The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-17
NAvAJo,s DESERTED HOME.


Sept 10.-This is a small town on th'
eastern border of the county Of Greer
touching the Kiowa and Comanch,
Indian country. 1t is at the foot Of
the Navajoe mountains, part Of the
Wichita system, whence its name. Al
some early period the Navajoe Indians
| now in Arizona, lived in this vicinity
There are here two great peaks with q
pass between them. Forty or fifty
| years ago, none Of the pioneers here
are able to fix upon the exact date, the
| KiowaS and Comanches fell into a
| squabble with the Navajoes. The KiO-
| wa and Comanche have always been
blood stained and blood Thirsty, greedy
| for bro1s and relentless in victory.
TIE Navajoe is like the Pueblo and his
possible relative, the Aztec, child OF
peace The Kiowa and Comanche are
both adept horsemen. The Navajoes
are not When the Indian broil broke
out the Navajoes pushed westward to
the plain which is now Greer county
for horses and aid They were over
taken in this pass which leads to the
plain and massacred. Flint arrow
heads may be picked up on the field
OF slaughter. 1t may have been the
massacre which led to the Navajoes
transfer from the Indian Territory.
This SPUR of the Wichita mountains is
like all mountains Of the west-very
deceiving in appearance. They rise
sheer out of the prairie, having the ap-
pearance of being covered heavily with
grass half up their sides. But they
are not When a climb is ATTEMPTED
the grass proves to be very sparse and
the smooth red concrete and granite
is piled in confusion from the bottom
to the top. Half way up the great jag
ged granite masses protrude from the
main mountain asd continually threat
en- to go plunging down to the plains at
the summit the formation is very SINH
lar to that of Pixies Peak.
The congressional delegate and 1
concluded to climb the principal peak
and set out after breakfast. The harm
less looking hill in front soon became
a formidable looking object The peb-
bles from a distance became boulders,
over which we had to climb on hands
and knees. We had left Mr.. Tusten,
the man who handles the reins, behind
as he is sixty-three years of age and
we did not believe him able to stand
the trip. After a climb Of 200 feet we
came blank up against a crag. We
Rugged this and crept along its base,
hoIiing to to find wider path. But it
grew narrower instead and the reflec-
ton forced hearing that we might
better avoid getting up to places from
which LATER we could not descend. The
path was soon closed in. Further up
there was a small opening in the crags
and we twisted through this and found |
another way AGROUND the mountain. |
We jerked ourselves up over high rocks |
slid and slipped and stumbled around, |
hoping to find something Like a trail |
We were again cut off, however, and |
had to crawl back on our hands and |
knees and try another route. After |
some break-neck leaps and ventures |
we ran upon the edge of a precipice |
and concluded that the mountain
could not be climbed. 1t was recalled
that Mr.. Tusten had called the noun
tains ''babies'' and hills" and had in
sisted they were only five miles away
when they were forty. 1t was my
earnest desire at this moment to have
him there an d convince him that the
mountains are not toys, in
this portion, at least. There was moth
ing to do but to come back to town,
which we did As / turned to come
back saw at my feet long peculiar
granite ledge which ran out from the
side. AS 1t promised 4 fine
view L went down on my hands and
knees and pushed myself out TO the
md and there saw a peculiar relic Of
he Indians who had long ago deserted
he mountains. On the thin razor
edged ledge, which broadened at the
md, was blackened basin in the gran
tie which had once held a fire and for a
ong period. The granite is as hard as
daveyized steel. but the fire had SO
iiscolored it that the rains of half a
century had not washed it 10 its natural
,olor again. This rock commands a
vide view of the whole plain and was
lsed by the Indians either as beacon
" as a devotional altar.
A few minutes after our return TO
he base, Mr.. Tusten appeared on the
Gene. He had been to the top of the
With his sixty-three years
ightened by forty years of pioneer life
lie had started out for the top TO beat
IS there. He took another side OF the ,
and crawled up on his hands
nd knees, getting over jump-offs in !
many places six feet in height and risk I
ne his neck for the exhiliration Of get
ing to the top first. When he finally :
cached the top he waited a long while
or US, and after cutting his name in
cedar tree discovered comparative 1
: easy trail down the othe side and
eturned to camp TO demand an ex-
slanation. Fortunately we had not ]
laimed, before his arrival. that we /
ad reached the top. Later in the day {
tried new route alone and reached I
he top.
This mountain is very steep. There s
] only one safe trail and that is not /