Our first day trip during our 10 day stay in Tucson: Casa Grande National Monument. About an hour's drive north from Tucson, our entrance into Casa Grande was included in our America the Beautiful annual pass.
Rising up from the desert, just on the outskirts of the small town of Coolidge AZ, and northeast of the larger town of Casa Grande, this national monument is a mysterious place. Home to ancestral Sonoran desert people, it is believed to have been built around 1350, and was considered to be a meeting area and crossroads for trade.
The building itself is covered and protected with a modern metal framework and a roof in order to shield it from the harsh sun, and the hard rains that can occasionally fall in this area.
This particular region of Arizona has an amazing and ancient complex of irrigation canals that allowed for extensive agriculture. The most surprising and unexpected plant grown here? Cotton. Come to find out, this area of Arizona was one of the leading cotton growing regions in the country.
If you are driving between Phoenix and Tucson, a visit to Casa Grande National Monument is a great detour. It is easily accessible, and worthy of a visit.
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