Salmon Ruins

Salmon Ruins brings the ancient world into a modern perspective, where visitors have a unique opportunity to walk through an excavated archaeological site, see some of the artifacts on display, visit a surviving New Mexico frontier homestead, and explore full-scale reconstructions of the habitations used by Native Americans in New Mexico going back to the end of the Ice Age.  All of these experiences are in one location, accessed from US Highway 64, just 2 miles west of Bloomfield, NM.

The pueblo village is now named Salmon Ruins in honor of the family who went to such effort to preserve and protect the site.  In the 1960s, the family was ready to move on but wanted the site and homestead to be used for educational purposes.  The San Juan County Museum Association took over in 1969, and arranged for excavation of the ruin between 1972 and 1978. This was conducted by archaeology students from Eastern New Mexico University and was directed by Dr. Cynthia Irwin-Williams.  The museum was built to display recovered artifacts and manage visitation at the site.  Salmon Ruins opened to the public in 1973. Heritage Park was started in 1990 to commemorate the lifeways of the region’s diverse cultures who didn’t live on the grounds but are part of the cultural use of the area.

For Directions, information about hours, admission fees and programs go to: https://www.salmonruins.com/about.html