Three long-term research goals have been identified for Ladle House. (1) Identify the composition and character of each component at the site. (2) Using the data recovered from each component, examine the spatial, chronological and possibly genetic relationships among the components. (3) Explore the relationships of the Greenlee components to other contemporaneous sites or components at Indian Camp Ranch and, as appropriate, elsewhere in the northern San Juan Region.
For each component, four specific research topics are examined. These are Architecture and Landscape, Family and Community, Economy, and Chronology. Architecture and Landscape is concerned with the actual configuration of each building, and the relationship of the buildings to each other and to the land. Family and Community is concerned with the individuals who lived at the site and with their relationships among themselves and the members of their community. Economy is concerned with the many physical items which the people needed in order to live, and with the means by which they obtained them. Chronology is concerned with identifying the times during which the site was constructed, occupied and abandoned.