Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1877-05-26

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LAKE CRY, Col, May 5.-Prof. Hay-
den has given Southwestern Colorado a
new interest by discovering and describ-
ing the ancient ruins in that section. and
IN Southeastern Utah. The stories told
about these ruins are very interesting.
The fertile valley of the Animxs was
densely inhabited and highly cultivated
by an enlightened race Of people cen-
turies ago. The ruins Of the houses.
eorrals, towns, Notifications, bitches.
pottery ware, drawings, aon-jnterpreta-
Bile writings, etc., show that MANY arts
were cultivated by these prehistoric peo-
pie which are now entirely lost. Their
houses were built OF most every kind of
stone, from small powders to the finest
sandstone
The finest of these ruins. and the near
est perfect, are situated about IS miles
below Aniinas City, in large valley Is
miles long by wide. on the west side
of the river. This valley has beer COW
cred with buildings of every size. the
two largest being 500 BY 500 feet.
and about 800 feet apart. They are
built of small blocks of sandstone. laid
in adobe mud, the outside walls
being four feet, and the inside
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 still standing. About the
second story, on the west side, there
was once balcony along the length of
he building. No signs of a door are
Visible in the outer walls, and the ingress
must have been from the top, in the in
lde there being passages from to ROOM
HOST OF them are small, from 8 by 10 to
2 by IA feet. the doors being 2 by
eet. The arches over the doors and
'ortholes are made of small cedar poles
wo inches wide, placed across, on which
he masonry is placed. The sleepers
the floors are of cedar, about
light inches thick, and from 20 to so
eet long, and about three feet apart. A
aver of small round poles was then
laced across the sleepers, then LAYER
I thinly split cedar sticks, then about
hree inches of earth. then a LAYER of
edar bark, then another layer of dirt.
hen carpet of some kind of coarse
rass. The rooms that have been pro-
,cted from exposure are whitewashed,
nd the walls are ornamented with
rawlings and writings. In one Of these
Doms the impression of a hand dipped
whitewash on Il joist is as plain rs if
had been done only yesterday. In an
Their room there are drawings of taran-
llas, centipedes, horses. and men.
In some of the rooms have been found
lman bones, bones of sheep, corn cobs,
Dods. raw hides, and all colors and va
cites of potteryware. These two large
nldings are exactly the same in every
spect. Portions Of the buildings plain
show that they were DESTROYED by
'e. the timbers being burned or and
e roofs caved in, leaving the lower
oms entirely protected. The rock
at these buildings were built of must
I'VE been brought a long way. a. moth
g to compare with it can be found
thin radius of twenty miles. All
e timber used is cedar, and has been
ought at least twenty-five miles. Old
lches and roads are to be seen in ev-
= direction.
The Navajo Indians say, in regard to
sse ruins, that their forefa.hers came
re five old mems ages ago (5O0 years.,
that these ruins were here, and the
ne then rs now, and there Is no re-
I'd whatever of their origin.-Nep
ri San.