The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-02-11
A CITY OF A LOST RACE.
Many Houses Unearthed by a Party

Last November party left Sante Fe,
N. NJ, for the purpose of exploring GER
tain ruins which were reported to have
been found by prospectors in the south
western part of the territory. These
men have returned to Sante Fe and
bring with them most marvellous story
of what they discovered. They have
certain relics to bear out their tale, and
these relics show that they have I'M
doubtedly unearthed a city of q lost
race which peopled this country long
before the present people had existence
on this continent.
1t has been legend among the Pu>
eblo Indians in New Mexico that there
was once great city near the line be-
tween New Mexico and Arizona, but this
people, as there had never been any
thing which would indicate that there
was a foundation upon which to build
the story. This legend had it that far
out on the sandy plain there were ruins
which showed that many people once
lived there and they were lost when the
country was covered by the sand and
debris which turned it into an arid plain.
About November a prospector came
in from the Sierra Madre range and said
that he had found ruins of houses far
out from the mountains which looked
like none that he had ever SEEN He
told his story to many, and finally there
was one who listened with more than
ordinary interest, and this was Walter
Williams, a young gentleman from
Washington, d, c., who has been out in
the interests of the National Museum
He saw that he was on the eve OF a great
discovery, and at once made arrange
ments to search for the ruins and, if pos
sible, get drawings and models of them
for preservation at the national capital.
Williams organized party and. with
the prospector as a guide, started for
the country where the ruins were said
to be located. The party consisted of
Williams, James Dobson, the pros
pector, and three other men, who
we're taken as assistants and workers
in camp. They left on November Is,
and reached the spot where the ruins
were to be found on December l. They
remained three weeks at the place and
gave thorough search of the country
for miles around. That they have been
we'll repaid is shown by the drawings,
models, relics, and specimens of various
kinds, showing the handiwork of the
ancient race which inhabited the place
ages ago.
There were found the remains of sixty
two houses, and whilesonly few were
so we'll preserved that they could be re-
produced, there were enough parts left
to show that there was located at one
time a city of several thousand inhabi-
tants. The buildings that were found
were all of stone, and it is believed that
in addition to these there must have
been many that were of wood or of
adobe brick, which have been complete
ly destroyed in the years that have
rolled by.
| One of the houses was in almost per
feet condition, with the exception of the
doors and roof, which were gone. This
sixteen rooms. It was only two stories
in height, and the rooms were very large,
some of them being twenty feet square.
The building was oblong in shape, with
a front of sixty feet and a depth of 100
feet. They were evidences that the
whole place had been floored with tes-
selated pavement, and some of the
squares were still to be found in place.
These houses were almost entirely COW
cred with the sand which had been
drifting over them for hundreds of years,
but, by persistent digging, the streets
were laid sufficiently open to show that
they had been paved with stone.
The strangest part of the matter is
the fact that the nearest water to the
ancient city is at least seventy miles
away. There are evidences that at one
time there was water course running
near the place, but this has been almost
obIiterated. William is not satisfied
with his investigations, as he had nei
ther the time nor the means to make
the researches which he thought neces
sary to be made, and he will make hi
report, and thinks an expedition, full,
equipped, will be sent by the govern
ment which will recover the whole ru
ined city.
Two things woman always jumps q
, "a conclusion and mouse