The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-01-02
THEY DWELT IN CLIFFS.
EXPLORING THE GRAND CANON
OF THk COLORADO.
A Colicst'on OF neiIss Thst T~us OF .
strange nnes Long Extinst--Dust
kightsss lseh.s Thisk In
Their koAss.

In the spring OF 1891 the Rev. c. II.
Green. former pastor OF the Baptist
church at Ludlow, KY, together with
party OF seven companions left Du-
range Colo. on an exploring expedi-
ton into the Grand Canon OF the Col
orado river. In an'unexplored branch
OF the canon. more than 260 miles from
Durango. and in the heart OF the
Rocky Mountains says the Chicago
Mail they discovers one OF those
wonderful cities perchod high up in
the perpendicular and often oyerhang-
ing walls OF the canon. These walls
were scaled by the little party. the
long abandoned houses were entered.
and in the thick coating OF dust that
buried everything in them to height
OF eighteen inches above tho floors
they unearthed the household gods OF
that extinct people.
The period in which these people OF
the stone age fourished has never
been fixed upon, hut it is generally
conceded that they antedate the
mound builders OF the Mississippi VAL
ley. In this canon In which the Rev.
Green's explorations we're pushed is
an island, as 1t were, of stone. many
feet in height This stony fortress
contained city OF more than 700
houses, built OF stone and lodged high
up in the assures Many of these
houses were not rooted. but the over
hanging cliffs kept them always dry.
Into those den like habltations the
explorers pushed and with silk cloths
stretched over their noses and mouths
they dug into the dry. suffocating dust
that had acted as such a preservative
Of all 1t covered. The result OF that
work is now in the Rev. Green's room
in the athenaum and 1t shows that
these extinct people had progressed
far toward semi In
woven materials OF cotton and fiber
they had progressed'to remarkable
degree. Fibrous material made from
plant life and raw cotton In the seed
were found perfectly preserved. From
the former sandals, mats and heavy
wrappings had been coarsely woven.
and OF the latter material strings
bags and very fair quality OF coarse
cloth had been made
Pottery OF every description was
found in abundance and varying in
capacity from half pint to moro than
a bushel OF this latter size one Jar
was unearthed which was closely COW
cred by heavy stone. On opening 1t
it was found to contain shelled Indian
corn. almost as perfectly preserved as
II 1t had been put there within the
year. The grains. however. are al
most as hard as stone or this pot
terry much is ornamented in black and
white geometrical designs which
would be difficult even to-day to pro-
duce.
Utensils of wood found in these
villages are Of crude manufacture but
when it is considered that the only
edged tools available were OF flint the
execution is marvellous. Ladders used
In scaling the cliffs are we'll. and even
neatly made and as evidence that
these people cared for the aged and
infirm pair OF crutches. made from
the forked limb of a tree and padded
with buckskin. will testify.
They were an agricultural people
as is evidenced by the Indian corn,
gourds pumpkin skins and stems and
even the corn husks found in the
granaries. These crops OF the Indian
corn are as perfect almost as II grown
last year and they are OF a length and
size to indicate that the growers titled
the ground we'll. For this work. too.
they had only the crudest sharpened
sticks They had domesticated tho
turkey. and also family of mountain
sheep. but beyond this they had no
domestic animals
OF the collection. however q dozen
or more skulls and four mummified
bodies are most interesting. A pecu-
liar formation of the skulls OF the cliff
dwellers distinguish them from the
mesa. and valley jewellers. In the
cliff-dwellers pressure had been
brought to bear upon the posterior
portion OF the skull probably through
the papoose board in infancy. and
these skulls are fattened almost into
line with the neck. Such massive
skulls too, as they are. With jawbones
that are tremendous That they were
q powerful people the well preserved
mummies OF man and woman testify.
These bodies were found wrapped in q
variety Of coverings and buried In the
dust that aocumulates In the rocky
lodges OF the canon.
There would seem to be no well de-
fined burying ground for any OF these
villages. They were evidently a
peaceful people as very few war-like
instruments were found. On the
stony island mentioned. however ar
row heads evidently shot into IL by
an enemy are most plentiful.
Everything about these deserted VII
lagos looks as II the inhabitants had
been suddenly interrupted In their
peaceable pursuits and abando
their strohgholds in haste. II is con-
sidered most probable that the valley
dwellers had attacked them and they
were extirminated The ruins OF
mighty palace 425x80 feet and one
more than ten stories In height II the
most imposing evidence of this tribes
former greatness and II is known that
for over 400 years this palace has been
deserted.
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