The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-10-31
DUST FOR MANY AGES.

DUST FOR MANY AGES.
The Industrious Clif-Dwellers Of
Southern Colorado.
Relics Of q Peaceful Race OF Men Found
Among tho wind-yorn Caves oy
Mon:exana County, Col.-why
They Became Extinct.
! The arch@ologists of Denver should be
happy. Almost at their very door they can
now see the skulls and handiworis Of mon
and women of pre- historic time. The caves
Of tho cliff-dwellers on the Mancos, of
Southern Colorado, have been once more
entered by vanuals, but tins tlme only ruin
and the dust OF departed centuries were to
be found.
The existence Of these caves has long
been known, but no thorough examination
was ever made until few months ago,
wien Charles Mci4oyd, Il prospector aud
miner of the San Juan, and four COMPANIONS
concluded that it would be at least q lark to
look into tho abandoned dwellings. A wuter
in tho Denver Republican describes the re-
suit OF their investigations. No definite
idea OF securing n collection was Thought Of,
but after wandering from one rum to an
other on tho top of the clifis, anu where the
land could be made fertile, they commenced
exploring the caves. Among the first
entered little of interest was to be found,
but they finally came to a place that was al
most inaccessible. On the mesa above
large reservoir was to be seen, and it is the
opinion of the explorers that this. great
tract OF ground was once titled by the peo-
pie who lived In the caves below. But row
pinon trees of great age are standing ON all
sides, and how many of them have sprung
up, lived their days, decayed and then have
been succeeded by others, no man living to-
day knows-it may have been hundreds, it
may have been thousands of years ago.
Mr.. McLoyd says that the dwellings, in
Montezana County We're found on the sides
of walls of the canyon of of the Maicos and
it's tributaries in wind-worn caves or crcy-
ices caused by falling water, and were so
completely protected from the elements
that many of their effects were found IN a
perfect state of preservation. AS rule,
these caves are lu almost inacccss.:..,s
places. When inhabited they were reached
quite frequently by notcnes cut in the rock,
and at other times rope ladders must have
been used.
! Quite number of the houses found were
! OF prctentious dimensions, Alie largest beng
building on the ground floor of which are
| 1l2 rooms, and 200 III the upper stories. This
building was four stories in helgnt with a
tower, and was built of dressed stone and
cement made Of the surrounding soil
mixed with substance now unknown, and
The architecture now would be called that
OF the Roman period.
The race which inhabited it is thought to
have been relatca to tho Zunis, Aiolu,s and
Pucblos, aid it is supposed was the an
ccsiors of those tribes. This, however, is
simply supposltlon, and is basedon the for
nation of the skulls and the relics of differ
cnt kinds left
i The race, according to the theory ryadvanced
by the Smithsonian Institute. existed about
! ten thousand years ago. This theory is
based upon the idea that the people lived
and farMed OH the banKs of the SAT- river ne.
| fore the bed of that stream was changed
and the finding of trees and fungi IN tho
runs.
The adjoining natives, the Navajos, arc
the only race that have anv tradition con-
corning these people. and theirs is that the
cltf-uwcl.ers Decaue extinct py pelng over
come by numbers, and, preferrins death by
drowning rather than at the hands of the
enemy, jumped into the water be.ow their
homes, and, instead OF drowning became
/ fish. The cliff-dwellers were quiet, in.
! offensive race, judging from tho lack Of in
strumcnts of war and the n.;ny articles
that were used in their crude method vf
farming.
Phrenologically speaking, they were Quiet
and peaceablc, the back part of the skull be-
j ing very fiat and often depressed, while the
i front part was well formed and denoted
some intelligence.
| Among the skulls in the collection is one
that consists of one piece only, AID shows
no truce of a seam between the three PARTS
US is usual i'll the human skull. The bones
I found would indicate that they We're rco-
pie of medium height and we'll formed, aay-
/ ing small hands und feet, the li:;r black and
1 finer in texture than that of any known RAGE
Of savagcs. There is no sign of :iny !, ,,mcs-
ticated animal or fowl with the exception
Of the turkey; it was utili2cd in many WAYS.
specimens Of dust brushes, bone needles.
ETC., having been found. The agricultural
/ prelucts found consisted Of corn, beans and
! pu..pkins, for artlc.es of food, and the
yucca for that of cluthing. Their textile
fabrics consisted of mats and cloths ;na.,ec Of
cord of the yucca plant interviewer with
the down from the turkey or fur OF some
anlni;ll, and is soft and flexible. 1t was used
evidently only in tho burying Of their dead,
!, who were wrapped in this cloth.
There wcrc discovered near the cities of
these people large reservoirs for holding tho
water that came down from the mountains.
These reservoirs were made with stone
walls. There IS ore still perfect, it being
situated Oh topcf the s'nesa verdin or foot
hills, and is $50 feet IN diameter, walled
with double walls and contains from ten to
fifteen feet Of water. All their farming was
carried on in the valleys above the canyons
and was accomplished by hard labor and
with the cru,est of implements, nothing
having been found Of this nature except q
sharp-pointcd stick Of hard wood, which
was used to tear up the ground for planting.
\ Their household utensils consisted of
pottery jars and casks made of fiber and
covered with substance resembling mod
ern varnish Both were made in co1.s aud
are light in weight and Of course very dur.-
BILE.
I! Their knives were made from the bones
Of the deer, highly polished and very sliatp.
There is nothing to Indicate that they were
acquainted i'll any respect with the uses of
any kind of metal. They used both wood
and coal for heating and cooking purposes,
and had their fiieplaccs just outside the
door in the same manner that the Mexicans
do to-day. Tie sandals used, unlike those
worn by savage tribes of the present,
were made of vegetable fibers and not of
skins, and there 10 nothing to show that tho
cliff dwellers were in any way proficient in
the art of hunting, as only arrows of hard
wood and cane are found, and they could
. not be used in killing large game, being of