Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1894-04-06
:: :!

San Juan, and in the cAtagory of the mar
velous this mountain tributary of the great
Colorado has taken its 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 re-
gion, have penetrated southeastern Utah
and have considered this valley place of
especial interest because these cliff and cave
dwellings are probably the Oldest in this
strange country, being the first built in
that mysterious journey southwark of a
great but unknown people. For 20 years
the prospector has followed this bold little
river and gazed with careless unconcern on
the rough and broken walls so full of inter
est to the archBologist.
Whether this is 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 regions in the world. The bleak
old Navajo mountain rises abruptly and
towers like grim sentinel over the sur
rounding mesa, while in canyon gorge
more than 5000 feet below it's base the Rio
San Juan appears like a silver thread.
The Navajo mountain, the jutting buttes
that line the canyons verge, the huge bowl
ders that are lodged ON the canyons sides
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
photographs that have ever been discovered
in this country. Nearly every bowlder is
picture gallery, and nearly every smooth
| &c tcr witt nd
| figures.
On the mountain these continue to the
summit, and as the browning piece huge
block of sandstone stands on the top, the
four sides presenting smooth surfaces. These
faces are more than 100 feet square, and on
each face is picture of the sun, with the
| figure of seven warriors bowed, as to the
earth, in prayer Beneath the warriors are
many hieroglyphic characters probably u
prayer to the sun god.
Ona bowlder by the verge of canyon is
the picture of a woman kneeling in prayer
to the SUM-
On one of the canyon walls, more than 100
feet from anything that could have fur
nished the barbaric artist foot or hand
hold, there is weird panoramic view in
| three scenes. Under a tree child is
sleeping. One little hand lies across it's
breast, while the other has fallen care
lessly by its side A few feet from the
sleeping babe large snake, evidently o
rattlesnake, is coiled to strike. Down the
canyon toward the west is scene 2. The
snake is crawling away, and the limbs of
the child are drawn as though in the last
commissions of death. The snake has done
its deadly work. Still further down the
canyon is scene 3. A warrior, evidently the
father of the child, with one arm clasps
the dead babe; with the other hand he holds
q club. Upon his face the rude artist has
depicted a look of mortal anguish and
hate. A snake lies dead at his feet This
is probably the most beautiful picture ever
executed by savage hands.
On one of the canyons walls warrior and
a maiden are represented, gayly tripping
along hand in hand, while two doves are
circling around their heads. Photographs
of the bear--in one place q bear followed by
two cubs-the dog, the mountain lion and
the catamount are all to be found. Many
of these are evidently of recent date and
have probably been executed by the Nava-
joes, but here and there one meets with a
dim photograph that bears evidence of great
age.
On one wall, in an apparently inaccessible
place, there is a picture undoubtedly in
tended to represent the mastodon. The
trunk, the tusks, the massive body, are all
there, and the long, shaggy hair tells of an
other than the modern elephant. Close by
these is a representation of camel. The
conception of the mastodon may have been
obtained from the great north, but whence
that of the camel? 1t is we'll known that
the camel is an oriental beast and found in
America only in the menagerie, with one
noteworthy exception.
A few years since the United States gov
eminent imported few of these ships of
the desert to be used as a means of trans
portation in southern Arizona and the Cali
fornia desert, but the scheme proved i'm
practicable, and today these camels are
roaming at large. The Navajo Indians may
have had an opportunity to see the camel,
but these photographs are not Navajo work.
They were undoubtedly placed there by an
other people. This is one of the many puz-
zling questions concerning this people,
whom for sake of convenience we call Az
tees. Could it be possible that they were
of eastern originS
Another striking feature of this rude
picture gallery is the number of times that
the mysterious Biblical number seven oc-
ours. On the verge of the canyon, as ap-
preached from the south, seven powders
! stand side by side On the east end of each
bowlder are the pictures of seven animals,
while on the south side are hieroglyphics
arranged in rows, of which there are seven
on each stone. Down in the canyon, near
the river, is bowlder with fiat top, on
which are the pictures of seven snakes. A
rude attempt was made to supply the rat
ties, of which each snake is supplied with
seven.
A few milesfrom the Colorado river, where
the canyon is not more than 800 or / 200
feet from wall to wall, and where the walls
are perpendicular and smooth, on the right
wall are the pictures Of seven warriors with
bows drawn to the last notch, while across
the river on the opposite wall are the pic
lures of seven antelope, apparently in full
run to escape the hunters. These pictures
are we'll executed and are in the most mac
cessible places. Evidently the artist was
lowered from ledge hundreds of feet
above the picture and held suspended while
he performed his tedious task.-St. Louis
Globe Democrat.