In 1922 one of the Late Basket Maker pit houses was excavated on the
mesa above Square Tower House. This structure is known as Earth Lodge
A. Although it once had a mud and pole roof almost as high as a man's
head, nothing now remains but the underground part of the house. None
of these pit houses have ever been found that have not been burned,
and only a few pieces of charcoal remain as evidence of the former
roof. The pit is 30 inches deep and 18 feet in diameter. In the center
is a fire pit. In the floor are also four holes, forming a large
square, in which the roof supports once stood. The walls of the pit
were formerly plastered with a thick layer of mud, but only a few
patches of this remain. Around the edge of the room, at floor level,
were a number of small storage bins made of thin stone slabs. No side
entrance was located during excavation. In some of the pit houses
evidence has shown that entrance was often made by means of a ladder
through the smokehole in the roof.
This was a typical home of the Lake Basket Makers who were living in
this region when the Pueblo Indians arrived about 700 A. D. These pit
houses passed out of existence as soon as the masonry wall was
perfected.