Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-04-26
THE CLIFF-DWELLERS.
New Facts About the Remarkable Homes of
Remarkable Race.

"Begad," eXclalmS Pat, writing home
to the Emerald Isle, "sure there's SO
much land out here that they have to
pile it." Nothing better describes the
CIif-dweller region, says Palmer Hen
derson, writing in the st. Louis Globe
Democrat The altitude is great. abrupt
canyons vein it in every direction, and
from the mesas mountain peaks tower,
snowclad. Everywhere are great rocks
so carelessly piled by Mother Nature
that her least SILVER would send some
of the poised ones crashing down.
Here in the remOteSt canyons and in
their most inaccessible sides, hundreds of
feet from the top or bed, still endure
the prehistoric villages which are GER
tainly several centuries old, and some
say thousands of years. The Cliff
houses are to me still dream, an unre-
atty. The wonder Oft all began on that
wild, picturesque ride over the Rockies.
From Denver it is sos miles to energetic
little Durango, in the southwestern cor
ner of Colorado. Here one takes a
narrow railroad about thirty miles over
the mountains to a tiny hamlet called
MancOs and there engages guides for a
trip through the unsurveyed, waterless
country Without them is suicide,
though my private opinion is that half
the time they are trusting their stars in
the daytime to bring them whence they
started. After that it's pure novelty;
one must carry provisions on DurrOS,
sleep on the ground under the stars,
give UP washing as luxury, for the al
kali water takes off what little skin the
pinons leave, and ride great distances
over fearful trails up and down the
mountains. These trails are hard to
find, but easy to lose. They are peril
Gus and fatiguing, and much OF the time
wind through lOW-grOWlng plnOns,
which are generally considered trees,
but which | know to be cunningly dis
guised demons, delighted in Ticking out
a bit of cheek, turning back foot,
gOuging out an eye, or even attempting
to pull man bodily off his horse. The
most important groups of their ancient
houses are found about the corners of
the only place in the United States
where four states squarely join-Colora-
do, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
On my trip [ had the great advantage
Jay Smith Exploring Company He
has made the most scientific eNplor-
alton yet accomplished. About year
ago he fitted out a party, engaged the
most competent guides and spent
several months of hardest work in the
cliff villages. He not only thoroughly
explored the region and hamlets, but
made maps, measurements and
pictures of them. He had an ex-
pert photographer with him who
secured fine views of many places
never before seen, taXidermist, who
preserved animals found Whereabouts,
and an artist, A. J. Fournier, who
made hundreds of sketches in oils,
water colOrs and ink. The results of
this expedition are very valuable to
science and will be shown at the
Worlds Fair. The unique building,
pottery and all relics found in the ruins
completed and represents the curious
mountain called "Battle Rock" which
[ visited while there, 1t is 200 feet
long, high in front, but sloping irreg
ularly to the ground. The Worlds
Fair will do much toward enlightening
and increasing the but lately awakened
interest in American archaeology.
and ethnology at Harvard and curator
of the celebrated Peabody Museum,
that department is bound to be one Of
most interesting at the fair.
In the most precipitous of the canyon
sides the Cliff-dwellers built in natural
galleries or pockets in the sandstone
rock; built of the rock itself, mOrtared
with cement made by mixing water
with ''rotten rock, " that which thep
derous top stratum, the rim-rOck" has
ground to powder beneath it, Viewed
from a distance, these hamlets of tiny
houses nestled back to the cliff, resem-
bic pigeon holes in a mammoth dove
cote. For foundation, they have the
mountain beneath; for rear wall, the
cliff behind; and for far extending roof,
the arch of the rock. That is why,
while the same peoples houses on the
mesas and in the valleys have crumbled
back almost into their elements, these
houses still endure; not a drop of rain
or snow ever reaches them from one
century to another. The logs which
still remain are fuzzy like the face Of
very old man. have ibers which
came off full length, fine as strings.
The cliff-houses are as many stories as
the spaces admit, each story or 6 feet,
and separated by logs thrust through
holes left in the masonry. These logs
are Of cedar, hewn with stone axes.
Across them smaller boughss are laid,
then twigs and adobe, the whole
of the masonry would do credit
to modern sky-scraper, and when
it was poor it was usually succeed
with the cement. Walls are often 2 or
feet thick. The arch is nowhere seen,
but there are some Well-built round
towers, the stones cut wedge-shaped and
carefully fitted. This seems to be their
one architectural diversion, for there
are absolutely no carvings. The only
stone even suggesting an attempt at
carving was discovered firmly set in the
wall Of particularly inaccessible house,
and may have been intended, as some
one suggested, as q primitive elevator,
lariat being tossed over it to assist the
householder to reach his aerial abode.
Windows are few and small, literally
"wind-eyes," as the word itself means.
Doors are very curious. They are stone
slabs, sometimes laid against grooves
down the sides and leaned against a bar
at the top, sometimes pushed up be-
tween two poles at the top, and secured
by stick thrust through wooden staples
about the middle. When the household
lay down to sleep, the door nicely