Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-05-29
DAILY. EVENING STAR.
DISCOVERY OF RUINED CITIES WITHIN
THE GREAT BASIN.

u
The Great Basin in the middle of ON,
territory, bounded on the north by the
ahstack mountains and the settlement,
OF tile Mormons in Utah, on the easf bT
the Rocky Mountains skirting the r;pb,
bank of the Rio Grande, On the south hy
the Gila, and the west by the Sierra
Nevada, is region still almost unknown
Trappers and mountaineers have passed
| all around the inner side of It's rim. bnt
none have ever crossed it with the excep.
ton OF Mr.. Beale, who traversed on bis
recent trip its northern slope, and Capt.
Joe. Walker, the famous mountaineer.
who passed nearly through its centre in
the winter OF 1850. But little, therefore.
is known regarding it, but that little is
exceedingly interesting, and fills the
mind with eagerness to know more
From Captain Walker we have gathered
many particulars regarding his cele.
brated trip, and the character of this
mysterious land, which have never before
been brought to light. There is no lack
OF streams within it; the Rio Colorado
Chlquito, or Little Red River. runs en-.
tlrely across it, about 100 miles to the
north of the Gila, and almost parallel TO
1t, and empties into the Colorado. Ahout
l2O miles still farther north, the San .Iuan
follows exactly the same course as the
Little Red, and empties into Grand River.
the most important branch of the Colo.
RADIO. GrandRiveritselfpur pursues course
little south of west across the northern
part of the Basin, while the Avoukeree
large river discovered by Mr.. Beale
Green River, and the Rio Virgin. are ali
large streams, which drain the northern
mountain rim and rain in a soutberlv
direction into the Colorado.
The Great Basin between the Colorado
and the Rio Grande is an immense table
land, broken towards the Gila and the
Rio Grande by detached Sierras. Almost
all the streams run through deep canons
The country is barren and desolate. and
entirely uninhabited even by the lowest
order of Indians. But though now 50
bleak and forbidding, strewn all around
may be seen the evidences that it was
once peopled by civilized and tbickIv
settled population. They have long sincs
disappeared, but their handiwork still
remains to attest their former greatness.
Capt. Walker assures us that the country
from the Colorado to the Rio Grande he.
tween the Gila and San Juan. is fi,lI NJ
ruined habitatlons and cities. most of
which are on the table land. Althoupb he
hadfreqeuntlymet withcrumb bling masses
of masonry and numberless specimens
OF antique pottery, such as have been
noticed IN the immigrant trail south of |
the Glla, 1t was not until his last trim
across, that he ever saw structure stand. |
ng. On that occasion he had penetrated |
about midw y from the Colorady into
the wilderness, and had encampe6 near
The Little Red River, with the Sierra
Blanca looming up to the South, when
ne noticed at little distance an object
That induced him to examine further. AS
ne approached he found it to be a kind
Of citadel, around which Law the ruins ofl
city more than mile in length. IT
was located On gentle decl;v;tr +b.t
slOped towards Red River, anu Tic lIIrrs
IF the streets could be distinctly traced.
regularly at right ang gles with
each other.
The houses had all been built of stone.
but all had been reduced to ruins by the
action of some great heat, which had ev-
identity passed over the whole country.
1t was no ordinary conhagration, but |
must have been some fierce furnace-like |
blast of fire, similar to that issuing from
4 volcano, as the stones were all burnt
some of them almost cindered, others |
glazed as if melted. This appearance
was visible in every ruin he met with. |
A storm Of fire seemed to have swept |
over the whole face Of the country, ard |
the inhabitants must have fallen before |
it. In the centre of the city we refer to. |
rose rock, twenty or thirty feet high. |
upon the top of which stood a portion of
the walls Of what had once been an i'm
mense building. The outline of the
building was still distinct, although only
the northern angle, with walls Is or Is
'eet long, and 10 feet high, was standing.
These walls were constructed of stone, |
well quarried, and we'll built. All the
south end of the building seemed to have
melted to cinderS, and to have sunk to a
mere pile of rubbish. Even the rock on
which it was built appeared to have been
partially fused by the heat. Captain
Walker spent some time examining this
spot-he traced many of the
streets, and the outlines of the houses,
but could find no other wall standing; as
often as he had seen ruins of this char
acter, he had never, until this occasion,
any Of the implements of the
ancient people. Here he found number
of hand-mills, similar to those still used
by the Pueblos and the Mexicans for
grinding their corn. They were made
of light porous rock, and consisted of
two pieces, about two feet long and ten
inches wide, the one followed out, and
the other made convex like roller to fit
the concavity. They were the only arti-
cles that had resisted the heat.
No metals of any kind were found.
Strewn all round might be seen numer-
Gus fragments of crockery, sometimes
beautifully carved, and others painted.
This, however, was not peculiar to this
spot, as he had seen antique pottery in
every part of the country, from the San
Juan to the Gila.
Capt. Walker continued his journey,
and noticed several more ruins little off
his route next day, but could not stop to
examine them. On this side of the Col
orado he has never seen any remains ex-
cept of the present races. The Indians
have no traditions relative to tho ancient