The national monument consists of the ruins of multiple structures surrounded by a compound wall constructed by the ancient people of the Hohokam period, who farmed the Gila Valley in the early 13th century.

"Archeologists have discovered evidence that the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and extensive trade connections which lasted over a thousand years until about 1450 CE.

Father Eusebio Kino was the first European to view the Hohokam complex in November 1694 and named it Casa Grande.

Between 1937 and 1940 the Civilian Conservation Corps built several adobe buildings to serve as housing and administrative offices for the national monument.

The adobe buildings, constructed using traditional methods, continue in use today and are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.