American citizen., 1874-11-21
THE ANTIQUITIES OF COLORADO.

THE following interesting account OF
the ancient ruins found in Colorado is
taken from arecent letter from the New
York; 4rtbusses correspondent with the
Hayden exploring expedition;
Just along the southwestern border OF
Colorado the mountains sink almost alb
rupt!y into plains, which stretch away tC
the Gila and Colorado Rivers. Rising in
Northern New Mexico, ut the end of the
main range of the Rocky Mountains,
which here stops short, and flowing
south and west into Arizona, thence
north into Utah twenty-five or thirty
miles west of the Colorado line, then
gradually westward into the Colorado
River, is the Rio San Juan, the largest
river of this district. 1t receives but one
tributary of consequence from the south,
but from the north many streams drain
ing the southern slopes of the noun
tains, the principal of which are the Rio
Pietra, Ria Las Animas and its branch,
the Florida, Rio La Plata, Rio Mancos
and Montezuma Greek, naming them
from east to west.
Leaving the marin camp stationed in
Bakers Park, at the head of the Las Ami
mas, Mr.&Jacksen and myself, with two
muleteers, Steve an Bob, took the small
est possible outfit, except of cartrid ges,
and started for "A rapid reconnaissance of
the valleys of these rivers, in which we
hoped to find what we sought.
Our first and second days marches
carried US across high, rugged, volcanic
mountains, wild and picturesque and full
of grizzlies, and down into Animas Park,
which is succession of grassy valleys
diversified by frequent groves, and SEEM
1ngiFelWavs warm and lovely A few
adventurous ranchmen have located here
and raise splendid crops. From here
across 10 the La Plata is days pleasant
ride. At the La Plata we found a jolly
canrp of old Californians preparing to
work the gold placers. =
Proceeding west fifteen miles and de-
scending some 1000 feet we struck the
Rio Mancos a few miles down, where we
began to come upon mounds of earth
which had accumulated over fallen
houses, and. about which were strewn an
abundance OF fragments of pottery, vari-
ousN painted in colors, often glazed
within and impressed in various designs
without. Then the perpendicular walls
that hemmed in the valley began to con-
tract, and for the next ten miles the
trail led over rocks which were anything e
but easy TO traverse That night we
campcd under some forlorn cedars, just
beneath bluff thousand or SO feet
high, which for the upper half was alb
sOlutely vertical. This was the edge of
the tableland, or mesa, which stretches
over hundreds of square miles herea-
bouts, and is cleft by these great cracks
or canons, through which the drainage
of the country finds it's way into the
great Colorado. In wandering about
after supper we thought we saw some
thing like house away up on the face
of this bluff, and two of us, running the
risk of being overtaken by darkness,
clambered ov er the talus of loose debris,
across great stratum of pure coal, and,
by dint Of much pushing and hauling up
to the ledge upon which it stood, we
came down abundantly satisfied. There,
200 measured feet above the valley,
perched ON little ledge only just large
enough to hold it, was atwo-story house,
made of finely-cut sandstone, each block
about fourteen by six inches, accurately
fitted and set in mortar now harder than
the stone itself. The floor was the ledge
upon which it rested, and the roof the
sovefhangng rock. There were three
rooms upon the ground floor, each one
six by nine feet, with partition walls of
faced stone. Between the stories was
originally a wood floor, traces of
(which still remained, as did also the
cedar sticks set in the wall over the win
.sdowS and door; but this was over the
front room only, the height of the rocky
roof behind not being sufficient to allow
an attic there. Each. the stories was
six feet in height, and all the rooms, up
stairs and down, were nicely plastered
and painted what now looks a dull brick
red color. with a white band along the
floor like a base-board. There was a
how doorway -fFsm-the ledge into the
lower story and another above, showing
that the upper chamber was entered
from without. The windows were large
square apertures, with Indication of
any glazing or shutters. They com
ted Wiz nf yrbnla valley fnr
MANY miles. Near the house several
convenient little inches in the rock were
built into better shape as though they
had been used as cupbOards or caches !;
and behind it semi-circular wall inclos-
ing the angle of the house and cliff
formed water reservoir holding two
and half hoysheads. The water was
taken out of this from window of the
upper room, and the outer wall was car
RED up high 50, as to protect one so en-
gagged from missiles from below. In
front of the house, which was the left
side TO one facing the bluff ,san esplanade
had been built to widen the narrow
ledge and probably furnish commodi-
Gus place for kitchen. The abutments
which supported it were founded upon a
steeply- inclined smooth face of rock !;
yet so consummate was their masonry that
these abutments still stand, although it
would seem that 4 pounds weight might
slide them off.
Searching further in this vicinity we
found remains of many houses on the
p saBIe ledge, 4and-some perfect ones above
il quite inaccessible. The rocks also
bore some nscriptions-unintelligi
bierogiyphics, for the most part-remind-
ing one of those. given by Lieut.. Whipple
in the third Volume Of the Pacific Rail
road reports All these facts were care
fully photographed and recorded
of houses in the bottom of the valley in
the greatest profusion, nearly all of
which were entirely destroyed, and
broken pottery everywhere abounded.
The majority of the buildings were
square, but many round, and one sort of
ruin always showed two square buildings
with very deep cellars under them and "A
round tower sbetween them, seemingly
for watch and defense. In several eases
4. large part of this tower was still stand
ing. These latter ones, Judging from the
analogy OF the underground workshops
of the Moquis. were manufactures of
utensils and implements Another iso
lated ruin that attracted our attention
particularly consisted of two perfectly
circular walls of cut stone, one within
the other. The diameter of the inner
circle was twenty-five feet, and of the
outer thirty-tiiree feet The walls were
thick and were perforated apparently by
three equi-distant doorways. Was this (;
temple?
We continued to meet with these
groups of destroyed edifices all day, but
nothing of especial interest except two
md Drf..