The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-10-05
ANTIQUE BEAUTIES.
The Marvellous Mountain Tributary
of the Colorado River
Cliffs and Bowldcrs Which Bear the
Print of Artistic Hands of a Mys-
terious Race-Homcs of Pre-
Historic Cave Dwellers.

Historic Cave Dwellers.
western newspaper correspondents |
have for years, at irregular intervals,
discoursed at soma length upon the
wonders of the Rio San Juan. and in |
the category of the marvellous this
mountain tributary cf the great Col
orado has taken it's place by the side
of the far-famed and mysterious ella.
The cliff ruins of the San Juan valley
have been the center of attraction,
have been viewed from all sides, and
their wonders have been told and retold
to the world, time and time again.
Scientific men have visited this region,
have penetrated southeastern Utah,
and have considered this valley place
of especial interest, because these
cliffs and cave dwellings are probably
the oldest in this strange country, be-
ing the first built is that mysterious
journey southwark of great and un-
known people.
For twenty years the prospector has
followed this bold little river and
gazed with careless unconcern on the
rough and broken walls, SO full of in
terest to the arch@ologist; but the
mind of the prospector has no room
for curios, and he has no time for
archaeological investigation, says a
Phoenix correspondent of the Cincin-
natl Tribune. He sees only the glitter
of the gold in the sand. and thinks
only of the time when he shall have
made his ''stake." In November of
1882 hundreds of gold hunters rushed
madly into the canyon north of the Nav
ajo mountain, travelled three hundred
miles over bleak, desert tablelands, suf-
fered terribly from cold, hunger, and
the long, wearisome journey; in
few days staked off all the available
land for fifty miles up and down the
river, and then returned home without
having obtained so much as color of
gold, and to-day have nothing to show
for it but the stakes.
Whether this is a region that will
ever show rich pay dirt the writer
knows not, but he can say, without
hesitation, that it is one of the most
wildly picturesque and beautiful re-
gions in the world. The bleak old
Navajo mountain rises abruptly and
towers like grim sentinel over the
surrounding mesa, while in a canyon
base, the Rio San Juan appears like a
silver thread. The canyon is several
miles wide, and descent can be made
to the river by precipitous trail. but
as the river approaches the great Col
orado the canyon becomes more mar
row and the walls more perpendicular,
and when It merges into the grand
canyon it Is scarcely more than deep,
dark channel.
The Navajo mountain, the jutting
buttes that line the canyons verge, the
huge bowfders that are lodged on the
canyons side, and the straight walls of
the canyon proper are all points OF
wonderful interest. for they are the
canvas upon which are depicted some
of the most strange and beautiful pic
tographs that have ever been discov-
cred in this country. Nearly every
bowlder is a picture gallery, and near
ly every smooth surface is covered
with weird and fantastic figures.
On the mountain these continue to
the very summit, and, as the crowning
piece, hugebiock of sandstone stands
on the top, the four sides presenting
smooth surfaces These faces are more
than one hundred feet square, and or
each face is q aRicture Of the sun, with
the figures of seven warriors bowed, as
to the earth, in prayer. Beneath the
warriors are many hieroglyphic charac
ters, probably prayer to the sun god
On bowfder, by the verge OF the can
yon, is the picture of woman kneel
ing in prayer to the sun.
On one of the canyon walls, more
than one hundred feet from anything
that could have furnished the barbara
weird panoramic view in three scenes
Under tree child is sleeping. One
little hand lies across its breast, Will,
the other has fallen carelessly by it
side. A few feet from the sleeping
babe, large snake, evidently rattle
snake, is coiled to strike. Down tn
canyon, toward the west, is scene two
The snake is crawling away, and tn
limbs of the child are drawn as thougl
in the last convulsions of death. Th
snake has done its deadly work. Still
further down the canon is scene three
A warrior, evidently the father of tn
child, with one arm clasps his dea
babe; with the other hand he holds
club Upon his face the rude artis
has depicted a look of mortal angus
and hate. A snake lies dead at hi
feet. This is probably the most beat
tiful picture ever executed by savag
hands.
On one of the canyons walls wal
rior and a maiden are represented
gayly tripping along, hand in hand
while two doves are circling aroun
their heads. Photographs of the bear
in one place bear followed by tw
cubs-the dog, the mountain lion an
the catamount are all to be found
Many of these are evidently of recen
date, and have probably been execute
by the Navajos, but here and there on
meets with dim Photograph that bea,
evidence of great age.