Inscription House

Inscription House

This ruin is at the base of a high-arching sandstone cliff on the north side of an arm of Nitsin Canyon. It consists of about 74 living quarters and granaries and one kiva. A tree-ring date of 1274 indicates that Inscription House was built about the same time as Betatakin and Keet Seel.

The ruin is named for an inscription noted in 1909 by Byron Cummings and John Wetherill on the plastered wall of one of the rooms. Later, John Wetherill recalled that the still legible letters read - "C H O S 1661 A d n". The date may be 1861.

Inscription House is closed indefinitely because of urgent stabilization needs and the desire of the local people for privacy.


This page is a copy of a National Park Service brochure.
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