Distance and rugged terrain isolated the cliff dwellings from the modern world until the mid-1870s when ranchers and soldiers came to the Tonto Basin. In 1906 construction began on Theodore Roosevelt Dam, bringing attention to the dwellings. The following year, recognizing the need to protect the sites from vandals and pothunters, President Theodore Roosevelt set the area aside as a national monument. During the early 1300s climate favored the people of the basin. Moisture increased farming potential, and plant and animal populations flourished. Then around 1330 a dramatic change occurred. The region became more arid - lowering water tables. The changing climate decreased farming and increased hunting and gathering, severely impacting the ecosystem. Competition for dwindling resources created stress among the villagers. As tensions grew, people left their smaller villages and crowded into communities on the valley floor. At the same time people aggregated in the Tonto cliff dwellings. Some built defensive walls around villages, while others built on defensible hilltops and in caves,like the ruins posted above. During the late 1300s resource depletion intensified, and populations declined. The 1300s were also marked by catastrophic flooding of the Salt River that destroyed lowland farms and villages. When the waters receded, many of the 100-year-old irrigation canals were undermined or destroyed, and hundreds of acres of farmland were useless. By 1450 those struggling to maintain their way of life gave up - and another migration began. Oral histories say this migration from Tonto Basin took their ancestors in many directions, guiding each to the place their descendents now call home. The cliff dwellings at Tonto National Monument are but two of hundreds of once-thriving communities in Tonto Basin. Preserved and protected, they stand as icons of people who flourished and struggled as their world changed. Info based on National Park Service materials. Thanks for stopping by, taking a peak and for all your previous comments and favs. Dana