Jack Beckman was a Park Ranger and then Volunteer at the Well for many years. He did extensive research about the Well — the geology, ecology and the people. He wrote "A History of Montezuma Well."

Montezuma Well is a natural sinkhole 368 feet wide measuring 70 feet from the water to the tops of the cliffs. Every day approximately 1.5 million gallons of warm (74°) water flows from the well. The Well is fed by three to four large underwater vents, some 56 feet below the surface. The water flows from the Well through a 300 foot long cave to emerge on the southeast side of the sinkhole mound. Here it is diverted into an ancient irrigation ditch built over 1,000 years ago by the Hohokam and Sinaguan Indians who farmed here for centuries.

Formation of the Well

The story of the Well begins 12 million years ago when a large, shallow lake 27 miles long and 15 miles wide covered the area. The lake was impounded by a large lava flow from Squaw Peak, and over a period of several million years accumulated limestone to a great depth. When the lava dike broke, the water flowed out of the valley draining the lake. Today the Verde River is all that remains of this giant prehistoric lake.

Over millions of years underground streams dissolved away the soft limestone producing caverns below the Verde Valley. About 11,000 years ago, one of these caverns collapsed into a sunken pool and created what we know today as Montezuma Well.

Ever since its creation the Well has provided refuge for wildlife and people struggling to live in this harsh climate.

The First Human Inhabitants

The first evidence of humans arrival at the Well goes back 11,000 years. Nomadic tribes used this site as a refuge and resting stop but there were no permanent inhabitants until the introduction of agriculture approximately 1,400 years ago.

The first residents of the Well are believed to be the Hohokam people who lived in one room pit houses dug partially into the ground, with a wooden frame structure above ground that was covered with brush and then mud. These one room structures would house extended families. Like their southern counterparts in the Phoenix area, these people settled here to take advantage of the continuous water supply of the well to irrigate their crops of cotton, corn, squash and beans. The remains of one of the largest pit houses can still be seen at the park as well as sections of their irrigation ditches. These ditches are well preserved because of their hard lining of travertine (resembling concrete) which precipitated out of the water over thousands of years of use.

Four hundred years after the appearance of the Hohokam, another group appeared in the Valley and either merged with or displaced the Hohokam. They were the Sinagaun people of Northern Arizona. Sinagau comes from the Spanish "sin" without, and "agua" water. These people continued to depend on the Well for irrigation.

The Sinaguan are credited with the stone houses, either free-standing or built into cliffs that are the architecture we see today at the Well and other nearby ruins. They are also credited for the many petroglyphs seen near the Well and all around the Verde Valley and Sedona area. New archaeological evidence seems to support the idea that some of the Sinaguan migrated North to the Hopi mesas and make up some of the clans of the present day Hopi tribe.

Around 1450 AD, mysteriously, the Sinaguan leave the area. It is still unclear why and a question archaeologists still ponder today.

White Explorers and Settlers

In 1583, Antonio de Espejo, a Spanish conquistador, came through the Well area. He noted in his journals that a "cienaguilla" or spring flowed into a small water ditch that then came to a large abandoned pueblo. Its course followed very near the "Parras River" (Wet Beaver Creek?) It is thought that the reference to the ditch could have been to Montezuma Well. His journals further indicated that all the stone houses were abandoned and the people he encountered lived in brush huts. The Yavapai people had also inhabited the Valley during the Sinaguan time to the present day. They use "wickiups" or brush huts for housing so no doubt these are the people Espejo encountered.

It wasn't until many years after Espejo that white people returned to the Valley. Around the middle of the 19th century farmers from the Prescott area settled on Clear Creek. By this time the Valley was also home to Apache Indians, and raids on local farms prompted the settlers to call for the establishment of a fort for protection. An army camp, later called Fort Verde, was set up in the south end of the middle Verde Valley, and cavalry and infantry were brought in to move the Apaches onto a reservation.

On May 26, 1864, an expedition was sent from the camp to explore the area to the North. One of the expedition members, Henry Clifton stated "We came to a hole with a pool in it which was actually a spring. There were cliffs around three sides of the 450-foot wide pool. In the cliffs were natural openings or hollowed out places that had been walled up." Assuming that the dwellings were those of the Aztecs, the soldiers called the place Montezuma Well and the name stuck.

Soon it became a favorite picnic spot for those stationed at the Fort, and people began to inhabit the area to take advantage, as the earlier inhabitants, of the bountiful water and irrigation ditches. The area changed hands many times, being inhabited the longest by the Back family from 1912 until its formation as a National Monument in 1947. (See Jack Beckman's excellent history for a full account.)

National Monument Status

With the introduction of the automobile, significant tourism came through to the Well. The unique geological and cultural features of the Well became a curiosity and many people came to search for artifacts and loot the ruins. In order to protect the Well, the Department of Interior began negotiations in 1946 to buy the property. Park Service Ranger Al Schroeder made the searches for boundaries, land titles and water rights, and the deal went through in April, 1947.

Since then, scientist constantly study the unique ecology, geology and cultural features of the Well while visitors can enjoy it tranquility and beauty. Even today it is a sacred spot for many local tribes. Hopi, Yavapai, Apache and Navaho all visit the Well to gather its sacred water.