The Red Cloud chief., 1878-12-12
The Western Cnn.Dseuer~.

OF late. blown owe the plains, come
stories ~ strange, newly discovered cit
les ~ the far Southwest, picturesque
piles ~ masonry. ~ an age unknown
Ia tradition. These ruins mark nm era
among antiquarians. The mysterious
mound. builders fade into comparative
insignifinanco before the grand.r and
more ancient cliH.dwcll.rs. who's. cas-.
ties lit their towers amid the sands ~
Arizona. and crown, The trrracrd slopes
~ the Rio Moncos aud the Hoycn~eep
pronounced Hoy.en-wcrpl.
A ruin accidentally discovered ~ A.
ID. Wilson. ~ the Hayden survey, sew.
.rai years ago, Will. he was put suing
his iabors ~ chief ~ the Typographical
corps IN Southern Colorado, " dcscrib-
ed to mc by Mr.. Wilson ns u stone
building. abou, the size ~ the Patent
Ohice. II stood upon the bank 81 the
Animns. In the San Juan country. and
contained perhaps iv, hundred rooms.
The rood and part ~ the walls had
fallen bat the part standing indicated
u height ~ four stories. A number 81
oh. roooms were fairly preserved, had
small. loop-hole wistows. hut no outer
doors. The building had doubtless been
erf.rcd originally by mean ~ ladders
resting on sishes. and drawn In after
the occupants. The Go.rs are VI cedar.
each log NJ large around ~ n mans
head. the spt~es filled neatly by smaller
poles and twigs, covered by n carpet II
cedar-bnrk. The ends ~ the timber
were bruised md frny,.i. NJ " severed
by n dull instrument; in IN. vicinity
were stone hatshcts. and -aws made of
sandstone s~liycrs, abows two feet long.
worn to- u smooth edge. \ few hundred
yards from the mammoth hsiilding wa
u second large housc IN ruins, and bo-
tween tho two stronghoi@s were rows
III small dwellings, buih 81 cobble-
stones laitin ddoss. and arranged along
streets af>cr the manner ~ the village
81 to-day. The SMALLER ID as.s were In
u more advanced s,ntc IL suin. on ac-
count ~ tho round stones being more
readily di~nt,graisd by ,ss elements
than the heavy masonry.
The strcsts aud houses ~ cSi~ desert
ell town AR. ovcrgrown by I,yniYcr and
pinon the latter n dwarf Wide spread
Ing pine which bears beneath the scales
III its cones delicious ami nutritious
uuNf EiVFs 'H' NtN w "" W't's w
we'll rs the living trees. and from their
position on the heaps If srumiaing
stone. Mr.. Wilson oonclusSss that u
great pcriodo II timo has elapsed since
the buildings fell. fn,w masy hun~ired
years they stssph aft.r dcsepvipn bstorc
yielding To ~ the threads II nms ran
M, be certainly known.
The presence II sound wood N the
houses does not set aside thsir aatipui-
". In the dry. purs air ~ Souahs-rn
Colorado. wsssi fairlt protected viii last
for centuries In Asia ced,r wood has
been kept . Thousand years, asd in
Egypt cedar 10 kpo~n'to have hssn In
perfect preservation two tho0ssn s y cars
after II left the forest; the c~dars snro'-
out the territories uf the southwest do
not rot. cNc In the. groves, thss die,
aud stand crcct. solid and sapls~s, the
winds and Sshirling sands cave tks dead
trees into forms Il fantastic beauty,
drill holes through the truaks, aad play
at Acknowledgements In tin. perforated
limbs until. after ages II resistance,
literally bnw awS In s.pns ~ line,
clean dust.
Ga the Ro San Juan. tbou, twenty
NV hii's t'rthn' VV'h W. tssS |" 'n'
Animas. Mr.. Wilson d~iso~vcrs>i the fol-
lowing cVening u similar pile. homing
solcmnly In tho twilight psar thcir
camping place; the scene ~ described
was weird in tho cStreuss, NJ the moos
arose. ! TIN shadows - thu phantom
buildings were thrown asrkiy acr,~s
the silvery plata Tho baSe Of Camp.
fires. the tiny ,sats. the nsgro cook, the
men in ,uokska huntiag g>rb. and thu
picketc4 mules, male . strange picsure
of the ssmmers night ~ith background
81 mooaht desert and crumbling ruins,
On who,-e ~rarspsuts ts~ser~i dead. gsa,nt
cedars,. lifting their sieschcd skosstoas
like sheet.a ghosts within tho silent
watch~towers ~ the murky past
From see Iisstvatsa srfscie ~ Ssrt1,sss
for Esosa1sy.