Spruce Tree House, the third largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde, was built between CE 1211 and CE 1278 by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo peoples. Nestled in a massive alcove, it contains approximately 130 rooms and 8 ceremonial kivas and once housed 60 to 80 residents. Protected by the overhanging cliff, the site has remained remarkably well preserved over the centuries.

Discovered in 1888 by two ranchers searching for cattle, the dwelling was famously accessed by climbing down a large Douglas Spruce tree—giving the site its name. In 1908, Dr. Jesse Walter Fewkes of the Smithsonian Institution excavated and stabilized the site, opening it to public visitation. Thanks to its natural protection, Spruce Tree House has required minimal restoration and continues to be a remarkable window into the past.