Twenty-one of the roof beams in Spruce Tree House have been dated by
tree-ring chronology. These dates show that the houses were constructed
during the years between 1230 A. D. and 1274 A. D. In 1276 A. D. a
23-year period of drought began that caused the cliff dwellers to move to
regions where there was a more permanent supply of water. In those same
regions are the homes of the modern Pueblo Indians and no doubt some of
these people are the descendants of the Cliff Dwellers.