Tonto National Park, Arizona

The focal point of Tonto National Monument, on the slopes of Arizona's Salt River Valley, is a series of well-preserved cliff dwellings which were occupied by the Salado culture between 1150 and 1450 AD. The people farmed in the Salt River Valley and supplemented their diet by hunting and gathering native wildlife and plants. The Salado were fine craftsmen, producing some of the most exquisite polychrome pottery and intricately woven textiles to be found in the Southwest.

Tonto National Monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, and was one of the first National Monuments to be proclaimed under the new Antiquities Act of 1906. It is well off the beaten path, 30 miles northeast of Globe and 50 miles south of Payson. It is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest, and overlooks Theodore Roosevelt Lake.