The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-05-22
Ancient Ruias i'm Ariz INA.

A letter to the St. Louis Rupublican
gives the following interesting account
of some ruins recently discovered in Ar
izona.
"a careful examination of some exten-
sive ruins, found some miles east of Flor
ence, on the Gila river, has been made.
Lieutenant Ward was the first explorer
who came upon the desolate remains of a
once imposing architectural pile 1t has
been deserted for perhaps more than
thousand years, and has been crumbling
away in the wilderness. The Apache
even never pitched his tent upon the spot
SO thickly strewn with fragments of the
work of perished race. The principle
ruins is a parallelogram fortiica tion, six
hundred feet in width by sixteen hund-
red feet. in length. The walls, which were
built of stone, have long been over
thrown and are overgrown by trees and
vines. In many places mere ridge in
cica'es the line of the wall, the stones
having disappeared beneath the surface.
Within the inclosed area are the remains
of greater structure 200 by 260 feet
constructed of rpughlyhewn stones. In
some places the walls remain almost
perfect to height of some twelve feet
| above the surface On the east side Of
the branda casa there are two openings OF
an oval shape which doubtless served the
purpose of windows. On the inner sidel
of the wall of the palace, for such j
doubtless was, there are yet perfectly dis
tinct tracings of the image of the sun
There are two towers, at the southeas
and southwest corners of the great en-
closures, still standing, one of which i
twenty-six and the other thirty-one fee
high. These have evidently been mucl
higher, as the broken tops and the amour
of debris near their base indicate. A fey
copper implements, some small golde
ornaments, one being an image ofthe su
with a perforation in the middle-an
some stone utensils, and two rudely -carv
ed stone vases, much like those found a
. Zupetaro and Copan, in Central Amer
, ca, are all the works of art yet discovered
No excavations have been made as yet {
determine fully the extent and characte
of these ruins.
"The ruins are situated in sma
plain, elevated nearly two hundred fe'
above the bed of the Gila. Just west {
> the walls of the forti6cation there is
beautiful stream of water having i
Z source in the mountains, which cross
the plain, and by series of catarac
falls into the Gila about two miles belo'
> The fragments of pottery and polishe
a stone reveal condition of civilizatie
among the builders of these ruins ana
ogous to that of the ancient Peruvia
s Central American and Mexican nation
S The country in the vicinity ofthis bur
ed palace is particularly wild, and uni
sually desolate. No clue to the builde
" of this great fortified palace, with
towers and moat, has been, or is likely ev
K to be discovered. One thing, howeve
, is apparent, that this whole country W
1t once peopled by race having high
n grade of civilization than II found smol
|. any of the native tribes Of the later ag'
h But whether this race were the ancesto
d of the Pimos, or some extinct people,
II not, and cannot be certainly known. 7
<. ruins on the Gila are another uncover
palenque, another Copan, an Anlan e
if posed at last to bewilder and confoun
is 1t is understood that these extensi
Dr. ruins will be thoroughly explored wit
n. In the present year"