The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-24
GARFIELD BEACH.
Monday, July 25.
Trains every hour.
A CAKE OF GOLD
Remarkable Relic of Prehistoric
Man.
The Navajo Indians Would Suffer starvation
Rather Than Eat Fish From the
Colorado River

Mr.. Hallett, a former resident of Kansas,
who has been engaged during the last
few months in prospecting southern Utah,
had his curiosity aroused by the appear
ance OF the remarkable houses, in former
times occupied by diminative race Of
men, about whom very little is known, and
who have been styled Cliff .dwelIers, from
the fact that their abodes were all erected
on perceptions mountain sides, very DIFF
fcult of access. In some cases these are
built in the sandstone country, and from
the appearance regular steps were carved
in the sides Of the mountain leading up to
their dwellings, and commencing at a
point about thirty to forty feet of the
present level of the base of the mountain.
1t is supposed that the canons or streams
at the bottom of the cafions conveyed, at
the time when these steps were cut,
much larger body of water than passes
through them now, and that the cliff
jewellers approached their mountain
fortresses By means of boats.
Curiosity prompted Mr.. Hallett to scale
one of those lodges and enter the aban-
doned house. He found himself in room
SKIS feet, having a ceiling about Al feet in
height with openings leading into two
II
of pottery debris was found upon the floor
And looking through the remains of pro-
historic work he discovered piece of gold
plate about 80 inches in length by about
21S inches in width and q of an inch in
thickness, q portion OF larger plate that
had been evidently cast in sand moulds
and chiseled and broken OH to it's presen
size.
The gold in this plate is 900 fine and has
an intrinsic value of about $780, But that
bears no comparison with its value as d
relic of prehistoric men and to aid his |
knowledge of the value and method OF
fusing metals.
No better field for scientific investiga-
ton can be found in any part OF the Amer |
icsn continent than southern Utah, and it |
is TO be hoped than the government will at |
an early day take this matter in hand aud !
collect all the information that can be Sc
cured about these ancient clih jewellers, |
concerning whom the Navajo Indians say /
they were driven from the country and |
drowned in the Colorado river by sue
ceeding race of gigantic stature who in
habited the fortified cities Of the mesa now |
in ruins.
There is legend that the Navajo In
dams to this day will endure starvation
rather than eat the fish OF the Colorado |
river believing that the Cliff dwellers who
drowned in its waters were metamorphosed
into 0en.
1t is interesting to note the evidences
of the manner i'll which this pigmy race Of
Cliff-dwelIers treated their prisoners, some
of the houses having been used as prisons
where their captive enemies were walled
up and allowed to die OF starvation.
Many of the houses were used as 1ortih-
cations, and have been erected at points of
vantage along the rock projections OF the
mouths of the Gallons in teat country.
They are furnished with loopholeo and
small stone acqueducts, containing SUM-
Gent water to stand long seige' and in
addition to their purpose of defense. were
no doubt to give notice Of the approa CD of
an enemy. The implements OF warfare
found in some of the dwellings consist
of arrow and spear heads.
manufactured from obsidan, and In some
cases larger instruments with a finely
ground edge on both sides have probably
been used for sacrihcisl purposes. In
Vulnerable stone hammers are also to be
found in those dwellings. From the
skeletons that have been discovered it ia
quits evident that the dead were inferred
in sitting posture. The men could not
have been more than Az feet in height !
and the women BIZ to feet. !
There are numerous hieroglyphici cut on |
the rock and these are plainly yisiD.c at J
the present time. A very interesting
chapter of ancient history can be reveaisd
BY the deciphering of stnose hieroglyphics.