March Culture Pass Spotlight: Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park

   March Culture Pass Spotlight:
Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park

The City of Globe is well known by many Arizonans for its copper mining, but one of its best-kept secrets is its rich history from both the mining settlement days as well as the history of the indigenous peoples that inhabited the land before settlers founded the city in 1876. The most prominent of these historical sites is, by far, Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park and Museum.

Located four minutes’ drive from Downtown Globe’s quaint shops and restaurants, Besh Ba Gowah is one of the best sources of information and artifacts from the Salado people who lived in the area between 1225 and 1450 CE. Not much is known about the Salado, especially what they called themselves. The site’s name itself was coined by the Apache peoples and roughly translated, means “place of metal.” The term for the people, Salado, meaning “salted,” refers to the region they inhabited around the Salt River which flows through the Tonto Basin.

The park features pueblo structures that have been excavated and, in part, reconstructed to ensure the site’s preservation. Guests can explore the entirety of the excavated site, including a complete building. They can also glimpse the interiors of many of the enclosed structures to see the internal wooden frameworks that allowed the Salado to occupy the spaces with two or sometimes even three stories.

The site’s adjacent museum has two main sections. The first, and the place that is highly recommended to start when arriving at the site, is the video room which features an 11-minute overview of the known history of the site and indigenous communities that have called the region their home. The second is more traditional, highlighting artifacts found at the site from both the indigenous peoples and found items from the early mining settlement days of the late 19th century.

Besh Ba Gowah also has an ethnobotanical garden which, during the growing seasons, showcases many of the crops that the indigenous peoples of the region grew when they inhabited the area. Beyond the ethnobotanical garden, down a path that follows around the edge of a softball field, lies the lower botanical garden. The path through the garden has many native plant and tree species which during the Spring attract many pollinators and other wildlife. Birders visiting the site can enjoy many species not found regularly in the Phoenix area. The lower botanical garden’s path takes approximately 15 minutes to walk from start to finish and has some uphill and downhill portions.
The pueblo site and museum are wheelchair accessible, but the botanical gardens are not due to some parts of rough terrain. The drive from the Greater Phoenix Area to Globe is approximately one hour and 30 minutes and the road takes travelers through some of the most beautiful scenery Central Arizona highways have to offer.

The pueblo site and museum are wheelchair accessible, but the botanical gardens are not due to some parts of rough terrain. The drive from the Greater Phoenix Area to Globe is approximately one hour and 30 minutes and the road takes travelers through some of the most beautiful scenery Central Arizona highways have to offer. Culture Passes for Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park and Museum are available at all Central Arizona program member libraries in Maricopa, Pinal, Gila, Graham, and Greenlee Counties. Visit https://act1az.org/culture-pass for more information and a map that can help you find your closest program member library.

https://www.globeaz.gov/besh-ba-gowah-archaeological-park-and-museum
1324 S. Jesse Hayes Road, Globe, AZ 85501 | 928.425.0320