New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-11
A VISIT TO THE NATIJOS.


southern part OF our Territory, and, possible, TO
trade with fe Navjos for shsep goats and horses as
they hsve an abundance 81 these animals; and be-
sides quite a manufacturing PEOPLE, making ell
their blankets leather bridle-bitc &c many Of which
executed with most curious Workmanship. They
also work iron, gold and silver into multitude OK
forms and articles for the warrior hasbandnin and
| brakeman.
On the 18th We leA Nanti with our full ft-out Of
msn AID animals, and with five wagons. We never
felt more gloomy and doubtful or undertook what
appeared TO u more hazardous work during Gil ex-
per,nce of twenty years in this Church. A wild,
mountainous and dresry desert, hitherto almost en-
tirely unknown, lay before US, and, what wss stil
| more formidable, Indian Walker and his allies had
decreed that Ee lever sboud pass, and with twenty
Spaniards had posted Themselves on our route and
IL cir rallying smoke in fan view SUI we unan
mously resolved to 90 ahead; and our enemies fed
before reached their positi0ntbe Spanisrds their
way and Walker haslesving our path perfectly open
In this and many Other instances in tour we pub
licly acknowledge wonderful protection and dely-
erance by the hand esd power Of God.
We followed Gunni-ons ireii TO within twenty-five
miles of Grand River which according 10 our calcu-
laton If $50 milee from Great Salt Lake City. This
road 70 far toerably good one but the country
hes hiie or wood, grass water. There beau
tiful valley Grand River, twenty miles long and
from FIVE TO ten wide it has good eo;l and grazing
range very well timbered and waered, Gnd is about
fifty miles from the Elk Moutaln. From here we
travelled ITO miles to 1t. Johns River, over very
rough and mountainous region, difficult to pass over,
even with administering covered with deose
forests of cedar 1t is forty miles from ST. Johns
River to the nearest Navljo iCsyn.
The NaviiOs met us with very hostile feelings, "a
hey al with the whites and three days before
We arrived had killed, boiled aud eaten white man,
go great their evaporation. BY the persuasion
of two friendly Indians with guide and inter-
prefer they listened TO explanation of our business
We finally enabled to form treaty and did some
trading with them, while they doing some tall
stealing from u.s. They highly excited, but the
oh efs were cool, appeared quite friendly, and
shed 10 come az ain and trade. Trade il the best
letter of Introduction white man can take among IL
dians. Their great captain wished Us not to 20 among
their towns and villages there some that could not
be contrt He'd, and he did not want TO fight u.s. He
said We had come avery great way, aud he wished
we'll and sent TO his town and brought an abundance
of corn, meal, flour, bread, beans, dried pumpkin,
dried squash, pine-nus, with sheep and goat meat Of
the latest quality, to 1T us for our journey home.
On the north side of the 81. Johns River and about
500 miles souih east from g. ). L. City, travelled
over d section Of country, mostly among the noun
ains and about 40 miles in length. up aud down the
river, by % miles in width covered with the ruins of
buildings Of former towns ard villages. The walls of
many building still standing entire, OF them
three four stories high with the ends OF the red
cedar joss yet in the wall, come projecting eight or
ten inches but 10 point at their extremeiies.
Every building forifcation, built in the strong
est mb ginable, and in a sty lie that the present
age know nothing Of; and many of them still plainly
shew their whole manner Of structure, and even the
marks of the workuen's tools.
The first ruins we discovered were three stone
buildings, crumbled TO mere heaps. One appeared 10
have been pottery for in and around were loads
of fragments of crOckery of fine quality ornamened
with great variety Of figures painted with various
coors az bright as If put on yesterday.
From here we Travelled ten miles with occasional
ruins by the way. and entered a deep kanyen with
projecting shelves Of rock and under these shelves
were numerous houses Notifications. The one We
examined was divided INTO twenty-our rooms, each
neatly square and iucosng an area of about liisquare
fee The front wall was built up TO the 0yerhsnging
cliff which formed the roof and was curved and full of
port-hOes. The stones all squared and faced,
were of an equal thickness and laid up with joints
broken in a wOkmankc manner. The only entrance
we could find was hole about two feet square and
eighteen inches from tie ground, which Is the usuul
size of all the doors both in the outer and par ion
walls, with the exception of some sub'erraneous en-
frances which were rot smaller and difficult to hnd
TIN Ough the pert, Of on of the rocky ROOT there was
very little rubbish ia the From the first room
We pissed through small hole in the right hand cor
nor the second and there through another hole into
tie third and from left room TO night and from
right to left all through the twcnty-fcur rooms and
every wall was supplied with portfolios.
Fifty wards above this was large with
! row winding entrance guarded by high wall; near
the mouth Of this entrance ia an opening IN the rock
| leading off into the mountain. which we did not ex-
| ploIe; and after a little looking aud rumnaging
about we found outlet TO the cave. For three or
| four miles up thin kany on buildings were everywhere
in view of various forms and dimensions, and III al
| most every stage Of decay.
| From here to st. Johns River, a distance of 10
mies there scattering ruins; and from there, IN
| 2 miles n. f., to the head Of kanyon,
| whose sides and banks even to the very head were
perpendicular and shelving and near the banks there
was no soil on he rocks. Right on the brink OF this
preciuce and under the shelves of rock beneath were
the best building sites for those beings who built and
| dwet there ages ago
All around the head Of this kanyon and down on
either side as far could houses OF every
conceiv able form and size; and in places where the
soil was sufficient they overgrOwn with sage and
| cedar in every respect like that the mountains
around. In the center Of this Aanyon and near the
head building sixteen twenty feet square, four
stories high, and built upon Hat rock about four feet
higher than the level of the bed of the kanyon and
bat little broader than the building TO this we could
not fud entrance, and unlike all the rect had no
| PORTFOLIOS.
One large building which we entered stood on the
| edge Ofths precpice with its front wall circular and
| flush with the bank which formed the back part
nah ing the ground plan of the building like half
moon. There windows in the lower story OF
| any building; and every entrance made as diff
cult and hoden a. possible The door or hole into the
one last mentioned, guarded by two or three walls
| of different sngles-thus making crooked, narrow
passage TO the dooI, and every part OF this passage
was in full view from the PORTFOLIOS Of the building
tie front wall being full OF them, like pigeonholes,
pointing in every possible direction; they not
more than two inches in diameter the Outsiie, aud
were plastered smooth the inside with kind of
cement with which the stones laid and the rooms
mastered and is as hard as the stone.
The inside arrangement of all The houses was much
ake all having port holes IN the pariiiion-walis, and
very small, obscure pas.age-ways IRON one room TO
another from one house 10 another and from oLe or
Nv houses back into the mountain. Some on the chn
| above were connected with those below.
49, afa rahO