Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-01-05
NO. /.
Sew Mexico's Ciin City.

The section Of the United States geolog.
ical survey, of which Col. James Stephen
son was a member, left Washington last
August for explorations in northern New
Mexico. They went by rail- to Santa Fe,
and then procured mules aud wagons, and
continued their journey. They made some
examinations at Taos. and proceeded
thence to the Indian town Of Santa clara.
While there Col. Stephenson heard OF
some extensive abandoned cliff caves SIT
aated about twelve miles west from Santa
Clara. and about forty miles from Santa
Fe. Procuring Indian guides, the explor-
ers started for the designated locality,
where the caves were found situated in the
face of series of cliffs between the Rio
Grande and the Jemaz mountains.
The formation is of volcanic origin, and
consists of kind OF pumice stone, which
appears to have been thrown out from the
mountains when In eruption. 1t seems To
be deposited in the form Of wide mesas or
table lands, extending out some eight miles
from the foot Of the mountain and about
thirty miles long, as far as seen by the
geologists, though tine Indians said the
cliffs and the caves reached almost to the
head of the Jemaz river, fer y-6ve miles.
After the deposit had formed and become
solidified, it appears to have been disturbed
by subterranean convulsions, which broke
the surface frequently and tilted the edges
upward, thus forming cliffs from the edge
of which the surface descended back to-
ward the mountain to the next cliff or bluff.
and 50 on, presenting the appearance of a
continuous series of ledges back to the
mountain. These cliffs or bluffs rise to q
height of from 80 to 500 feet In the face
of the cliffs the haDitations OF numerous
people were made, perhaps many centuries
ago, and abandoned hundreds of years
since. Some Of the cliffs contain two,
some three, and others as many as five
lines of antiquated dwellings, rising line
above line and back toward the mountain,
tier beyond tier.
Above each cliff and upper line there
are ruins of rectangular houses, built of
blocks of stone of the form OF bricks and
adobes, but larger in size All of those old
dwellings were inhabited, probably, by the
forefathers Of the present race of Indians,
who now occupy the plains aud river val
leys. with adobe houses piled upon each
other, and only accessible by means of
ladders or balloons. The houses on top Of
the cliffs in the abandoned city between
the Jemaz mountains and the Rio Grande
river are rectangular in form, but the caves
in the cliffs are circular, being ten to fifteen
feet in diameter, with arched roofs These
dwellings were not caves, in the ordinary
sense of the word, as the entrances to them
are narrow, so as to admit no more than
one person at a time. The doors look, 81
q distance, like narrow slit in the face of
the rock. Once within, the excavation is
and around the circumfer-
ence are numerous smaller apartments, ap-
parently used as storerooms; also, at oppo-
site sides, at the inner circle, holes were
irilled into the walls, poles having been
Inserted and supported at each end. as
though for the purpose OF being used 10
hold up any article to be dried or put be-
Yond the reach OF small predatory animals,
If there were any SUCH in the Indian cities
long ago. At this time, in some of those
holes IN the walls, there are still to be
found ends of the poles which were once
extended sCu0sS tbs APARTMENT. aud "
many of the smaller inches are to be found
some sort OF charred remains of small grain.
and IN other places corncobs were discov-
cred
Another interesting and significant fac,
discovered in connection with the lodges
In the lodges was, that before each line OF
dwellings there appear To have been pave
ments, sometimes four To five feet I'm
width, on the bfoadest of which there were
two trails or foot paths. In some places
there was room for only one path. Into
the rock of these paths trails were worn TO
the depth of from live to twenty inches. In
some OF them tiIv iGaprints of feet may bs
seen TO this day. On the face vi cha rock.
in places, may be found pictures and hero
glyphics. All the indications point 60 the
theory that numerous population occu-
pied the dwellings in the cliffs for long
ages. and that they had refined ideas of
living comfortably and in safety, removed
above the reach OF animals and men,
The most intelligent Indian who sccOm-
panied Col Stephenson and his party gave
ii as his opinion that the cliff houses were
once inhabited by the ancestors of the
Pueblo tribes, and that they were induced
to step down and out by the missionaries
after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. AT
present those Indians occupy thei- adobe
va lages, cultivate fields of corn, potatoes,
nelous, beans, calabashes, etc. own cattle
and carts, aud get along peacefully and
Their pottery is celebrated
for its durability and unique designs AMI
They aud their belong
ngs form one of the most interesting fields
Of study connected with the aOorigiDes.
md, though some interesting information
has been gathered, the inquiry is as yet in
is infancy.