M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1855-07-06


THE CouNrRY OF THE .NAvAJoEs. =
RUINS OF TowSs.-The Desert News
contains an account OF an expedition br
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 south east Of the Salt
Lake City.
The walls of many buildings are still
standing entire, some of them three or
four stoiies high, with the ENDS of the
led cedar jolsts yet in the wall, but
worn to point at their extremities.
Every building was a fortiication, built
in the strongest manner imsgina blt, and
in style that the present aye knew
nothing OF many Of them still plainly
show the whole manner Of STRUCTURE,
and even the marks oil the workmen's
tools.
From here we travelled zen miles,
with occasional ruins by the way, and
entered a deep canon with projecting
shelves OF rock, and under these shelves
were numerous houses or Notifications.
The one we examined was divided into
twenty'four rooms, each nearly square,
and enclosing an area OF about one
hundred and forty.four square lee:. The
front wall was built up TO the over.
hanging cliff. which formed the roof,
and was curved aud full OF port holes.
The stones were all squared and faced,
were of an equal thickness, and laid up
with joints broken in workmanlke
manner. The only entrance we could
fnd was hole about two feet square
aud eighten inches from the ground,
which is the usual size of all the doors.
From here TO ST. JohL's river, dis.
lance OF len miles, there were scatter
ing RUNS; and from there, in Twelve
miles northeast, we came to the head
OF canon.
All around the head of this canon,
and down On either side, as far as we
could see, were houses Of every concei.
vable form and size and in places
where the soil was sufficient, they were
over grown with sage and cedar, in ev.
cry respect like that on the mountains
around. In the centre OF this canoa,
aud near the head, was building six.
teen or twenty feet square. four stories
high, aud built upon fiat rock about
four feet, higher than level of The bed
Of the cunon. and but little broader
than the building; 10 :his we could no /
find an entrance, aud, unlike oil the
rest. ii had no port holes. One large
building, which We entered, stood on
the edge of the precipice, with its front
wall circular aud flush with the bank,
which formed tie back part making the
ground plan Of tha building like d half
moon.
There were no windows in the lower
story of am building, aad evc'y entran.
ce was made as difficult bnI hidden as
possible, The door or hole into the
one last mentioned was guarded by two
or three W S Of different angles thus
making a crooked, narrow passage to
the door, and every part Of this passage
was in full view OF the pLrl holes Of the
building, the from: wall being full oi
them, like pigeon holes, pointing in
every possible direction; they were not
more that two inches in diameter on
the outside, and were plus,ered smooth
on the inside with kind OF cement,
with which the stones are laid aud the
rooms pluslered, and is as hard as stone.
The inside arrangement Of all the
houses was much like, all having port
holes in the partition walls, anu very
small and obscure passage ways from
one room 10 another, and from one o.
:wo houses into he mountain. Some
on The cliffs ubo,e we're connected with
:huse below.
We noticed there was no water sb.
out there, and inquired OF the Indians
how the former inhabitants could have
managed They told US that they had
heard that long time 5go there was
water running there. We asked them
who built those houses They smiling
~ shook their heads aud said that they
had never heard, but that surely some
body must have built them a very long
time back.