Montezuma Well

Well, when I first started this blog, I intended it to be for camping advice, but since I find myself doing more traveling than camping lately why not write about my recent adventures. Due to the weather conditions in Flagstaff, Arizona over this past weekend, my husband and I were not able to visit the Wupatki National Monument just outside of Flagstaff. This is just one site of the three we did not attend. Since we had conquered all others in Flagstaff, we decided to travel south on Interstate 17 on our way home to see if anything of interest stood out. We saw a sign for Montezuma Well and thought, "what the heck" let's see what's it's all about. To our delight, we ended up enjoying every minute of this fantastic site.
Montezuma Well is sometimes referred to as "The living Desert Oasis" It was formed some 11,000 years ago. It is 365ft across and 55ft deep. Some of the early inhabitants are the Hohokam and the Sinagua Indians. The Hohokam Indians were said to have existed there around 600 A.D. and the Sinagua Indians around 1125 A.D. Scientists are not exactly sure what drove the Indians out, but they believe it was due to fear of war, disease, crop failure or even intra-villiage rivalry. In 1853, the first white man arrived at Montezumas Well. They found the vilage abandoned except for some local Indians living there. It wasn't until April of 1947 that it became a national monument. Once you arrive, you will be happy to know that it is free to visit here. Donations are accepted and much appreciated of course. There is a slight climb to the top of the overlook of the well, but when you get there, it pretty neat to see. They have stands with an overview of the history all along the entire path. You will see cliff dwellings, turtles, ducks, and even the irrigation system that was built and is still running today. This is a must see site. I don't want to give much away, as I want you to see this for yourself.