" 'Large or Grand House" In T. 5 S., R. 8 E., about 5 miles southwest of Florence. "One of the best preserved ancient ruins in the Southwest. De Niza first speaks of it in 1539. Casteneda mentions it in 1540 although it is unlikely he ever really saw it. Father Kino visited it in November, 1694. Early explorers found it in ruins and apparently hundreds of years old. Surrounded by many miles of old irrigation ditches it was evidently once the center of a dense population. June 22, 1892, it was made a National Park but on August 3, 1918 was change to a National Monument.

Emory visited these ruins November 10, 1846. He writes "A large pile which seemed the work of human hands was seen to the left. It was the remains of a three story mud house pierced for doors and windows. The walls were four feet thick and formed by layers of mud two feet thick. It was no doubt built by the same race that once so thickly populated the region.." Colonel Poston was here, 1863. He writes poetically, and sarcastically:
"The Casa Grande stands alone,
One league from road to Old Tucson,
No other nation neath the sun,
Would let this ruin, to ruin run."
Papago name for these ruins is Vah-ah-Kei, "Dragon Fly".
 

Websites

Arizona Guide: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/casa_grande/national_monument.html

National Park Service: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
http://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm

Desert USA: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
http://www.desertusa.com/cas/index.html
 

Books/Manuscripts

A centennial history of the first prehistoric reserve, 1892-1992 : administrative history, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona / by A. Berle Clemensen
I 29.2:C 26/4

The Casa Grande calendar holes : fact or fable / Roy W. Reeves, III. Pima basketry / Clark Field. A glance at the history and archaeology of the lower Verde River / Brett Hagenstad
F 806 .A692x no.4

The architecture of the Casa Grande and its interpretation / prepared for Western Archeological Center by David R. Wilcox and Lynette O. Shenk
MUS 1.2:A 62/115

Additional studies of the architecture of the Casa Grande and its interpretation / by David R. Wilcox and Charles Sternberg
MUS 1.2:A 62/146

The Casa Grande National Monument in Arizona / by Frank Pinkley ; with historical data by Edna Townsley Pinkley
F817.C33 P5x

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument / by Rose Houk
F817.C3 H5 1987

The repair of Casa Grande ruin, Arizona, in 1891, by Cosmos Mindeleff
F817.C33 M53x

Frank Midvale papers, 1865-1972, bulk 1930-1972
MS MSS 147

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