Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-09-14
THE CLIFF DwELLEEE.
picnears of the High Mountain Re-
 gior.


 From tie Gazette.
 Probably there are very few if any towns in Arizona that can boast of the interesting surroundings of Flagstaff. Within radius Of ten miles gre to be found the famous cliff dwellings. the beautiful San Francisco peaks. the an- cient cave dwellings and the well known bottomiess pits. Here the every whin of the geologist and philologist can be satisfied. T he former has for his inVes- tigation the San Francisco peaks, which are over I3, eco feet high, and which are said to contain every geological strata known. The cave dwelling, reached Icy ten mile drive through beautiful country, are full of interest. Reaching tue mountain and beginning its ascent, we fad broken pieces of pottery strewn in every direction, and walking further up uDtil We reach within five or six hundred feet of the top, we first beng Co encounter the caves, which average from twenty to forty feet in circumfer- encs. Cimb ping Gown into these about fifteen feet, We ind ourselves in the midst of R circular chamber with open ings leading from each side into other chambers of equal of smaller siZes. By kicking Up the ground in the cave 6 D rson will frequently find choice pieces If pottery, which indicates that the caves were at one time inhabited. Around the outer edge of the caves there are walls evidently placed as fortiiica. ton. The general character of all the caves are the same. Continuing the as- aent to toe top of the mountain you will ind large square plateau, which is fenced off by rude stone wall, and here are found large stones which were evidently used by the dwellers for the grinding of their corn, etc, as they bear great similarity to those used by the Indians and Nexicsns of today.
 Coming down from his ancient noun cain and following the rosd several miles to the southeast, the tourist cones to che elf dwellers' abode. Here in large canyon fir m fourteen to sixteen hundred icet deep and several miles long, are found tho lest dwelling places of these mysterious people. As you approach the brink of ths canyon, tier after tier O. these dwellings arise before you, some lewn into the solid sides of the canyon, with 3 door opening of about four feet squ6Ie.
 Following the trail down the canyon about halt mile, we come to different :ass of dwellings, from those before mentioned. Here, under large, oVer- hanging cliffs, the ancient builder ehave constructed rude walls of masonry from the floor to the top of the cliffs thus making 8n apartment with the cliff for root h theze are also found remnants f old fire ovens, and new gnd then a piece of pottery or stone work, which would lead g person to believe that they were in some way connected with ths cave dweilers, as the relics foucd in both places are almost identicGily the some.
 The question yet 10 bs solved is whsth- CT these dwellings in the cliffs and n the caves were permanent homes, or merely places Of refuge in time of dan ger. This theory appears te be most plausible in the cGee of the cave dwell lers, as their places Of dwelling are all very difficult of access and are fortified by stone wall such as would indicate places of refuge, and from the further fact that the surrounding plains are thickly coyeied with broken pottery, which would indicate the presence of resident population.