The Park Service opened Square Tower on 1 September 2011 to limited visits of 10 people a day, three days a week, for six weeks, after being closed to the public for 75 years. We were in the first group to visit the site. After this limited opportunity, it will once again be closed to the public. It was an exceptional opportunity, and a trip we'll remember forever... Debbie discovered another kiva, buried under where she was standing. She noticed a curved pattern to some surface rocks, which the ranger guiding us confirmed to be a kiva that has yet to be excavated. Some of the timbers are still in place on this wall, which still has some of the original "plaster" on it, illustrating how the residents took the time to improve the rock walls' appearance. Note that this "door" is "T-shaped", in contrast to the rectangular doors apparent in other photos. The "eagle's nest" appears to be built based upon logs placed across the base and wedged into the canyon walls. Imagine the people who built it trying to carry those materials up the side of the cliff and put them in place! The average man was about 5' 4" tall, and the average woman about 5' tall at that time. There was little in the way of "art work" at the site - but you'll notice two concentric circles just slightly left of center in the photo, with what appears to be a "dagger" at the top, possibly suggesting it was used as an astronomical indicator - but that's just a guess. Debbie found this inscription - "No 8 JW", above a room on the ruins, indicating James Wetherill's reference to the square tower site, as it later became known. Mesa Verde was "discovered" in the late 1800s by the Wetherill family. Click here for more photos of the site.