The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1855-07-04

M w. Dallas. Baresville,
w. Darby, Fl. Long. Martinsville, J.
j. McIlyar.
The Country of the Navajoes-
Ruins Of Towns.
The Deseret News contains an account
of an expedition by the Mormons, to the |
Southern part of the Territory, among the
Navajoes. They describe the ruins of the
towns and villages discovered on the st.
John about 500 miles southeast of the
Salt Lake City.
The walls of many buildings are still
standing entire, some of them three or four
stories high, with the ends of the red ce-
dar joists yet in the wall, but worn to a
point at their extremities. Every build
ing was forti6cation, built in the strong
est manner imaginable, and in style that
the present age knew nothing of; many
of them still plainly show the whole man
ner of structure, and even the marks of the
workman's tools.
From here we travelled ten miles, with
occasional ruins by the way, and entered
a deep canon with protective shelves of
rocks, and under these shelves were numer-
Gus houses or Notifications. The one we
Examined was divided into twenty-four
rooms each nearly naarly square, and enclosing
an area of about one hundred and twenty
four square feet. The front wall was
built up to the overhanging cliff, which
formed the roof and was curved and full
of portfolios. The stones were all squar-
ed and faced, were of an equal thickness,
and laid up with joints broken in a work.
manlike manner. The only entrance we
could find was hole about two feet square
and eighteen inches from the ground,
which is the usual size of all the doors.
From here to St. Johns river, a dis
tance of ten miles, there were scattering
ruins; and from there, in twelve miles
northeast, we came to the head of q canon.
All around the head of this canon, and
down on either side, as far as we could
see, were houses of every conceivable form
and size; and in places where the soil was
sufficient, they were overgrown with sage
and cedar, in every respect like that on
the mountains around. In the center oi
the canon, and near the head, was build
ing sixteen or twenty feet square, four
stories high, and built upon q fiat rock
about four feet higher than level of the
bed of the canon, and but little broader
than the building; to this we could moi
find an entrance, and, unlike all the rest
it had no port holes. One large building
which we entered, stood on the edge of the
precipice, with its front wall circular ane
flush with the bank, which formed the bacl
part making the ground plan of the build
ing like half-moon.
There were no windows in the lower
story Of any building, and every entranc'
was made as difficult and hidden as posi-
BILE. The door or hole into the one las
mentioned was guarded by two or thre'
walls of different angles; thus making {
crooked, narrow passage to the door, ant
every part of this passage was in full view
of the port holes of the building, the from
wall being full of them, like pigeon holes
pointing in every possible direction; the!
were not more than two inches in diane
ter ON the outside, and were plasteret
smooth on the inside with kind of ce
ment, with which the stone are laid ant
the rooms plastered, and is as hard q
stone.
The inside arrangement of all the house
was much alike, all having PORTFOLIOS il
the partition walls, and very small ant
obscure passage ways from one room t.
another, and from one or two houses int
the mountain. Some on the cliffs abov
connected with those below.
We notice there was no water abou
there, and inquired of the Indian 8 hov
the former inhabitants could have man
aged? They told us that they had hear'
that long time ago there was water run
ming there. We asked them who bull
those houses? They smilingly shook thei
heads and said that they had never heard
but that surely somebody must have bull
them very long time back.