Hovenweep
Discovered by W.D. Huntington in 1854

The first reports of these structures were made by W.D. Huntington, the leader of a Mormon expedition into southeastern Utah in 1854. The name "Hovenweep" was first used by pioneer photographer William H. Jackson in 1874. It is a Paiute/Ute word meaning deserted valley.  In 1917-18, J.W. Fewkes of the Smithsonian surveyed the area.  He recommended the structures be protected. On March 2, 1923, President Warren G. Harding proclaimed Hoveweep a unit of the Nation Park System.