The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-02-20
The Cliff.dWellerS of Arizona.

The Cliff-dwellers of Arizona.
We extract by permission from pri
vate letter the following interesting de-
scription of visit to the homes of the
ancient cliff-dwellers in Arizona-that
mysterious people who had vanished off
the face of the earth before the tradi-
tional period, and whose only remain
ing traces are the wonderful ruins which
betoken high state of civilization at
that early age. Arizona is at once the
oldest and the newest region of the
United States, filled with relics of the
most antique races of North America,
and honey -combed with precious metals,
while it is overrun with Mexican and
Indian bandits openly practicing high
way robbery, and scarcely explored save
at few widely scattered points. But this
state of things never lasts long in our
country, and railroads and telegraphs
will soon open this Territory to modern
civilization.
81 was obliged to stay over at Flor
ence for that modern instrument of tor
ture the blackboard, invented especially
for the benefit of travellers in Arizona.
This city of Italian nomenclature is
composed entirely of adobe houses one
story high, and not great many at
that. The leading hotel there advertis-
es that "a magnificent pavilion, 40 by 60
feet, has been erected for the benefit of
travellers I occupied a bed in this
same pavilion. e., outdoor lodging
house-in common with many others,
not counting the chickens, dogs, and
pigeons. The pigeons billed and cooed
all night in the apex of the pavilion, and
the roosters crowed at all hours their
compliments to other ROSTERS far away.
But the ordinary traveller in Arizona
soon becomes oblivious to all noise after
few days and nights on the blackboard,
or 'jerky.'
"Mr. - proposed that we should
make an excursion to the celebrated
ruin of the ancient chffdwellers, the
Casa Grande lying twelve miles west of
Florence. About 10 o'clock he drove
up in an antiquated buggy, with pair
of aged horses, such as are never known
to run away. The whole outfit was in
keeping with the contemplated excur-
sion. A lunch was provided, as we
proposed to make day of it, and large
canteen of water, without which no one
ever travels in Arizona. A few min
utes' drive brought us to the outskirts
OF the town, which is located on the
ella River. bitches conduct the water
through the principal streets, which are
lined, with rows of fine cottonwood
trees. We continued along the ella
bottom after all signs of habitation had
disappeared. The road was very heavy,
and we travelled, amidst cloud of fine
alkali dust, through a beautiful variety
of cacti, which always thrive where
nothing else will grow. The most
noticeable of these is the saguara, which
often sends up single stem, round and
OF the same size throughout, from thirty
to forty feet, and covered with thorns,
like every thing that grows in Arizona.
The saguara assumes all sorts of fam
tastic shapes, and one never tires of
looking at them. Branches often put
out from the sides of the parent stems,
presenting the appearance of gigantic
hand with one or more fingers extended.
"About five miles west of Florence we
came to asmall place called Adamsville,
noted for having -four mill in opera
ton. Adamsville, as its name implies,
is an old place, and was just as old
as it is now long before Florence had an
existence. 1t has a history. Several
years ago the Mexicans, becoming jeal-
GUS OF the white settlers in this vicinity,
determined to drive them away from the
ella, and two or three hundred congre-
gated and attacked this place, with I'M
happy results. Nineteen OF them were
killed almost at the first fire, when the
invaders concluded to give up the un-
dertaking as bad job. Nearly all the
life visible at Adamsville was at the
liquor saloons. Here we passed a load
of water-melons moving toward town,
and secured one for dessert.
"On each side of the valley were
ranges OF mountains. Not far from
Florence we passed on our left the sa-
cred mountain where Colonel Poston
intends building temple for the wor-
ship OF the sun. Thus far only flag
staff has been put up where flag of Gu
rious device is kept flying, and road is
laid out up the side of the sacred emil
nence. 1t is said that he has long been
in correspondence with distinguished
chiefs in India, and there is prospect
OF the Moonstone being sent over.
Whether this is scheme of crazy ia
natics or shrewd adventurers, time will
show. In the distance are the Santa
Catalina Mountains, rich with buried
treasure. Occasionally we came across
broad bitches for irrigating the soil,
some of them twenty feet wide, dug by
none knows whom.
AFTER jogging along for three or
four hours, we turned to the left among
the mesquit bushes to the Casa Grande'
The old ruin OF the prehistorics, like the
castles OF the Rhine, looked sadly out of
repair. The roof and all of the floors
had fallen in, and time and heavy rains
had made deep burrows in the sides and
waahQ0 mt huno ynoscoo II ,~oa ....