Winona Site, Arizona

Archaeology
In Winona, Arizona
0.1 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The Winona Site is a group of archaeological sites in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, AZ, less than a mile off the old road. It lies close to Sunset Crater, whose eruption in 1066 left its mark here: finds show how local cultures shifted afterward. Pit houses, a ball court and trade goods have fed a long debate among archaeologists, and the site gained National Historic Landmark status in 1964.

What is Winona Site?

The site is not a single ruin but a cluster of archaeological locations. Digs have turned up pit houses, a ball court and mounds of ancient trash, along with pottery and fragments of shell. The shell pieces look like leftovers from making jewelry, which hints at craft work and trade.

Some finds match the Sinagua people who lived across this region, including Sinagua-style pottery and burials carried out in ways known from Sinagua practice. Others look more like the work of the Hohokam, a people usually found much farther south.

History of Winona Site

John McGregor, an archaeologist tied to the Museum of Northern Arizona, made the first formal study in the 1940s. He dug six pit houses whose features resembled 10th-century Hohokam homes, and he found pottery with Hohokam colors and designs. His idea was that Hohokam people moved north, attracted by soil made richer by the volcanic eruptions.

Later researchers questioned that view. They suggested Winona was mainly a place for trading rather than a permanent new home. National Historic Landmark status came in 1964, and the site is also on the National Register.

Visiting Winona Site: tips

The site is off Townsend-Winona Road, less than a mile from Route 66, and has parking. Fuel and restrooms are about half a mile away. Visitor facilities are not described, so treat it as an open-air archaeological area: tread lightly, and leave every piece of pottery or shell where you find it. Allow half an hour.

Walnut Canyon National Monument is about 6 miles away, Twin Arrows about 7 miles and Elden Pueblo about 10 miles.

Practical info

Address: 13673 Townsend-Winona Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
On site & nearby

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Winona Site with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Winona Site

All of Arizona

Winona

Winona, Arizona · on Route 66

The Arizona stop named in the Route 66 song, about 13 miles east of Flagstaff, with a trading post by I-40.

Route 66 sitePhoto credit

0.6 mi from Winona Site

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Flagstaff, Arizona · 2.7 mi from Route 66

A short trail drops into a Flagstaff canyon past cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua people.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit

6.2 mi from Winona Site

Twin Arrows

Twin Arrows, Arizona · on Route 66

An abandoned Route 66 trading post east of Flagstaff, named for the giant wooden arrows planted beside it.

Ghost townPhoto credit

7.3 mi from Winona Site

Elden Pueblo

Doney Park, Arizona · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A prehistoric trading village below Mount Elden, where macaw bones from Mexico were found.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit

9.9 mi from Winona Site

Anderson Mesa Station

Flagstaff, Arizona · 7.7 mi from Route 66

Lowell Observatory's dark-sky research station on a remote mesa southeast of Flagstaff.

Art & landmarks

10.5 mi from Winona Site

Mount Elden

Flagstaff, Arizona · 1.3 mi from Route 66

An extinct lava dome rising above Flagstaff, laced with forest roads and hiking trails.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

11.5 mi from Winona Site

Questions about Winona Site

Why is the Winona Site important?

It shows cultural changes in the area after nearby Sunset Crater erupted in 1066, and its mix of Hohokam and Sinagua finds has shaped debate about trade and migration. It has been a National Historic Landmark since 1964.

Who lived at the Winona Site?

Early digs pointed to the Hohokam, but later research found many Sinagua traits and suggests the site was mainly a trading place.

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