“An awesome historic fort”
The Ancestral Puebloans (also known as the Anasazi Basketmakers) were the first humans to establish permanent settlements in Bluff, building small pit houses at first, then larger, multi-room cliff dwellings (Pueblo), and in some locations multi-story great houses. By 1300 A.D., the Ancestral Puebloans had vanished from the area. Abandoned dwellings, burial sites, petroglyphs, and pottery sherds remain, telling the stories of ancient inhabitants who were well adapted to this country many centuries ago. Following the prehistoric cultures, nomadic tribes of Paiutes, Utes, and Navajos were well established in the San Juan country area by the late 1500′s. San Juan Band Paiutes hunted rabbits, deer and mountain sheep; foraged for seeds and roots, and irrigated corn, squash and melons along the river bottoms. Utes took full advantage of the introduction of the horse and lived a life similar to the Plains Indian cultures. In the mid-19th century, Utes were hired by explorers and pioneer groups to guide expeditions and fight neighboring Navajos, who had migrated from northern Canada and spread into southern Utah. Navajos farmed the San Juan River flood plains and pastured sheep in the nearby mountains. After a number of conflicts, government military campaigns, and the tragic Long Walk to New Mexico, the Southwestern domain was once again opened to Native American and Anglo use precipitating rapid and dramatic changes to the Navajo and Ute ways of life. While Paiutes no longer have a presence in the region, these three Native American tribes played significant roles in the development of the area.
Kind of a cool little stop. The history is interesting, you can walk through what it would have been like for early settlers. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. There is a nice gift shop as well. If you have the time, I'd recommend paying a visit.
Neat little stop. Worth the time to see it, even if you’re just passing through. The staff (volunteers) are extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff. Fun Lille homemade snacks, and gifts
Very interesting history about the challenges the pioneers had to get up/down the canyons.
Takes you back to a different time of life.
The collection of pioneer homes in this fort were personalized by the ancestors of the original residents with artifacts that really showed what kind of lives they led. There were a few shells of the first buildings actually built by pioneers still intact, but for the most part, these were all recreations of what real life was like living in the fort. The volunteers provided for every resource I could want, and the most appreciated was the genuine human interaction and travel suggestions they offered upon request. This was a very memorable and informative stop.
YOU MUST TAKE KIDS HERE!!!!! This was one of our stops on our family's Aamzing Race trip out west and it was by far in our top 3 out of 62 clues!!! The people that work here are genuinely kind and showed amazing love and patience with our kiddos. We dressed up like pioneers, we went through every cabin, we panned for gold, we tasted every sample and then bought 1 of everything (it seemed like). Their souvenirs were by far the most reasonably priced that we saw on our whole trip. I have been telling everyone back in TX how great it was. AND they were the only place for miles around that was open on the 4th of July. WHAT A GEM!!!!
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Bluff Fort Visitors Center
Hours
- Mon - Sat: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
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Outdoor Seating
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