, 1875-02-27
Ancient Arizona.

. ,
| Arizona:
The route and trip through Arizona
grows more and more interesting al
every stage Of my journcy-csnrinued
evidences of an ancient civilization and
OF former dense and agricultural popu-
lalon increase and multiply on every
hand. During my stay here of five
days | have visited many old ruins of
houses, ws'er-ditches, etc, on the plains
around Florence, and for many miles
around the couutry, all of which have
been wonderfully interesting tome. The
ruins called Casa Grande' are some ten
or twelve miles south of west from Flor
ence, and are the most noted of any in
this region, solely on account of their
/ better preservation There are others
very much larger, but more decayed
Casa Grande" Is on the south Sile of
the Gala River, and on The great plain
or valley of the Gala, and distant from
the rlvcr between two and three miles
West of the ruins some eight miles is a
spur of the Saca,One Mountains: south.
II Is thirty miles to the PiCaChO" Peak {:
10 the north Use several detached, $50
lated mountain peaks, distant ten to tif-
teen miles, while far off To the north,
sixty miles distant, are the Four Peaks, "
and TO The east extends the great Gala
Valley As far a the eye can reach Here,
II the center of this great Va lev. stands
" Casa Grande, grim sentinel of the
past, Of whose history nothing Is known
From the ealiest histories of the
country, going back to the account
given by the Jesuit Fathers OF the
Indian war of 1913, and also away back
to The Spanish expedition about the
middle Of the sixteenth century, We can
learn but little of this and the other old
and extensive ruins scattered all over
Arizona. All OF these earlier accounts
speak of these ruins and also describe
them almost exactly as the visitor finds
them. Casa Grandc' stands exactly
with the points of the compass, the long
est way being north and south. 1t i
SIXty-three feet long and iorty-ive wide
The walls are standing to the sixth story,
and it was from appearance seven
stories high II is not built of common
adobe, but of Il kind of concrete or grOut.
Ii is very hard and as difficult To be
broken as stone The bases of the walls
are i've feet thick. The walls were evi-
IDENTIFY laid up the same as concrete
houses are now built in the Eastern
States, in tiers or blocks of thirty inches
in height. as the seams between the tiers
can be plainly seen extending across the
whole building. The inside walls were
plastered over with a peculiar hard
cement of 4 dark orange color, and this
cement or plaster is as perfect as when
II was first put on, in the unknown ages
of the past There were five rooms on
the ground floor, one of which, in walk
ing over it, seems to be hollow below;
yet of this we can only conjecture rs the
debris from the roof and falling walls
have filled in these rooms to a depth Of
five feet or more The opening or door
ss-..y-0 hAtyu..s-- 49, -.s-sss
floor and the stories above were uniform
and about two feet wide and four high.
On the west side of the building here
seemed to have been narrow door or
gateway three stories high, but this had
subsequently been flied in above the
first story with like material 10 the orig
in4l walls On the north side were four
PORTFOLIOS about fifteen inches III diane
ter. On the south side, near the south
west corner, there was evidently al fist
an open door or gateway six feet IN
width running up to the second or tnlTd
story, but this had evidently been Filed
i'll at a later date, as the joint or seam
can be plainly seen. Why these open
ings were first left and aftCrward filed (
in is only subject of conjecture. To
me il seems that they were filled in by
the occupants in order TO more success /
fully rcpcl and keep out enemies IN time +!
of war. This idea WOUld also seem to .
convey the impression that this ancient, .
civilized and agricultural people were I
driven out by an armed foe. II so, there
must have been a terrible war and de
struction, as ruins Of like character as /
this are 10 be found for hun I
dreds of miles around. But 10 re
turn TO my description. The east side OF T.
the building had an opening above the 4
first floor to the fourth story IhIs /
opening. window, or doorway was two /
feet wide. On the north end there was
an opening above the first floor slN feet T.
high and less than two feet VIDE. ne ,
floors above and the roof were upheld
and supported by-"vigaS aS'-beamS or
rafters of pine, SIX inches OF more IN dl- /
ametcr, and they seem 10 have been de-
stroved hy fire. The ends OF these
" yigas" vet remain in the walls, one "i
which | got out for examination The /
ends Of them were cut OF by stone axes /
the duh. blunt cuts being plainly seen, /
These stone axes are found in and around ,
the old ruins and at other places, and /
are quite similar To those found IN the
old workings of the copper mines oi
Lake Superior. To the east OF tle
" Casa Grande" fifty feet a portion OF the
walls of another building are yet stand
ing. and TO the south 100 feet portions a
another large building, the walls oi
which are in places over twenty Ieet
high. All over the plain for Il m!ie OF
more are mounds, being the deblls oI
other large buildings now gone to decay !
vel in places the form and extent OF them
arc easily traced Broken pottery Is
scattered all over the country, but more
Drofusely in and around the old ruins
4 great irrigation ditch ran few hun /
dred Yards from =" Casa Grande,' when /
in nIaces IS entirely obliter4ted by the !
wasbiuGs of water and the changes OF /
ages. but where IT was cut through
gravelly soil is yet plain to the slsht,
This ditch can be traced for forty 70 Aity /
miles up and down the river; and Is rom i
one 10 four miles from il. Hundreds ol
Of acres of land must nave
been watered by 1t, and untold amour
OF grain and vegetables, etc, raised - sGl, !
Scient TO have supplied the wants Oh a 1
very numerous people At different
nIaces and miles apart / measured these !
,reat aircbes where they had been cut !
through pebbly ridges, and found them
from thirty to ffv feet wide, and in afew
nlares over ten feet deep. | have asyet
found no iron or metal instruments ana
mn h0nes Of large animals in or around
these ruins. but a few shells, stone IN
srruments. and large amounts OF broken
-,---or- The uOtterv- ware was, much OF