Protected Park
Yucca House National Monument, CO
In 2021, the National Park Service contacted us seeking help to acquire 160 acres at Yucca National Monument, a large unexcavated pueblo with a stunning setting in Montezuma Valley, nestled between Mesa Verde and Ute Mountain.
Project Details:
Project Years: 2021 – 2024
Parcel Size: 160 acres
Project Cost: $400,000
Park Trust Role: Buy and hold
Funding Source: Donations to National Park Trust
Overview
A local landowner wanted to donate property to the park, and Congress recently passed a law changing the boundary to include the new acreage. During the process of accepting the donation, NPS discovered that the adjacent landowner’s property boundary was inaccurate. At that point, we stepped in to contract for a survey, as it would be faster and less complicated than if NPS handled it. Additionally, we assisted in preparing a new boundary agreement for both sets of property owners.
Why This Place Matters
With the additional land, the park becomes one of the largest archaeological sites in Colorado. Its pueblo ruin, featuring about 600 rooms, served as a home for the Ancestral Puebloan people from 1150 to 1300 A.D. A nearby spring, still present today, made the site ideal by providing water for crops, mortar, and drinking.
Yucca House was named a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 with an initial 9.6 acres. In the mid-1990s, Hallie Ismay donated 24 more acres, improving access to archaeological features and enabling better site mapping. This newest addition further enhances access while protecting critical animal habitat near the spring.
Significance of the Acquisition:
- • Permanently protects additional natural and archeological resources—the added acreage will increase the size of the monument from 33.84 to 193.84 acres.
- • Allows NPS and the public better access to the site, eliminating the need to cross through private land with an uncooperative owner.
- • Removes the possibility of land being developed for agriculture, as is land adjacent to it.
