The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-11-29
ANCIENT AMERICA.
Interesting Models of the Houses ana
Towns Of the Early Inhabitants OF new

mexico ana AT1xOnAs
Washington Cor. Chicago TimesI
An inspection of the plaster4cast rep
reservations by Messrs. w. H. Holmes
and w. II. Jackson, of the geological
survey of the territories under the dl-
rection of Prof. Hayden, will show a
remarkable accumulation of arch9olOg-
ical and other evidence respecting the
ancient dwellers on this continent. Up
to the year 1874 rumors had been telling
many marvellous stories of strange and
interesting habitations of a forgotten
people who once occupied the country
aboutthe headwaters ofthe Rio San Juan,
but these narrations were so interviewer
with romance that but few people placed
much reliance upon them. To those
well versed in archaeology, ruins OF an
extensive and interesting character were
known to exist throughout New Mexico
and Arizona, and the various reports OF
Albert, johnson, Sitgreaves, Simpson,
Whipple, Newberry, and others form
most interesting chapter in ancient
American history; but their researches,
aside from the meagre accounts publish
ed by Newberry, throw no light ON the
marvellous cliff-dwellings and towns
north of the San Juan. ,
In 1874 the Photographic division of
the United States Geological Survey
was instructed, in connection with its
regular work, to
VISIT AND REPORT UPON THESE RUINS,
and in pursuance of this object made a
hasty tour of the region about the Mesa
Verde and the Sierra Ell Late, in South
western Colorado, the results of which
trip, as expressed by Bancroft in the
"Native Races of the Pacific Coast"
"although made known to the world
only through three or four days ex-
ploration by party of~three men, are
of the greatest importance. A report
was made and published with fourteen
illustrations in the bulletin of the United
States Geographical Survey of the Ter
ritories, Second Series, No. /.
The following year the same region
was visited by Mr.. w. H. Holmes, one
of the biologists of the Hayden Survey,
and careful investigation made of all
the ruins Mr.. Jackson. who had made
the report the previous year, also re-
visited this locality, but extended his
explorations down the San Juan to the
mouth of the De Chiefly and thence to
the Moqui villages in Northeastern Ari-
IONA. Returning, the country between
the Sierra Abajo and La Sal and the La
Plata was traversed and an immense
number of very interesting ruins were
first brought to the attention of the out
side world by the report which was pub.
lished the following winter by Messrs.
Holmes and Jackson. bulletin of the
United States Geological and Geo.
graphical Survey Of the Territories,
Vol. l., No. 1.)
The occasion of the Centennial Ex-
hibition at Philadelphia led to the idea
of preparing models of these ruins for
the clearer illustration of their peculi-
arities, four of which were completed in
season for the opening of the Exhibi-
ton. The first was made by Mr..
Holmes, with whom the idea originated,
and represents |
ss...s, THE CLUBHOUSE
of the Mancos Canyon, the exterior di-
mansions of which are % inches in
breadth by 46 inches in height, and on
scale of 1.24, or two feet to the inch.
This is two-story building, construct
ed of stone, occupying narrow ledge
in the vertical face of the bluff, 700 feet
above the valley and 200 feet from the
top. 1t is "a feet in length and Ia feet
in depth, and divided into four rooms
on the ground floor. The beams sup
porting the second floor are all destroy
ed. The doorways, serving also as
windows, were quite small, only one
small aperture in the outer wall facing
the valley. The exposed walls were
lightly plastered over with clay, and so
closely resembled the general surface of
the bluff that it becomes exceedingly
difficult to distinguish them at little
distance from the surroundings.
The second model of this series was
constructed by Mr.. jackson, and repre-
sents the large eavetow in the valley
of the Rio de- Chiefly ',near it's junction
with the San Juan. The town is located
upon narrow bench occurring about so
feet above the base of a perpendicular
bluff some 800 feet in height. 1t is 545
feet in length, about 40 feet at its great
est depth, and shows about rs apart
ments on its ground. plan The left
hand third Of the town,as we face it, is
overhung some distance by the bluff,
protecting the buildings Beneath much
more perfectly than the Others, This is
the portion represented by the model.
A three-story tower forms the central
feature; upon either side are rows of
lesser buildings, built one above anoth-
er, upon the sloping floor of rock.
Nearly all these buildings are in fair
state of preservation. This model is
S7x47 inches, outside measurements,
and the scale is La or six feet to the
inch.
A restoration" of the above forms
the third in the series. of the same size