Washington telegraph., 1853-05-18
Ruins in New Mexico,

torical Society. a letter, dated Fort Fillmore,
New Mexico, Jan. Is, '53, from D. s. Mills,
of the U. S. Army, was read, and excited
very deep and lively interest among the
members present The material portion of
the letter is as follows
Lieut. Albert, of the Typographical En-
gineers, is the only officer of the Army that
ever had the opportunity of visiting Gran
Quivira He went to Deserted Village
called Abo, in lat. 34o % m, lon 106
west. and says he was within fourteen miles
of it, and its direction was east This may
be correct; but my information would lead
me to infer that it lies further south and
east from Abo Since I wrote the article in
the Arkansas paper. have accidentally be-
come acquainted with an old man named
Campbell, who is represented as respecta-
Bile and truthful man, who has visited Quiv-
ira on two occasions-the first time in 1889,
when he was run off by the Indians-the
next visit in 1912, with a larger party, and
staid there a week, exploring or digging
here and there for treasure. | will, as far
my memory permits, give you his descrip-
tion in his own words
He found the site Of Gran Quivira on a
mesne, or table land. situated on the north
west point of the Sacramento mountains
having the appearance of large and popu-
lous city, regularly laid out in wide streets
at right angles. He supposcs the city in
length to be about three miles, running
northeast to southwest, and half mile or
more ir breadth some Of the houses, in
part, still standing and built of hewn stone
There are clear Indication of the size of the
houses, and many of them are Of very large
size or at least cover much ground. One
he thought he recognized as the palace, an
other as the temple, or place of worship;
and here thought it most probable he would
find the treasure.
He sounded about and discovered hol-
low place cleaned away the dirt, and reach
ed a floor; dug through it, thinking he was
getting into cellar, but found room en-
tirely empty, about sixteen to eighteen feet
square, with polished walls, and with paint
ings, or colored figures all ever it, and as
certained for the first time, that he was on a
level with the street, which is now ten or fif-
teen feet below the present surface. He
and his party used this room as dwelling
while at the place. He dug at another place
which he supposed to be at the alter and
came to fiat rock on clearing away the
rubbish, he discovered where it had been
excavated and nicely covered by close fit
ting, hewn, fiat rock He was sure of
prize, raised the rock, and found in carved
out hole in the solid rock, the skeleton of a
hol, L.
whole perfect, but which in a few moments,
by exposure to the air, dissolved; not leav-
ing It particle of evidence of a human corpse
but fine dust. On digging further at that
place. he found four such vaults and human
skeletons.
He abandoned the town and went back to
the hills. and found cave, but on opening
the mouth discovered it to be the shaft of a
mine. This he followed for nearly quarter
of a mile, seeing throughout evidences of
a shining mineral on all sides. At the end
of the shaft was small chamber where
he found crowbar of some metal but not of
iron, quite black chisel and a hammer,
or kind of axe, also black, and a curious
kind of carthen vessel. He left these
the town. In rambling round to the west
ern part, he found what was the reservoir
in the form of an ellipsc; it must be one
hundred an fifty yards in length, its breadth
at least eighty, and its depth about fifty feet,
paved bottom and sides with hewn stone
At the southermost end Of the reservoir was
very large house, of cut stone, several sto-
ries high, which seems to nave been place
Of arms, and intended as guard-house TO de-
fend this pond of water, as. at regular inter-
walls, there were long Sits, and kind of
port holes left in the wall,
The walls are four feet thick; one cor
ner, perhaps half, of this house is still stand
ing. There is no water or wood near Gran
Quivira. The whole country around for
many miles is desolate plain of sand
At the northern end of the reservoir the
aqueduct comes in this he followed to the
White Mountains, forty miles in a northwest
direction. 1t is throughout its length faced
with small cut stone (not brick) both on the
sides and bottom and cemcnted In width 1t
is about twelve feet, and about ten in depth
and sufficient to carry mountain stream,
when no longer runs IN IL. owing 10 INC ou-
struction of rubbish at its mouth, but which
now pursues its course to the Pecos river.
There is also broad paved avenue leading
directly east from Gran Quivira, near one
hundred feet in width, which Mr.. Campbell
followed for forty miles. and he left it sup
posing it to be road which led to Nacog-
doches, in Texas About twenty miles from
O,;y;r, ~, tho coDtborp ci1a of this road
he found quite large village in ruins. At
Gran Quivira there is an abundance of
painted pottery and earthen vessels, but he
found no metallic ones