The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-06-27
PICTURE ROCKS.
ING " 'he Curiosities Of Colorado Canyon
In Arlzona-

In Arizona.
u Navajo mountain. the iuttino
Duties that line the verge of the
Grand canyon of the Colorado in Ar.
1zona and the straight walls of the
canyon proper T all points of won.
deriui interest, for they are the oan.
upon Which are depicted some
OF tho most strange and beautiful
photographs that have ever been dis.
covered in this country. NearIy
every howlder is a picture gallery.
and nearly every smooth surface is
covered with weird and fantastic
figures. On Navajo mountain these
continue to the summit, and as the
browning pieco a huge block of sand
stone stands on tho top. the four
sides presenting smooth surfaces.
These faces r more than 100 feet
square, and on each face is a picture
OF the sun, with the figure of sever
warriors bowed, as to the earth, in
prayer. Beneath the warriors are
many hieroglyphio characters, prob
ably a prayer to the sun god. =
On a bowlder by the verge of the
canyon is the picture of a woman
kneeling i'll prayer to the sun. On
one of tho canyon walls, more than
100 feet from anything that could
have furnished the barbaric artist a
foot or hand hold, there is a weird
panoramic view in three scenes. I'm.
der Il tree a child is sleeping, while
the other has fallen carelessly by its
side. A few feet from the sleeping
babe a large snake, evidently a rat
tlesnake, is coiled to strike. Down
tho canyon toward the west is scene
2. Tho snake is crawling away,
and the limbs of the child are drawn
as though in the last commissions of
death. The snake has done it's dead.
ly work.
Still farther down the canyon
scene 3. A warrior, evidently the
father of the child, with one arm
clasps the dead babe. With the other
hand he holds a 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 probe
bly, the most beautiful picture eve~
executed by savage hands. On one
OF the canyons walls a warrior and
a maiden are represented. gayly
tripping along, hand in hand, while
two doves r circling around their
heads. Photographs of the bear-in
one place q bear followed by two
tho dog, the mountain lion
and the catamount are found.
Many of these + evidently of re-
cent date and have probably been
executed by the Navajoes, but here
and there one meets with a dim pic |
tograph that bears evidence of great |
age. On ono wall in an apparently
inaccessible place there is a picture
undoubtedly intended to represent
the mastodon. Tho trunk, the tusks,
the massive body, all are there; and
the long, shaggy hair tells of another
than the modern elephant. Close by
these is a representation of a camel.
The conception of the mastodon may
nave been obtained from the great
1orth, but whence that of the camel?
1t is well known that the camel is
IN oriental beast and found in Amer
ca only in the menagerie, with one
noteworthy exception. A few years
since the United States government
imported a few of these ships of the
to be used as a means of
transportation in southern Arizona
md the California desert, but the
proved impracticable, and
oday these camels are roaming at
arge. The Navajo Indians may
ave had an opportunity to see the
amel, but these photographs are not
work. They We're undoubt-
dly placed there by another people.
his is n of the many puzzling
.uestions concerning this people,
whom for sake of convenience we
all Aztecs. Could it be possible that
hey were of eastern origin?-Den-
'er Field and Farm. :