This section of Utah supported an Indian population from about 2,000
years ago until about A. D. 1300. Thousands of ruins stud the mesas and
canyons of the district. Comparatively few sites lie within the
monument, however, for both White and Armstrong Canyons are too narrow
to have furnished enough farming land for more than a few families.
Visitors who hike around the trail to the bridges may see one cliff
dwelling of about 20 rooms and several small rooms (apparently
granaries) which were built on ledges high on the cliffs. An outstanding
feature of the cliff dwelling is a kiva, or ceremonial room, with the
original roof and ladder intact. The people who lived here during
prehistoric times were closely related to those who lived on the Mesa
Verde in southwestern Colorado.