Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1853-09-10


over its most forbidding, sterile and inhospi.
table waters We remark as above, on per.
suing an article for the pen Of our San Ber-
nardino correspondent, giving an account Of
40 ancient pyramid, laly discovered upon
the great desert Of the Colorado, by party
Of adventures five IN number, who atlemp.
ted TO cross the desert in westerly direc.
ton from point on the Colorado, at least
two hundred miles above It's confluence with
the Gila:--
SAS BERNARDISo VALLEY, July %, 1858.
There has been no little excitement here
Of late among the antiquarians and the curl
GUS arising tIom the discovery Of an ancient
pyramid upon the great Colorado desert, and,
which fixes the probability hey yond all dispute
OF the possession and occupancy, at some great
~ remote period of time, of the American
continent by race of people of whom all ex-
istng history is sill mt.
A party of men five in number, had assem-
ded tho Colorado for nearly two hundred
miles above the mouth of the Gila, their OBJ.
Ject being to discover, if possible, some large
tributary from the west, by which they might
make the passage of the desert, and enter
California, by anew, more direct and easier
rout lnasmuch as there are known TO exist
numerous small streams upon the eastern
slop OF the mountains, that are either lost in
the sand of the dererts or unite with the Col
orado through tributaries heretofore unknown
They represent the cc1ntry on either side of
the Colorado as almost totally barren of every
vegetable product and so level and monoto-
dous that any object sufficient to arrest the
attention, possesses more or less of curiosity
and interest; and it was this that led to the
discovery, and examination of this hitherto
unknown relic Of past age.
An object appeared Upon the plain to the
west, having SO much the appearance Of a
work of art, from the regularity Of lis outline
and its nsolate position, that the party deter
mined upon visiting it, passing over an almost
barren sand plain, a distance of nearly FIVE
miles, they considered its location, (it being
the very home Of desolation,) that the mind
can possibly conceive of; nothing less than an
immencg stone pyramid, composed Of layers
or course of from eighteen inches to nearly
three feet in length. 1t has level up of
more than fifty feet square, though it is evi.
dent that it was once completed, but that
some great CONFUSION of natute had displaced
It's entire top, as it evidently now lies huge
and broken mass upon one of its sides, though
nearly covered by the sands
This pyramid differs, in some respect, from
the Egyptian pyramid. 1t is, or was, more
slender pointed, and while those OF Egypt are
composed of steps or layers, rcceding ab they
rise, the American pyramid was, undoubtedly,
a more finished structure. The outer sur
face of the bio, Ks were evidently cut 10 an
angle, that gave the structure, when new and
completed, IA smooth or regular surface from
top to bottom.
From the present level of the sands that
surrounds it there are filty-Iwo feet; thi,
gives its present height, one hundred
and four feet, 50 that before the top WAS dis
pIaced,it must have been judging from the AZ
glc Of its sides, cas- twenty ieet higher than
at prestn How far 1t extends beneath the
the surface Of the sands, it is impossible tc
determine without great labor.
Such is the aye of this immense structure
that the perpendicular joints between the blocks
are worn away to the width Of from five tc
ten inches at the bottom of each joint, and
the centre oft pyramid so much worn by
the storms, the vicisstudes and the corro.
dings of centuries, as to make it easy of as
sent, particularly upon one OF lts siues' we
say one of its sides, because a singular fact
connected with this remarkable structure, is
that it incl;nes nearly ten degrees 10 onc
side of the vertical or perpendicular.
There is not the slightest probability thai
it was thus erected, but the cause of its nc
nation is not easily accounted for By whom
and at VIII It age OF tie world and for wha
purpose, this pyrlmid was erected, will proba
bly, forever remain a hidden mystery. The
party, in their unsuccessful attempt to cross
the desert at this point in their wanderlngs
discovered other evidences, ola nature tha
would seem to make it acertain that ihot por
ton of country upon the Colorado, now the
most barren, was once the garden and gran
ary Of the continent, and the abode OF mill
ions of our race.