Goodman Point, the eastern-most unit of Hovenweep National Monument, is located in Montezuma County, Colorado and contains prehistoric ruins that, in 1889, were the first archeological resources to be set aside for protection by the federal government. As such, the unit now contains one of the best-preserved, but collapsed, clusters of sites in the Four Corners region.

These resources are very different in nature from sites in the other Hovenweep Units. Instead of multi-storied towers that surround canyon heads and have commanding views, the sites at Goodman Point consist of partially buried pueblos that range in size from small hamlets to very large villages and are covered by pinon-juniper woodland or sagebrush.

Recent surveys within the unit suggest that the area was inhabited sparsely during the Basketmaker II period (AD. 200-450), more densely during the Pueblo II period (A.D. 900-1150), and most densely during the Pueblo III period (A.D. 1150-1300).

Goodman Point Pueblo is the largest site in the unit and contains the collapsed remains of an extensive village complex complete with public architecture such as a great kiva, plazas, at least one compact, multi-storied “tower” and other features.

The National Park Service has recently entered into a cooperative agreement with Crow Canyon Archaeological Center out of Cortez to begin a multi-year testing project at Goodman Point Pueblo in order to better understand the nature of the site and its relationship with surrounding prehistoric communities. Crow Canyon is a non-profit organization that provides experiential and educational opportunities to the public related to archeology, a mission that dove-tails with that of the National Park Service.

If you would like to visit Goodman Point Unit and view the ongoing archeological efforts, please contact the Hovenweep National Monument Visitor Center at Square Tower Unit (970-562-4282) for directions and to obtain additional information about the project.