Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-02-26
a!phrarp.
The Antiquities Of America.

luC vi hHlCiId.
That race far superior to the aborigines exist
ing this continent at the time Of its discovery and
once inhabited the country between the Mississippi
and the Pacific, is no longer matter Of doubt
Although they have disappeared and left no writ
ten record of their existence, the work of their
hands still remains to attest the high state of ad
vancement they had attained. Ruined cities and
Notifications reservoirs, paved roads and pyramids
are being brought to light and are exciting anti
quarons throughout the land to research. A most
deeply interesting discovery in this connection has
recently been made. Traditions preserved among
the natives of New Mexico have long told of the
existence of great city in ruins, and called by
them Gran Quiyira, somewhere in the recesses of
their country; but nothing definite has been known
regarding it until very recently 1t ascertain
ed that there is such city, deso!ate and in the
midst of a desert and bearing evidence of having
once been inhabited by superior race of men,
AT recent meeting of the Maryland Historical
Society, letter, dated Fort Fillmore, New Mexi-
leo, Jan. Is, 1853, from Col. d. s. Miles of the T.
5. Army, was read, and excited very deep and live
y interest among the members present. The ma
Is
Lieut.. Albert of the Typographical engineers, is
the only officer of the army that ever had the op-
portunity of visiting Gran Quiyira. He went to
a deserted village called Abo, in lat "a deg. 25
min. ion. LOG 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.
i ,Lo ~, tbo Arl-op ]
have accidentally become acquainted with an old
man named Cambell, who is represented as res
pegtabc and truthful man, who has visited Quivira
on two occasions-the first time in 1889, when lie
was run off by the Indians; the next in 1912, with
lager party and staid there week, exploring or
digging here and there for treasure. | will as far
as my memory permits, give you his description in
his own words.
He found the site Of the Gran Quivira on a
mesa, table land, situated on the northwest point
of the Sacramento mountains, having the appear
ance of a large and populous city, regularly laid
out in wide streets, at right angles. He supposes
| the city in length TO be at least three miles, run
ming northeast TO southwest, and half mile in
BREADTH some of the houses, in part still standing,
tions of the size of the houses and many of them
are of very large size or at least cover much
ground. One bethought he recognized as the pal
ace, another as the temple or place of Worship and
here he thought it most probable he would find the
| treasure.
! He sounded about and discovered hollow place;
cleaned away the dirt, and reached floor; dug
| tbrouoh ~ thinlin1 ha was ,rattincr inta oalIar
but found a room entirely empty, about sixteen to
eighteen feet square, with polished walls, and with
paintings or colored figures all over it. and ascer-
tained for the first time that he was then on lev
ell with the street, which is ten or fifteen feet
below the present surface. He and party used this
as a dwelling while at the place. He dug at an
other place, which he supposed TO be at the altar
and came TO fat rock. He was sure of prize,
raised the rock, and found in carved out hole in
| the solid rock the skeleton of a human body. In
dian in appearance, the whole perfect, but which,
| in few moments, by exposure to the air, dissolv-
ed not leaving particle of evidence Of human
corpse but fine dust. On digging farther at that
place he found four such vaults and human skele-
tons. -
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 mine. This he
followed for nearly quarter of a mile seeing
throughout evidences of shining mineral on all
sides At the end of the shaft small cham
Der, where he found crowbar of some metal
but not of iron, quite black, chisel and hammer
| OF kind of axe, also black and a curious kind OF
earthen vessel He left these things where he found
them, and returned TO the town. In rambling
around the western part, he found what was the
reservoir, in the form of elipSe; its axis must
be one hundred and fifty yards in length, ts breadth
at least eighty and its depth about fifty feet, paved
bottom and sides with hewn stone. AT the south
ernmost end of the reservoir was very large house
Of emf stone several stories high, which seems to
have been place of arms and intended guard
house to defend this pond of water, as at regular
intervals there were long Sits and kind of port
holes left in the wall The walls are four feet thick
One corner (perhaps half of this house is still
standing. There is no water or wood near Gran
Ouivira The whole country around for many
miles is desolate plain of sand. AT the northern
end of the reservoir the aquduct comes in; this
be followed to the White Mountains forty miles
in a northwest direction. 1t is throughout II,
length faced with small cut stone, mot brick both