Sharp County record., 1878-01-18
ANCIENT AMERICA.
Interesting Models of the Houses and
Towns of the Early Inhabitants OF Ne"
Mexico and Arizona.
Washington Cor. Chicago Times.l

An inspection of the plaster-cast rep
resentations by Messrs. w. H. Holmes
and w. H. Jackson, of the geological
survey of the territories under the dl-
recti0n of Prof. Hayden, will show
remarkable accumulation of arch@olog-
ical and other evidence respecting the
ancient dwellers on this continent. up
to the year 1874 rumOr had been telling
many marvellous stories of strange and
interesting habitaions of forgotten
people who once occupied the country
about the headwaters Ofthe Rio San Juan,
but these variations 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, Nowberry, 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
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, "
'athough made known TO the world
only through a 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. l..
The following year the same region
was visited by Mr. W. H. Holmes, one
of the geologists 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 Chelly and thence TO
the Moqui villages in Northeastern Ari-
zona. Returning, the country between
the Sierra Abaio 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. ~
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 pecull-
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
THE CLUBHOUSE,
of the Mancos Canyon, the exterior di-
mensions of which are % inches in
breadth by 46 inches in height, and on
a scale of "a, 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 surfkce 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, ,snd repre-
sents the "large cave town III the valley
of the Rio de Chelly" nearJits junction
with the San Juan. The tSSn is located
upon narrow bench occurring about so
feet above the base of perpendicular
bluff some 800 feet in height. 1t is 545
feet in length, about 40 feet at its great
est depth, and shows about IS 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 a fair
state of preservation. This model is
37x47 inches, outside measurements,
IL tl,n rnnln Ia % n,. civ foot u tho