Charles Vernon's Map

The Paradise Overlook Circle first came to my attention when my student Chris Allen, a History major, found a record of the site in the Tonto National Forest Archeological Archive. He looked through the records to identify the recorded ruins within a five-mile radius of Circlestone for the "Surrounding Ruins Map" of the Circlestone map series. Finding a report of another stone circle only a couple miles away was something I didn't expect. Archeologist Charles Vernon's 1993 report contained the notation, "Similarity to the Circlestone site indicates possibility that it, too, was a ceremonial site. Also it is orientated with a clear eastward view, so that the summer solstice could be tracked."

This map, from Charles Vernon's Tonto National Forest archaeology report of the site, indicates the ruin is 70 meters in diameter. Originally, the report had 50 meters indicated, then crossed out with the notation, "70, Estimated not measured." When we measured the circle, it was actually 50 feet, not meters in diameter.

Equinox Sunrise Horizon Marker.

Jake's map is remarkably accurate considering he stepped out the measurements.