Salmon Ruins Museum & Heritage Park

00:00     Title
00:10     Heritage Park
03:30     Salmon Ruins
09:00     Fin

The Salmon Ruins-Museum & Heritage Park is located on U.S. Highway 64 in Bloomfield, New Mexico. Bloomfield is a small town that offers modern amenities, so no special preparations are necessary. Be sure to pack some water because the Salmon Ruins complex covers a lot of ground and there will be plenty of walking to do. 

An internet search for the Salmon Ruins will usually turn up information about the ancient pueblo ruins on site, but little is mentioned about the Heritage Park. For those who yearn to learn about the native cultures of the Four Corners region, the Heritage Park will certainly be a must to experience.

The Salmon Ruins are remnants of an ancient Chaco Culture satellite pueblo complex. The Chaco Culture built many great house pueblos in this region and the most famous are located in Chaco Canyon. Archaeologists and scientists are just now discovering how some of the building designs align with celestial events. The discovery of how the ancient roads in this region extend outward from Chaco has helped to trace the origin of the outlying satellite pueblos.

The Salmon Ruins Museum offers a wealth of information about the ancient pueblos of New Mexico, so this place is a good starting point for a tour of the regional native heritage sites. The museum houses many local artifacts and there is a gift shop that offers local indigenous crafts. The museum also offers organized guided tours of the Salmon Ruins and many other ancient sites that are close by. The guided tours even include a day trip to Chaco Canyon, which is a good option for those who drive low ground clearance cars. The group tours are popular, so it is best to book passage well in advance.     

From the museum building, visitors have to follow a steep downhill paved trail to the Heritage Park. This paved trail can be a bit strenuous for those who have mobility challenges, so assistance may be necessary. Basically, the Heritage Park Trail is a loop that leads back to the starting point, so navigating the grounds is easy to do. The sites are numbered, so it is easy to access information in the guide pamphlet. 

The traditional domicile structures of many native cultures of this region are represented in the Heritage Park. Examples of wikeup, teepee, dugout hut, sweat houses and Apache style timber frame buildings are just some of what will be seen along the trail. Each domicile exhibit has signage that explains the purpose of the building and the background of the culture associated with the design. This Heritage Park is a hands on learning experience and guests can feel free to step inside each domicile. Some of the structures are designed to stay cool in the extreme heat of summer, while others are designed to shield habitants from cold winter nights. Other structures in the collection have spiritual and communal purposes that are fascinating to ponder over.. 

Viewing the traditional native structures in person at the Salmon Ruins-Museum & Heritage Park will provide memories to ponder over for a lifetime. This destination is a good educational experience for visitors of all ages and the guided tours of Chaco are a real bonus. The Salmon Ruins-Museum & Heritage Park is definitely worth checking out when planning a native cultural tour in the Four Corners region!