The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-05-02
DUST FOR MANY AGES E;s.
The Industrious oliH-pweuers Of
Southern Colorado.

Relies OF a Peaceful Race Of Men Found
Among tho Winti- Worn Caves of
Monte.ana County, Col.-Why
They Became Extinct
!! The arch@olcgists of Denver should be-
happy. Almost ut their very door they can
now see the skulls and handiworl, of men
and women of pre- historic time. The caves
OF the clisf-dwe;lcrs on tho Mancos, OF
Southern Colorado, have been once more.
entered by vahaals, but this tino only ruin
and the dustot departed centuFies-wcre to
be found. .. -
The eIle1ce of these caves has long
49, Known, bat no thorough examination
iWees ever made until o few months ago,
when Charles N.ciAoyd, prnspector and
mitser Of the San Juan, and four companions
concluded that it would be at least a lark to
look i"to the abandoned d lettings. Awrlter
i'll tEc Denver Republican describes the re-
suit OF their investigations. No definite
idea OF securing Il collection was Thought of,
but aite: wandering frnm ono rum TO an
o:he. on t:io Top of tho cliffs, and where the
l;.md could DC ;l1dc fertile, they commence!
cNpio'ing .,s caves. Among the first
entered little of interest was to be found,
b.L They iiua.jy came to n place that wac al
most inaccessible. On the mesa above a
lar. Q reservoir was to lc seen, and it is the
| rvii;lun OF the cX' lorcrs that this great
t';;s't of ground YVES once titled by the peo-
pie w..o lived in the caves below. But now
p.:iHn ,rccs OF great age are standing on all
s'ac.', ;i..l bow many OF thc.n have sprung
VI, LIVES: their days, dacayed and then have
been Succeeded by others, no man living to-
'';i% G;:o.ys-it may have bcen hwnureds, it
nlay lave !ee., thousands of years ago
Nj. fi,.!.csa says tina. the dwellings, in
Muie2ai.a County We're found on the sitles
I w......s O: the canyon ol of the Mancos and
its tri!.a,irics in Ni!A-worn caves or crew
ices caused hy falling water, and were SO
completely protected from the clements
that ,..ny Of t:icir effects were found in a
rcrfcc. i;s;o of preservation. AS rule,
these caves arc ~ almost inaccessible
piccs. W!.cu Inhibited they were re:.r..cd
quit. frequently by notcnes cut i'll the rock,
and Ii. 0, ncr times rope ladders must have
been used
Quite !, number of the houses found were
of nre-c!itious dimensions, THE largest beng
Z. building or the ground huGr OF w'iicil are
III. ROOMS, and ~ IN tho upper stories. This
building was To.r s.orics lii he!gnt with q
tomci uii,, was built of dressc, stone and q
cement made of tho surrounding soil
l.%sl with q substance now unknown, and
tie a!n liiicctwre now would be cailed that
q! Tic kci:EAn period.
g'i,a .sce Which inhabited it is thcusht to
have been rea.cd to the Zulis, Mnqu,s aud
pucbl,,s, and 1T is supposed Was the an
ccs:o.s ct those tribes. THIS, however, is
..nn..iy s8pp,si;:on, aud is i,rssd on tire for
,.n.on CT the skulls and tho relics OF differ
CIT l,.ats lett
The race. according to the theory advanced
a,y tiia Smithsonian Institute. cyst; {; aDout
ten taaua;;ud years ago. i'l;s ti.eory is
based upon tho idea that The pen;:!c lived
ai! faru!rl Gil the banEs of tic SAT- rivcr ue-
fsre the bed OF that stream WIS c..au.v.:
;iad tho finding of trees and fungi IN the
RUNS.
Tie adjoining natives, tho Nlv::ios, are
the only race that have any tr,.:.;,ou con-
cs!ni:,. these people, and theirs is t::.,t the
c!itt-u.vc,,crs 3c;.!iie cvil.rt ny Berg over
co.ae by nu;Ghers, and, rre'rrriny death, By
Drowning rather than at tic ta....s G. :he
enemy, jua'pcd into tho wafer brow tier
homes, and. instead Of drowning !,c.:.ulc
fish. The ciiif.lwc:crs wcro ~ euict IN
offensive race, Judging from the lack of in
strin:eIts Of war and the many articles
that were used in their crude method of
farming.
Phrenologically speaking, they were quiet
and Heaceablc, the back part of the skull be-
ing very fiat and often depressed, while the
front part was well formed and denoted
some intelligence.
Among the skulls in the collection is one
that consists of ono piece only, a,i shows
no trace OF {, scam between the three ,;;,rts,
as is usual i'll the hulnun skull. Tc bones
roui.d wouid indicate that they we're n pco-
pie OF medium height and well formed, li,lv-
ing siunii hands and feet, the h:ur back aud
i, Of suvagcs. There is no sign of any doncs.
,ica;od animal or fowl with the exception
, OF the turkey; it was utilized in lnany ways,
specimens Of dust brushes, bone necilcs,
etc, having been found. The agricultural
products found cons :sted of corn, beans and
pumpkins, for Ertlcies of food, and the
: Yucca for that of clothing. Their tex.i.t
. fabrics consisted of mat 8 and cloths nude oi
cord of tile yucca plant interviewer witt
, the down from tho turkey or fur OF y
annual, and is SOFT and flexible. II w:is 4
evidently only i'll the buryin.! OF their dead
wo were Wrapi,cd i'll this cloth.
There were discovered ncnrthc cities o.
these people large reservoirs for Ecl;li,,., l,lt
water that can:c down from the mountains
These reservoirs were made With ston,
walls. There Is one still perfect. it hem.
situated on tepcf the ''lnesa ver,i'' or foo
hills, and is 1.0 feet i'll diameter, wa,!c,
viii double walls and contains from ten I,
I .if.cen feet ,i water. Allthcir farming VI:
carried on i'll tie valleys above the canyon.
and was accomplished by hard labor an,
with the cr;i,icst Of Implements, nothing
l.aving been fouMd Of this nature except
sharp pointed stick of hard wo3d. wh;c!
was used to tear up tie ground fcrplan ing
Their household utensils consisted O
pottery jars and casks made of fiber an,
covered with e substance resembling mod
crn varnish Both were made i'll COILS ay,
are light in weight and Of course very tlur;l
BILE.
Their knives were made from the bone
of the deer, highly polished ans. very sharp
y There is nothing to Indicate t:.nt they wcr
acquainted in any respect with the ,,sf O
any kiud of metal They used both WOO,
and cc;.l fl y heating and conk,ns pu,pos ca
ard had their fscpiuces just OUTSIDE th
loor in the same manner thuL the Mexican.
20 to-day. Tie saiidals used, unlike tios
wnin by savage Tribes of the rrcscn,
were made OF vegetable fibcrs and not 0
s.i:.s aud there ls nothing to show that I'll,
:. ciitf dwcilers were i'll any way proficient i,
the art of hunting, as only urrows of llelt
wood aud cane arc found, and they ccul
4 not bc used in killing large game, being .
80 fragile nature. They had but few OF
nainents, winch were made mostly of tui
key bones and nuts resembling tho hickor
nut, and of which no other specimens ar
cxtant. There are, however, q few mad
of camel conl. inlald with iyory of som