Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-09-30
Arizona Ruius Prove The Antiquity
Of lis Settlement
THE MARrcOpA TRADITION.
Relies are Plentiful hut sim uu,alurd.
--Sysitma,io Archaeology viii
Not Fail VI Great Reward.


people by making careful cXamlua'
lions Of the remains th'y have Iei'
bohind, itisa very difiicult matter for
INN TO form any idea Of dstee. Fhus'
when au attempt 10 made TO TIL the
time when a people se tod 10 GER
tain country, and how long they
occupied Il, aud how many years have
passed since they abandoned H. me f'-
cults must uu vague aud uncertain
Probably there has not single
archsuolDgist made a study OF tue runs
Of Central America aud Mexico VINO
has not in HE own mind formed some
ldeans 90 the time that has tlap-ri since
Tue Toltecs first entered thoio regions oI
eoausfy and tho ages that have passed.
since they abandoned tnomi YET We
and no two men wh1 agree 81 to the
length OF those periods, while the d'i'
ferunces between them extend over
many centuries. IL will thus be seen
tnat while there are thinga that con-
vey to Us some IDEA Of timc, such 90
the ages Of trecs found growing upon
ancient mounds, aud tho geological
charges that have taken place since
the abandonment Of tno old ciIiys, We
caunot form any satisfactory idea Of
time or dates except by reference 20
written history, auu when that Is lack
ing, the opiiious or idoas Ut our test
anu most conservative studenls ATE
very unsatisfactory.
Thus, When We tfy 20 form an idea
81 the limo when thonuciynt people
first reached tho valleys Oi Auz1uu,
hud the length OF time they rUmaluOI
ia possession oi the county, We nnd
ourselves confronted with obstacles
that We cannot surmOuut. II Is clear
10 all who have studied the COuu.
Try that when the old people
came here they did ~ Ia
small numtCfs, that their growth
nnd development In The cuuu.
Try was slow and gradual. They
DO not seUm g. have iOunI the county
occupied ny any people, anu tue fiou
thAt afeTwbr IL destroyed them NUT
have come into the country nj a later
IoflOd. Everything indicRics long
residence here; where the old cauHlf
were cut through the hard rock the
latter hub been worn smooth hy thu
action OF tho water On the Black
MEGA, thlriy.hvo miles below the
Junction Of Tho Salt Rud CHA rivcfs,
theru ~ an Old canal that crosses O.
mrsa Of hnri volcanic rock nnd falls
distance 0f about fif,eeu feet 10 a lower
mesa. AT the point where it leave
the upper mttn the water carried by
lhe canal has cut into the hard focE
several inches, smouthiug anu p1lirb-
ing Il ina manner that has deiitd the
uiiicing iuil utucrH OF time ana the
elements since tue water mas ceased 10
dow there. To have acc0mplishtd
this, even with large body OF water
lowing rapidly, mutt have uqulrua
centuries. IL has not been many yeatt
since this country wns fe-soltlcu, prob
ably twenty years ht most; yet iu that
snort time trees have huel planted nHu
svtuug up OF their own accord until
now every canal ovrrywhyfo h line.
with them. la tue oluen days II /.
very probable that the same thing DC.
cured. II so there must have uUvn
trees Of immense siZ, growing ulons
sOEiu OF tue canals Vt the time whtL
the people were dvH,rlyud nud thuI
clties ahhu onud lYetthe time between
that Abandonment aud the Huiynl of
the fret white men was ~ great thH
all traces ol woody growth along The
the canals had uisappcgrtd. Aud Il
should be remembered that this ctuu.
Try h 40 dry that timber would 10 pre-.
served from decay fora long time.
Toe more uiy the ruins
hnd the history II the people, the
more convinced ! am that the Cliii
uwcllefH Of AfzInA aud Unh web
desccndat {, OF the old people who for.
muily Inherited the valleys, anu who
escaped the general destruction by
fleeing 10 the mountains, and who ~
years ekcd out u miserable existence IN
thu narrow valleys anu deep gJrgUs %.
the Colorado. Indeed, II Is not i'm.
probable that the Moqui anu Zuni In.
uianA OF the present Jay are degenerate
descendants OF the old race. There arr
many points NJ similarity between
these people. Their pottery wAs dc.
signed aud decorated much the same.
Ihcy used stone implements identical
ia shape aud finish. They cultivated
the same kinds of grain and vegetables
and dOmgstica,el the same kind Of
fcwls.
The Zun! Ani Mnrc1pa indians Of
by means OF what might be
called historic families, There aro
families Of thls Kind in every tribe.
1t IL the duty Of the head o the family
TO call his sons AROUND him at stated
tmes aud Tehehfso 10 tuem the history
VI hi- eople, az II has been rshearseu
10 him anu his iOrrlaihers for many
generations, la this way ! uudet.
stand many things of importance con.
nec,od with the history Of the people
has been preserved. PROT Cushing
remained with the Iuuis for some
years Bludying their history, and II B.
expected that when his book n pub.
lshud II VIII throw much HIGHT upon
thr past OF that strange people.
was told chat the Maroopn indiana
stlll preserve n tradition among them
that at one time they lived Ia
country far 10 Tho south; that during
their residence there the country Was
visited with u great drouth that dried
up the rlvers, destroyed their crOls
aud threatened he people with utter
destruction. Durnr the druuth they
sent forty Of their men nCr.hward 90
look out another aud better country ~
when they could omisrnte. The party
Travelled nofthWafd n great dislauo. ana
finally came upon n m.untaiu south ui
tue SAT- river valley, anu from which
tney could zee the valley pprrad out boz
tore them lku "a mnp, covered ever
where with orchards and fields, among
which the many cauals wound in anu
cut like Il rrals OF silver. Three of