The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-07-23

orado, and cross the Arkansas river at Grena
da. The night Is cool and we enjoy a goo'
sleep, and wake up next morning short dis
lance from Trinidad, having a splendid view
of the Spanish Peaks, directly west OF US
At Trinidad we cross river called by tb
pious Spanlards Los Anmas Uhe SOULS, b.,
the wicked French Purgatoire (purgatory)
and by the frec.born American Picket|ire
After passing Trinidad we have grade of 2lC
feet to the mile until we reach the Ration tun
mel, bore over 1000 fleet long, cut through
solid rock, running through one Of the higl
spurs that protrude from the main body OF thu
Rocky Mountains, and known as the Rator
Range We come out of this tunnel Into New
Mexico The surface of New Mexico, partic
ularly that section crossed by the Atchison
Topeka e. Santa Fe Railroad is broken and
irregular in the extreme, and may be said tc
consist of mountains, so.called tablelands, and
sandy valleys, all traversed by dry and unpro
ductive arroyas and depressions. In many
places towards the northwest these tablcands
or spurs OF mountains rise one above the other
| III VI StCppcS, SUNNI vi luCth IChSHibS
one thousand feet in height, and ranging from
an altitude of SIX thousand to seven thousand
feet above the level Of the sea. From out
these spurs or table ranges rise mountains,
bearing unpronounceable Names some of
which reach an altitude of eleven or twelve
thousand feet
A short distance south Of the New Mexican
line we pass the Stockton Ranch This was a
citation on the old Santa Fe Trail and was a
noted rendezvous of the dcsperadoes, cowboys
and Mexicans The Stockton gang, that have
of late been committing the depredatons in
Southwestern Colorado and New Mexico had
their headquarters here until the railroad
made il uncomfortable for them.
We reach Pecos about o'clock in the after.
noon, near which place are the ruins Of the
old Pecos church and Pueblo. Distant from
the citation about one and a quarter miles and
a little south Of east stands the grim old ruin
Of Pecos church, looking quietly down upon
the ruined Pueblos OF the once populous and
busy city of Cicuye. This impressive ruin
Is slowly but surely resolving itself into the
clayey dust out of which ages ago its proper
lions were chiefly wrought. When 1t was
erected is not known today. The Jesuit pre-
lates say that the first priest of the Romish
church was settled here in 1929, and very like
iy the erection of the church soon followed.
1t was built in the form Of a Roman cross,
and had an extreme length of 1873 feet, and a
width through the wings or arms of 81 feet,
an dthrough the base or body of 40 feet. Its
walls were five and half feet thick, built of
adobe brick, mostly eighteen inches long,
nine wide, and four Inches thick. II Is diff
cult to determine the character and height of
the root at the present time, as nothing is left
but the walls Of the structure, and even they
are far from perfect; in fact the front wall and
parts of the side walls are pretty much down.
The few timbers that time and man have left
in place are MASSIVE. and are rudely carved
upon all pendent and exposed surfaces Con
tiguous to the church and on the south are
the ruins Of both stone and earth enclosures.
the same surface area as the church itself
Their location and formation suggest the pos
sibilty of buildings once connected with the
church. From the church north for some.
thing like 1900 feet the ridge is enclosed by
ruins OF stone wall. This wall Is built Just
at the edge, or more properly, just where the
gentle slOplng of the top leaves off and the alb
rupt declivlty begins. This wall which en-.
closed the entire city proper, as at present dis.
closed, was parapet upon natural rampant
Just within the wall on the west and near the
most abrupt declivity, in thu one case, and
overlooking the main passway through the
wall in the other are the ruins of mason work
that suggest the probability OF their having
been redoubts and watch towers ages ago
About 200 feet north of the church and against
the walls on both sides OF the ridge are the
ruins of the ancient homes of the Aztccs-the
first dwellings met thus far. These dwellings
are grouped IN two lines along the wall tor
$50 to 400 feet. The two groups or lines are
by an open space some 200 feet wide
AT an average OF three stories, these two
groups must have contained at least 225 to
$50 dwellings.
The houses at the Pecos ruins were all built
after one model, with some slight changes of
detail. When Coronado was here the houses
were tour stories high. They were built of
stone, cemcnted together with mud. The roof
Is flat, made Of poles, and then earthed over
The first house or story has an opening only
at the top-through the roof The second
house or story Is erected IN the rear of this
opening and above the first, and has an open
ing on to the roof of the first story. Each sue.
ceeding story is built back from the one under
meath, like unto the steps of a stairway The
first stories are, as rule, connected by small
openings and passages, hardly large enough
to permit an average person to crawl through