Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-07-22
Strange Ruins in ArizOna-F
of Pre- Historic Race.

Oh PREHISTORIC race.
On the bank of the ella river,
about ten miles below Florence, are the
ruins of most singular structures
building fifty-one by ffty-seven feet,
built of adobe, which is now so hard
that pick cannot be driven in it.
There are two walls-a building within
a building which are separated about
ten or twelve feet, and which are be-
tween twenty eight and thirty inches
thick at the base In the wall, up
about nine feet, and extending entirely
around the structure, was placed at the
time the building was put up a row of
cedar beams, which probably served
to brace and strengthen the building.
The ends of these timbers, which are
still Ill fair state Of preservation, show
that they had been consumed by fire
up to and in some instances part way
through the wall.
There are three stories of the wall
still standing in one place. The win
dows are long and narrow, and seem to
have been placed where they were
needed, and without regard to
external symmetry. The doors are
in the corners. AZ the top Of the in
side walls are several holes, about the
size of q hat. The art of plastering
seems to have been perfect in those
days, as the inner wall is still smooth.
and of a yellowish white color. What
this building was used for can only be
coniectured, as it stands in an open
space, surrounded by the same class of
ruins as those above referred to. It is
probable that it was a church, or, if
that people did not worship God,
idols may have received alteration
there.
Near this building, and at other
points among these ruined cities, are
still standing rows of cedar posts, set
on very accurate lines The u PIPER end
of these posts look old, and have been
worn 10y the elements, still they are in
good state Of preservation. The por-
tions that are in the ground are much
larger, and are very little affected by
age. n@
The same class of ruins described
above can be found all over Southern
Arizona, New Mexico Territory and the
northern part Of Mexico, wherever there
are fertile valleys and flowing streams.
Little or nothing is known of the people
who built these cities, or when they ex-
listed. The Indians say that long ago
the inhabitants of the places were sum-
moned off to the South and engaged in
a battle in which they were all killed.
They probably derived their story
from the early Americans or Mexicans
who visited this section and seeing the
ruins, concluded that they were for
merly occupied by some of the semi
civilized tribes with which Montezuma,
the Mexican King, made war, and per-
haps plundered their cities and burned
them. This is simply conjecture. If
these were the facts, as Montezuma
kicked up his troubles about three hun
dred and sixty years ago, we would
probably have had some account of it.
And then again, there are, we believe,
no such pottery and household nipple
ments in Mexico as have been found in
the Arizona ruins. ....
The theory that the wanderers
through Asia, about l 900 or I, 500 years
ago, crossed Behring's Strait and made
their way down the Pacific coast of this
continent into the temperate and torrid
zones, may, and probably does, come
nearer 10 OHeflng an explanation. But
what has become Of this race and it's
history? Were they both blotted out
at once? and if so, by whom Now
that the bloody Apaches are being sub
jugated and exterminated, a fine oppor-
tunity is offered for academies of natu-
raj science and men with money to ex-
pend for the enlightenment of man
kind, to encourage and aid in exploring
these ancient buried cities, and to bring
to light what has long been enveloped
in mystery. Who will be the first to
move in this matter? 'A.4 -'a.ta-