Pueblo Grande in the Valley of Fire

Pueblo Grande in the Valley of Fire area refers to what is also known as Nevada's "Lost City," a Native American archaeological site located in the Moapa Valley near the Valley of Fire State Park. This site was originally founded by the Basketmaker people around 300 A.D. and later inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) until approximately 1150 A.D. The area reveals evidence of early occupation as far back as 8000 B.C. The site consists of several hundred ancient pithouses, campsites, rockshelters, salt mines, and caves. The people who lived here were highly developed with complex agricultural practices, cultivating corn, beans, and squash, irrigated by river water. They also hunted deer, antelope, and other desert animals and engaged in trading salt and turquoise with coastal tribes for seashells. Early dwellings were circular pithouses partially underground, evolving later into above-ground adobe structures of up to 100 rooms. The archaeological remains reflect a long history of cultural occupation and adaptation. The "Lost City" and its artifacts are displayed at the Lost City Museum near Lake Mead. Part of the site is submerged under the Overton arm of Lake Mead due to the construction of Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam). Nearby, the Valley of Fire State Park is renowned for its bright red Aztec sandstone formations and petroglyphs carved by the Basketmaker culture about 2,500 years ago, followed by the Early Pueblo culture. The park was established in 1935 and contains evidence of ancient Native American occupation alongside its spectacular geological features. Thus, Pueblo Grande in the Valley of Fire area is a significant archaeological site representing ancient Native American civilizations, their dwellings, agricultural practices, trade, and cultural history in this part of Nevada.