Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-05-11
HISTORICAL FACTS,

In connection herewith it will be in teresting, perhaps, to append the fol- lowing description of Casa Grande, taken from "The Resources of Ari- zona," published by Hon. Patrick Hamilton, Commissioner of Immigra- tion:
 First among these prehistoric relics, both in it's extent and state of preservation, is the famous Casa Gran
 de. It is situated in the valley of the Gila, about five miles south of the river, and l2 miles below the town of Florence. The ruins were first dis covered by Cabeza de Vaca, in his l journey across the continent, of which mention has heretofore been made, and was thoroughly explored by Cor onado, when he led his famous ex- petition northward, two years latter.
 It was then (1540) four stories high,
 with walls six feet in thickness.
 Around 1t were many other runs,
 with portions of their walls yet stand
 ing, which would go to prove that a
 city of no inconsiderable dimensions
 once existed here. As showing its
 great antiquity, it is mentioned that
 the Pima Indians, who then, as now,
 were living in the immediate vicinity
 had no knowledge of the origin or
 history of the structure, or of the peo-
 as long as tradition existed in tine
 tribe, and when or by whom erected
 was as much of mystery to the
 Pimas as to their European visitors Father kino and Mange visited the
 Casa Grande in 1894, and gave a de tailed description of the ruins as they then appeared.
 "They found the remains of grea ediice, having large room ill tht middle, four stories in height, witt walls six feet in thickness. They also give an account of twelve other ruin : in the vicinity. Father Pedro Eon visited the ruins in HIT, and fount } them much in tie condition the, t were when secn by kino and Mange 9 He describes the main pulling as 'al l. oblong square, facing b the car,:ina 3 points of tie compass. The eNterio l wall extends from north to south F :, feet, and from east to west 26O feet $ The interior of the house consists c t five halls, the three middle ones be y ing of one size, and the extreme one s longer. The three middle ones ar d twenty-six feet in length from mort j. to south, and ten feet in breadth fror n east to west This was Casa Grand > over 100 years ago, but the rains an $ winds of century have left thei
 mark on its crumbling wall. Tn
 buildings stood upon a slight emir r. ence, and was no doubt the mai
 structure in the city which once el
 isted here The walls were compose
 of a concrete, made of mud and gra' R. el, held together by a hard cemen
 This concrete was made in larg {. blocks, which were put in place an
 firmly cemented together. The il
 ner surface was coated with this D
 culiar cement, and is as hard an l. smooth to-day as when it dried und, ,f the hands af the ancient builders. f. "The dimensions of the ruin sti a. standing are about fifty by thirty fee ,e Each succeeding year sees a gradu Id ulllnlolllnS' anu lU lo OHiy d queotlo sa of a short period when Casa Crane V. will be an undistinguishable mass <, mud and gravel, like the mounds th
 surround. it. The walls still standir C. show round holes in which are four IT, pieces of cedar poles which supportt sd the floors. The ends of these pol De show that they were cut with son of blunnt instrument, and as numb ,n of stone axes, bone awls al le other implements of the stone al o [ baya hoep ovpayafad from, tbp rIfir