Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-12-17
THE ANCIENT RUINS OF COL
ORADO.

THE ANCIENT RUINS OF COL
ORADO.
A correspondent of the Worcester Spy
writes as follows of certain highly inter-
esting discoveries recently made by the
Geographical and Geological Survey of
the Territories conducted by DR.. Hay
den:
PROF. Hayden has given Southwest
ern Colorado new interest, by discov-
ering and describing the ancient ruins
in that section and Southwestern Utah.
The fertile valley of the Animas was
densely inhabited and highly cultivated
by an enlightened race of people centu-
ries ago. The ruins of the houses, cor
rails, towns. fortifcations, bitches, pot
teryware. drawings, non-interpretable
writings, etc., show that many arts were
cultivated by these prehistoric people
which are now entirely lost. Their hous-
!
stone, from small powders to the finest
sandstone.
"The finest of these ruins, and the
nearest perfect, are situated about thir-
ty-6ve miles below Animas City, in
large valley fifteen miles long by seven
wide. on the west side of the river. This
valley has been covered with buildings
of every size. the two largest being 800
by 5000 feet. and about 800 feet apart.
They are built of small blocks of sand
stone. laid in adobe mud, the outside
walls being about four feet and the in
side walls from a foot and a half to
three feet thick. In the lower story are
found portfolios foot square. There
are rooms now left, and walls for about
four stories high are still standing.
About the second story, on the west
side, there was once a balcony along the
length of the building.
mo signs of door are visible in the
outer walls. and the ingress must have
been from the top. in the inside there
being passages from room to room. Most
of than are small. from eight by ten to
twelve by fourteen feet, the doors being
two by four feet. The arches over the
doors and port holes are made of small
cedar poles two inches wide, placed
across. on which the masonry is placed.
The sleepers supporting the floors are Of
cedar, about eight inches thick, and from
twenty to fifty feet long, and about three
feet apart. A layer of small round
poles was placed across the sleepers,
then layer of thirty split cedar sticks,
then about three inches of earth, then q
layer of cedar bark, then another layer
of cedar bark. then another layer of dirt
then carpet of some kind of coarse
grass.
1.-The rooms that have been protected
from exposure are whiLewashed, and the
walls are ornamented with drawing
! and writings. In one of these rooms
the impression of hand dipped il
: whitewash, on joist is as plain as if i
had been done only yesterday. In an
other room there are drawings of taran
$ tulas, centipedes, horses and men.
e "In some of the rooms have beel
$ found human bones, bones of sheep, corr
e cobs, goods. raw-hides and all colors ant
It varieties of pottery-ware. These tw
J large buildings are exactly the same il
e every respect. Portions of the building
d plainly>show that they were destroye'
= by fire, the timbers being burned off an
e the roofs caved in, leaving the lowe
IT rooms entirely protected. The rock tina
:, these buildings were built of must hav
s. been brought long way, as nothing t
r. compare with it can be found within
1t radius of twenty miles. All the timbe
st used is cedar, and has been brought g
st least twenty FIVE miles. Old bitches an
N roads are to be seen in every direction
e, The Navajo Indians say, IN regard
N these ruins, that their forefathers can
y, there FIVE old mems ages ago, go
IN years. and that these ruins were her
ne and the same then as now, and there
e. no record whatever of their origin
re Pop. SCI. Monthly.