The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-03-23
Halloween with the clIff-DweIIers

Halloween With the Cliff-Dweliers.
On October 3Ist, we started from Man
cos, Southwest Colorado, with pony
train, in true western style. for thirty
mile ride down the Mancos canon to the
famous cliff-dweller's region. Our out
fit, ponies with packs ETC.. remind one
of the geography pictures ofcrossing the
Andes. that in our youth seemed so 70.
mantle. Indeed, good degree of the
romantic was in our surroundings. The
canon ride was novelty to those who
never had such an experience; it is very
different from canon viewed from a
train.
We galloped gaily along for time on
the sage brush trail, where the irrigation
ditch has not come, then the valley mar
rows and becomes rugged and we must
go Indian-file, the sage-brush becomes
thicker and higher, and kind of Will
low hedges us in, then up steep ascents
where the pinyon tree-a dwarf cedar
that clothes the mountains-con.en
with us the path, and sharp rocks higher
than our ponies hardly give us passage
way, down again almost perpendicularly
we rush into sage and willows.
We learn to trust the sure footed pom
les after the first few descents, and then
we begin to enjoy the scene. The Jag
ged rocky mountain walls tower up some
thousands of feet on either hand and we
look for the ruins, but they are far ahead
and we push on with shouts that rever-
berate through the chasms. Now we
dash through the river and climb its rug
ged bank, but this grows common as we
cross and re-cross the stream seeking the
easiest passage.
As on and on we go our hilarity gives
way, and we ride demurely along until
the sun is well in the west, when the
head of our cavalcade espies the first
dwelling, and off we rush up the cliffs to
see it. Some other vandal had proceed
ed US, SO on entering we discovered moth
ing more rare than corn-cobs and char
coal, but we have entered the mysterious
dwelling and are elated.
Again we push on and soon were in
sight of Clif-canon where we stopped
and pitched our tent for the night, con-
tent not to play any Halloween pranks
on an ancient people until we were
somewhat rested. So gathering wood
for the campfire we prepared for the
night. After supper and the evenings
tales and nonsense, we fingered about
the fire and watched its glow on the sage
tassels, as the wind and the river sang a
duet to silent stars that shone down on
us, as our imaginations played with pos
sible raids by the Indians on whose res
ervation we were, or wandered back, far
back. to the people who have vanished
and left only these awsome habitations
perched in the clefts of the precipices.
One cannot write down the fantastic
fancies that fitted through the mind on
that starlit-night in the far off wilder
ness of Colorado, but they merged with
the dreams that peopled the valley with
weird figures. and the distant coyotes
howl, half startling the dreamer, seemed
the challenge of the people of mystery,
till we slept again. Morning broke and
early we were following the devious path
up Cliff canon, in time to see the sun sal
ute the dwellings of the Aztec, but none
were there to retnrn the salutation. As
we came in hail of the larger ruins we
dismounted and began the ascent, but
before we reached the mansions of old,
we were full of pity for the poor wretches
who must have performed the wearying
feat daily.
The sight well repaid the effort to
reach these ruins, for indeed they are
palaces, story on story they tower up
ward in good architectural form. The
arched, overhanging ledge-rock is sure
protection from above, and the defence
is excellent from below, as one must
climb up by precarious ways. The out
look is grand-still we concluded not to
remain as the matter of transporting food
and fre-wood seemed insurmountable,
from which we infer that the original in
habitants must have been more industri-
GUS than we.
The largest of these ruins visited was
probably one hundred yards long, and
much of it in good preservation, the cedar
beams were in good repair and samples
Of cloth of reeds were not harmed by
time. The buildings are of cut stone
layed with mortar, the rooms are from
three and half to four feet high, the
doors and openings small, not exceeding
two feet in height, there are also loop
holes through which to shoot arrows.
Broken pottery and an occasional stone
ak are now the chief signs ofcivilization,
aside from the buildings The mystery
that e1shrouds these ruins-some say
they vie with Egyptian antiquities for