Archeology
This section of Utah supported an Indian population from about 2,000 years ago until about A. D. 1300. Thousands of ruins stud the mesas and canyons of the district. Comparatively few sites lie within the monument, however, for both White and Armstrong Canyons are too narrow to have furnished enough farming land for more than a few families.
Visitors who hike around the trail to the bridges may see one cliff dwelling of about 20 rooms and several small rooms (apparently granaries) which were built on ledges high on the cliffs. An outstanding feature of the cliff dwelling is a kiva, or ceremonial room, with the original roof and ladder intact. The people who lived here during prehistoric times were closely related to those who lived on the Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado.