Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-07-18

tioH oi strange people said to reside in the
interior Of the Great Basin, from the Pana
ma Star. 1t is entitled to full confidence:
WHO BUILT THE CALIFORNIA PYRAMID?
In our summary of the California news re-
ceived by the ssWinfield Scott,'' we notice the
discovery of an antique pyramid in the Colora-
90 region, and in subsequent number of our
| paper published long article in relation to it,
from the San FranciscoHerald. The whole SUBJ
Ject must be deeply interesting one to every
| body; and from gentleman now in this city we
have within day or two, derived additional
information which he has had the kindness to
! put on paper for us. 1t is as follows:
| "f our article on the antiquities of the Great
Central Basin calls to recollection conversa-
| ton had in 1852, near that region, that was
OF intense interest to me at that time.
| s'Far away beyond the South Pass, on the
head waters Of the Gila river, lives John Brid-
| ger, trapper of the plains and mountains for
more than forty years, and whose veracity can
not be questioned by any one acquainted with
him. 1t is admitted by all trappers that he is
| better acquainted than any living man with the
intricaces of all the hills and streams that lose
themselves in the great Basins-I say Basins,
| because there are many of them. While trap
ping on the tributaries of the Colorado an In
dian offered to guide Mr.. Bridger and party
to people living far in the Desert,with whom
| they could barter.
s'The proposition was accepted /; andi after
water, they struck right into the heart of that
Great Desert, where no white man before or
since has trodden, and which the hardy noun
| taneers will only venture to skirt. After five
days travel, the party arrived at three noun
tains or Buttes, rising in grandeur in that SOL
itary waste. These mountains were covered
with diversity of forest and fruit trees, with
streams of purest water ripping down their
declivities. At their base was numerous ag-
ricultural people, surrounded with waving
| fields of corn and profusion of vegetables.
The people were dressed in leather-they knew
nothing of firearms, using only the bow and
arrow and for mile after mile, circling these
| BCttes, were adobe houses, two and three sto-
| ries high. Mr.. Brdger was not allowed to en-
| ter any of their towns or houses, and after re-
naming three days, bartering scarlet cloth and
iron for their furs, he left them not, however,
without being given to understand that they
held no communication with any people be-
yond their desert home. That these are the
same people who once Inhabited the banks of
the Gila and Colorado, and lefts those monu-
ments of wonder, tie ssCasas Grande,' - which
so deeply attracted the followers of Fremont
and Doniphan, and then vanquished as dream
there can no longer be doubt. Their adobe
houses attest it.
ssMonths after this conversation with Mr.
Bridger, had another with Mr.. Papin, the a
gent of the American Fur Company. He told
me that another of the party, Mr.. Walker, the
mountaineer, after whom of the mountain
Passes is named, and who is known to be a
man of truth, had given him the same descrip-
tion of these isolated people-and in my mind
there is not the shadow of doubt of their
existence. The subject is one replete with
interest to the antiquarian, we'll as to all
others; and am in strong hope that the re-
cent discovery in the Colorado country will
have the effect of bringing to light, and to
the knowledge of the world, not only the
existence of this peculiar people in their de-
sert home, but also their origin and history"
STRANGE PEOPLE IN THE wILDERNEss-rHE MooUIs
The people here spoken of, we are inclined
to believe, are the Moquis-a race of people
residing in the Great Basin who answer in ma
ny particulars to the description given by Bird
ger and Papin. We believe that Captain oe
Walker, the veteran mountaneer and trapper,
is the only white man in this country that has
ever visited this strange people, and from him
we gathered in the course of a long conversa-
ton, most interesting account of their coun-
try and manners. The most implicit confidence
may be placed in all his statements. He is
entirely free from exaggerating which we Of
ten find among great travellers.
Through the very centre of the Great Basin
runs the Rio Colorado Chiquto or Little Red
River. 1t takes its rise in the mountains that
skirt the right bank of the Rio Grande, flows
almost due west, and empties into the Colora-
do at point on the same parallel of latitude
with Walkers Pass. About 100 miles north
of this, and running almost parallel with it, is
the river San Juan. Each of these streams is
about $50 miles long. Between them stretches
an immense table land, broken occasionally by
Sierras of no great length, which shoot up a
bove the general elevation. About half way
between the two rivers, and midway in the
wilderness between the Colorado and the Rio
Grande, is the country OF the Moqus. From
the midst of the plain rises abruptly on all
sides Butte of considerable elevation, the top
of which is as fiat as if some great power had
sliced off the summit. Away up here the Mo-
quis have built three large villages, where they
rest at night perfectly secure from the attacks
of the fierce tribes who live to the north and
east of them. The sides of this table noun
tain are almost perpendicular cliffs, and the
top can only be reached by steep flight of
steps, cut in the solid rocks. AT the base is
plain of arabic land, which the Moquis cul-
tivate with great assiduity. Here they raise
all kinds OF grain, melons, and vegetables.
They have also number of orchards, with ma
ny kinds of fruit trees. The peaches they raise,
Capt Walker says, are particularly fine. They
have large focks of sheep and goats, but very
few beasts of burden or cattle. They are a
harmless, inoffensive race-kind and hospita-
BILE to strangers, and make very little resist
ance when attacked. The warlike Navajoes
who dwell in the mountains to the Northeast
of them, are in the habit of sweeping down
upon them every two or three years, and dri-
wing off their stock. At such times they gath
er up all that is movable from their FARMS and
fly for refuge to their mountain stronghold.
Here their enemies dare not follow them.
When stranger approaches, they appear on
the top of the rocks and houses watching his
movements. One of their villages at which
Capt. Walker stayed for several days, is five or
six hundred yards long. The houses are gen.
orally built OF stone and mortar-some of them
of adobe. They are very snug and comforta-