Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-11-01
The Ancient Ruins OF Colorado.

A correspondent of the Worcester SIM
writes as follows of certain highly interest
ing discoveries recently made by the Geo
graphical aud Geological Survey of the
Territories conducted by DIR. Hayden:
"Prolessor Hayden has given Southwest
ern Colorado new interest by discovering
and describing the ancient ruins in that
section aud in Southeastern Utah. The
fertile valley Of the Animas was denscly
Inhabited aud highly cultivated by an en-
lgh,cncd race Of people centuries ago.
The ruins of the houses, corrals, towns,
fortiiicatiens, bitches, pottcrywore, drawings,
non-intcrprctable writings, etc., show that
many arts were cultivated by these prehis-
'oric people, which arc now entirely lost.
Their houses were built of almost every
kind of stone, from small powders to the
finest sandstone.
"Thc finest Of these ruins, and the
nearest perfect, arc situated about thirty five
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 500 feet apart. They arc built
Of small blocks Of sandstone, laid in adobe
mud, tno outside walls 5ci.,;*;; four feet and
the inside walls from foot and a half to
threo feet thick Ia tho lower story are
found port-holes q foot square. There are
rooms now left, and walls for about four
stories high arc still standing. About the
second story, on the West side, there was
once balcony along the length of the
building. No signs Of il door are visible
in the onter walls, and the ingrcss must
have been from the top, 10 the inside there
being passages from room to room. Most
Of them are small, from eight by ten to
twelve by fourteen feet, he doors being two
by four feet. The arches over tho doors
and port holes are made of small cedar poles
two inches wide, placed across, on which
tho masonry is placed. Tho slecpcrs sup
porting the floors arc 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
secpcrs, then layer Of thiuly-spit ccdcr
sticks, then about thrco iuchcs of Garth,
then layer of cedar bark, then another
layer of dirt, tl:cn carpet Of some kind of
course grass. Tho rooms that have been
protected from exposure are whitowashed,
anu tnc walls arc ofnamcntcd with draw
ings and wrtiogs. In one Of these rooms,
the impression Of a hand dipped in white
wash, on jost, is as plain as if it had been
done only yesterday. In another room,
there are drawings OF tarantulas, ccntipcdes,
horses and men.
''ln some of The rooms have been found
human bones, bones Of sheep, corn cobs,
goods, raw hides, aud all colors and varc-
ties of potcrywarc. These two large
buildings arc cxcctly tho same in every
respect. Iortions of the buildings plainly
show that they were destroyed by fi.c, the
timbcrs being burned off and tho roofs
caved in, leaving the lower rooms entirely
protected. The rock that these buildings
were built Of must have been brought
long way, as nothing to compare to it can
be found within a radius of twenty miles.
All the timber used is cedar, and has been
brought at least twenty five miles. Old
bitches and roads are to be seen in every
direction. The Navajo Indians say, in
regard to these ruins, that their forcfathcrs
came there five old mems ages ago 600
years., aud that these ruins were here, and
tho same then as now, and there is no record
whatever of their oruin"