north side of the Goodman Point Pueblo to the east side fence and then followed the fence line south. On the south side of the private property I continued west while staying close to the fence. There is a minor drainage to cross. After crossing, there is a large sandstone outcrop with a berm at the east end. Recent historic ranchers may have dredged and enlarged the existing ancient reservoir.

It took me about 0:45 minutes to arrive at the reservoir from the east end of the Goodman Point Pueblo. It is thought that Ancestral Pueblo farmers used this reservoir in the centuries before the construction of the main pueblo. There is also water in this area from the small Mona spring but I didn't see where it is located. During my late October visit the reservoir was dry.




                                                                                                                

Canyons of the Ancients-Large Ruins Rarely Seen

Yucca House is a strong contender for most obscure National Monument. This large ruins site rests in the level farming area between Mesa Verde and Ute Mountain in southwest Colorado. Several miles northwest of Yucca House is the lightly visited Goodman Point Unit of Hovenweep National Monument.

Two more large but lightly visited sites are on Cannonball Mesa and in Woods Canyon, both parts of the relatively new Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

Yucca House was accepted as a National Monument in 1919 and has remained unexcavated the whole time since then. For visitors, it is somewhat difficult to visit as it remains as large rubble mounds overgrown with greasewood without any development for visitors. The area surrounding the site today is used as agricultural land that looks like it might be more productive than the areas on top of Mesa Verde.

The Yucca House site has obvious green marshy spots where springs still bubble to the surface. The setting is interesting as it rests in the shadow of Mesa Verde and may have been visible from the west rim area.

Mesa Verde may appear as an island of cultural development, but the valley areas below were also populated in ancient times. There are isolated preserved sites in the areas away from Mesa Verde but modern development has mostly obscured the remains of that civilization.

The Sand Canyon area has well known trail system that leads to many small ruins sites. Goodman Canyon is the next canyon to the east. At the head of Goodman Canyon is a large ruins site that is one of the outlying Hovenweep National Monument sites. Like most of the canyon head locations there is a spring providing water.

 It was the first site to receive Federal protection when it was withdrawn from homesteading in 1889. There are no visitor facilities at the Goodman Point Unit and no signs pointing it out. For a visitor, there are some paths to follow and there is some current excavation with some peeks into trenches and piles of collected sandstone bricks. The short brochure says there are 42 different sites to find here, but I think it will appear to most as one very large site.

On the southwest side of the Canyons of the Ancients Monument area is the large Cannonball Mesa site that seems to receive little attention for such a large site. It is relatively easy to hike to and has a number of still standing walls. The terrain has fewer trees than Mesa Verde and most of the rest of Canyons of the Ancients. Like Goodman Point, the site is at the head of a canyon with a water source trickling out of the canyon wall.

The Woods Canyon Pueblo site seems to have been chosen as an example of a canyon rim living site to develop into an educational unit for schools.  It seemed to me that after studying the site in school, the students might want to actually see it, but it looks like a difficult location to bring a class of students.

Logistics of visiting aside, the site is arrayed on a somewhat steep slope above a creek that has year round water and farm fields. Most of the structures are rubble piles with a few intact wall sections near the canyon rim. Most of the area is obscured somewhat by the Pinon and Juniper forest. There are some examples of the use of large boulders as foundations for perched buildings.