The Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site on the V-V (V bar V) Historic Ranch of the Coconino National Forest is the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley. It is also one of the best-preserved with extremely few items of historic graffiti. The imagery was created by the Hisatsinom, “the people of ancient times,” ancestors of the Hopi Tribe who are referred to as the Sinagua Culture by archaeologists. The site is also important to members of the Yavapai-Apache Nation as part of their ancestral lands.

The petroglyphs, in the Beaver Creek Rock Art Style, include many unique elements, relationships between elements, and manufacturing techniques, produced by the Hisatsinom between 950 and 1400. While we cannot know the exact meaning or purpose of many of the images, they can be organized in various functional categories to help us better understand, enjoy and learn more about their cultural heritage.

Most visitors come to see the petroglyphs and know little of the area and ranch history. Beginning in the 1860s, the Verde Valley was occupied by increasing numbers of Anglo settlers. The property containing the petroglyphs, today known as the V-V Historic Ranch, had many owners over the years until it was acquired by the Coconino National Forest in 1994 as part of a land exchange with the University of Arizona.

Ken Zoll, co-author of The Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site and V-V Historic Ranch, will provide an overview of the cultures that occupied the area from about 11,500 BCE through the various ranch owners. He will also highlight many of the petroglyph images open to the public, as well as some that are in more remote areas of the property.