The Dark Canyon Ruins are a collection of ancient Puebloan ruins in southeastern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

found in

Dark Canyon Wilderness Dark Canyon Wilderness is a National Wilderness Preservation System, designated Wilderness Area in the heart of southeast Utah's canyon country, part of the Bears Ears National Monument. The wilderness is named for its high steep walls that narr ...

, part of

Bears Ears National Monument Bears Ears National Monument is a United States national monument located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah, established by President Barack Obama by presidential proclamation on December 28, 2016. The monument protects of public land su ...

. At least 72 archaeological sites have been identified in the Beef Basin-Dark Canyon Plateau area. The ruins mostly consist of cliff dwellings, ceramics, and petroglyph art. Ceramic collections in the area indicate that the structures may have been occupied during the Pueblo II and Pueblo III periods. However, there is evidence of earlier human habitation in the canyons by the Pueblo/Anasazi, starting in 600 CE. Most of the ruins are cliff houses or storerooms, with the region abandoned around 1300 CE. Later, other native groups like the Ute and Navajo moved into the region, although they did not significantly contribute the structures.

References

{{reflist Archaeological sites in Utah Puebloan buildings and structures Puebloan peoples