Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-11-14
AN ANCIENT CITY DISCOVERED.
Curiosities of the San Juan District in
Colorado.

is popularity known as the San Juan
country is now convulsed land half crazy
with excitement over new and rich dis
coveries Of gold and silver lodes ic the
San Miguel district, region of country
which lies forty miles west of Lake City
and which can only be reached by cross
ing the snow-clad mountains that sepa-
rate the waters of the Uncompaghre
from the Gunnigon. This mountain
range is nothing more nor less than
succession of glittering peaks from thir-
teen thousand to fourteen thousand feet
high, and with the exception of trail
which leads down the Uncompaghre
river to Ouray, is absolutely inaccessible,
except during the summer months. For
years past old hunters and prospectors
have limited mysteriously of the San
Miguel and Dolores valleys, and under
the seductive influences of old bourbon
and the campfire, told of streams whose
sands were yellow with gold; of pay
streaks and bars where fortunes could
be taken out in single week with a
common sluice box and rocker; and of
leads of quartz in the mountain side
that fairly glittered with specks Of free
gold and ruby silver; but until quite
lately all these yarns were set down as
harmless freaks Of the imagination, and
no effort was made to discover the real
character and richness of the country.
AT last w. w. Remine, veteran pion-
eer and prospector, whose life has been
spent on the western slope, and who
at the comparatively early age of 40
years has made and lost dozen fortunes,
determined to investigate matters for
himself, and early in June, 1876, left
Sylvester with nothing but his trusty rifle
and pack mule, with the avowed in
tention of exploring the mysterious val
ley of the San Miguel In vain his
comrades represented the dangers and
hardships to which he would be sub
jected. Remine was immovable in his
purpose. and, after struggling through
mountain canons and over giddy heights
he found himself one bright morning in
August standing in a beautiful valley
nearly two miles in width, through
which flowed the crystal waters of the
San Miguel. Intent upon exploration,
he followed the stream down distance
of twenty miles, to its confluence with
the Dolores river, and here found val
ley ten miles wide, level as billiard
table, and covered with a luxuriant
growth of grass. which waved in the
summer breeze and afforded nourish-
ment to large herds Of buffalo, mountain
sheep, black-tail deer, and every species
of game known to the Rocky mountain
region. The primeyal simplicity and
wildness Of Eden was here. The deer
and antelope had never been hunted,
and gazed with timid curiosity upon
Remine, allowing the bold intruder to
walk UP within a few yards, while the
industrious beaver damned the limpid
stream and raised his progeny undis-
turbed Working his way through the
tangled vegetation Remine was on the
point of crossing the stream when he
heard loud, vindictive snort, and
looking up there stood gigantic CHINA
mon bear, with her two cubs, on the
other side, ready to receive him in her
giant embrace But Remine had not
started out on such a trip to be fright
ened by q bear. In an instant the faith
full Sharp was at his shoulder; a report
and puff of smoke followed, and the
monster fell to the earth with an ounce
ball through her brains. After dispos-
ing of his trophy Remine proceeded to
take a circuit through the valley, and
on level plateau on the west bank of
the Dolores river discovered the ruins
of what had once evidently been large
city. Ancient ruins and fragments of
pottery were scattered in every direction,
and the foundation walls of some of the
principal buildings were still standing in
a good state of preservation In the
centre Of the ruins and standing in a
clear, open space was the remains of a
temple, which had evidently been de-
voted to the worship of the sun. The
walls were Of hewn stone, and so arts
tically laid together that it was hard to
detect joint. Although exposed to
the ravages of time for thousands of
years, the foundation looked as massive
and strong as when first laid by its an
cient builders, and even the plaster with
not lost its color, but seemed as bright
and fresh as thought put Oh but yester-
day. Filled with wonder and feeling
of reverence at beholding such an Inn
posing ruin, Remine proceeded to
measure the temple, and found that it
was one hundred and twenty feet wide
and three hundred feet in length. The
walls in many places were adorned with
rough representations of men and ami
mails, with no perspective, while over
one of the windows was the rude figure
of dove bearing twig or branch of
some kind, and flying toward noun
tain in the distance Our explorer found
the ground covered for acres with cut
stones and broken crockery ware, and
houses and walls of solid masonry,
showing marks of skillful workmanship,
having withstood the ravages of time
for unnumbered centuries. A wall fifty
feet thick, apparently several miles in
circumference, was visible in many
places, making it probable that this pre-
historic city, like Babylon of old, had a
population skilled in the arts Of ancient
warfare, and who built it in such a man
ner as to be invulnerable by any such
appliance as Roman battering ram.
In places houses were found completely