The New York herald., 1875-09-25
ANCIENT AMERICA.
Races Of Men FlOdriShing Here a Thou
sand Years Ago.
WORK OF THE HAYDEN SURVEY.
Prehistoric Farming in the
U nited States.
SAN JUAN RIVER, Southeastern Utah, !

August 8, 1875 !
The limits of the section of country abounding in
prehistoric remains seems to be well defined, for
when the first ruined building is observed many moro
found in the immediate vicinity and So through the
whole country occupying the conunctive corners of
Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico win be found
scattered more or less thckly, these evidences of
former greatness until, finally, converging from this
barren waste the last vestige has been passed.
After we had examined tho first important ruin at
Aztec Springs moved our camp In a westward direc-
ton twenty Ave miles, 10 the banks of dry asoya
ood-wash, called in the euphonious Ute Indian tongue
the Hovvenweep, named by Captain Moss and Mr.. W.
H. Jackson last summer and signifying
CANYON
The dim old trail which we followed wound down
the course of the McEmo another dry channeD along
whose banks and in the adjacent cliffs discovered
several antique structures Of stone and adobe fragmen
tary walls and acrumbled towers On the right sido
of the wateress stream lay great beds of sandstone
among whose cliffs time and the elements had eroded
deep caverns and fantastic tunnels These had been
converted into dwellings by walling up the openings
with square blocks of the prevailing sone leaving only
square entrance Of about eighteen inches One hor-
zontal series of such abodes approached by
of succession of niche steps cut in the vertical rock
beneath. Some of the apartments scarcely six
feet square and three four high while cave in
many instances, would be divided by wall into two
dwellings Tho entrance In each house consisted of
small nearly square opening, the bottom being always
few inches wider than the top.
Further down the McElmo stands q group Of various
sorts OF ruins the marked being Battle
Rock" This is great boulder of debris rock which
has fallen partly down from its original position the
north side of which is a straight fortncaton wall in
OF good preservation Below this stand the walls
of tower, fifteen feet in diameter plainly show
ing the ends Of cedar beams all around the crcumfer
four feet above the ground where the floor of the
second story had been laid On the south side of Bat
tie Rock" lay the remnants OF several walls, and
the very top of the highest point of rock several hun
dred feet above, other walls still standing show
ing clearly, from the general character, that the
place had been one OF defence Much broken
pottery was scattered around and several minute but
extremely perfect flint arrow heads picked up
among it. AS the canyon grew wider in advancing
down, walls became visible either sde partially
hidden in the rocks far above One tower was
markable for it's isolation from all surrounding objects
1t stood square rock, twelve feet above the hill
sde and its walls exhibited the shade of brown
coloring which marked the sandsones OF the locality.
PICTURESQUE RUINS.
Dozens Of different ruins might be mentioned and
described, but for illustration only few of the most
characteristic will be cited Leaving the principal trail
the Hovvenweep. The day almost unbear.
ably hot, and we had but couple of
canteens filled with alkaline water, which
we obtained at the last camp. In the
whole twenty five miles but two small puddes
OF muddy and almost boiling water which lay in sinks
in the bed OF the McElmo. Jackson and guide
went in advance in search Of water for camp use,
and In they not successful would have to
push twenty miles further to the San Juan;
and forty-lve miles for pack train such a day
be thought of little past noon almost broiled
with the heat which poured down from the tropical
and reflected from the sand OF the desert we de-
scended into the dry bed Of the Hovvenweep Here
we found our digging in the sand, and already
they had been rewarded by shallow well of water
which, to parched throas tasted cool and refresh
Ing although strongly saturated with the prevalent
soda and lime of the country. few hundred feet
further down we discovered small pool which suf-
feed for the mules
Just north of our camp, scarcely quarter of a milo
distant stood collection of the complicated and
extended ruins had yet The general shape of
the group a semi-crclc, running from the north
around through the west the south OF where they
commenced. The entire length some 275 feet. In
the erection of their durable structures definite plan
seemed to have been followed by the architects, al
though, for all tell they may have had dis
walls of this fortress flor everything Indicated that
had been used SUCH stood solid layer of rock,
series of boulders hundred feet above the creek
while the walls OF the interior Of the arc
stood the level ground below, thus form
Ing two successive stories to the building, the
higher Of which undoubtedly approached from the
top of the lower by of ladders. The building
stone all roughly cut trimmed into rectangular
and cubical blocks and plastered together with the
hands of the workmen II is matter OF certainty
IN all of their house building these people en-
poyed masons builders tools, for the prints of
the fingers, knuckles, nails and whole hands are
distinctly impressed in the mud which is hard
the rocks which it joins together. The very veins
and finest lines the skin of the fingers is visible
everywhere on the edges of the mortar. We cannot
Imagine the amount of labor in cutting stono carrying
It from the hsides and building it into thousands of
cubic feet Of wall that represented In such produc
tion OF those ancient people. Perhaps thousands OF
hands were employed Tor many years, although many
things suggest the idea of rapdity the erection of
such strongholds.
REMARKABLE SKELETON.
Selecting two chambers among the others in the
building, had them cleared of the rubbish which had
been depositng for centuries aided by small animals
the wind and the wearing away Of rocks and mortar
This reached to depth OF three and half feet but we
discovered nothing the floor of the apartment sayo
fragments of decomposed crockery several pieces
of charcoal and other indications of fire. Everything
had been destroyed thus else had long since been
carried away by wandering tribes Of Indians or explor
iDg whites In the neighborhood we discovered sew
eral other less important walls and houses
which, unlike those of the Nancos Canyon invariably
built the west side to get the morning sun, ap
peued here either side iDdiscrmnately. Six or
eight miles above the great ruin skeleton was
found in the vertical bank Of the wash. The
skull and part Of the body protruded
througpthe earth and so attracted attention Tho
body had been placed in a half rocumbept attitude
scarcely tour feet below the surface, which
covered with sage brush indicating growth Of more
than hundred years Tho skull was dug out per-
fectly wholesbut fell to pieces when II dropped on