Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-09-17
HAD BEEN INHABITED.
stone Axes, POtsherds and Other Evi.
dences Of Human Occupancy Found
On the Enchanted Mesa.

A recent dispatch to the Denver Re-
publican from Washington says:
Mr.. F. W. Hodge of the bureau of eth
nology, Smithsonian institute, has just
returned from an expedition to the en-
chanted mesa of New Mexico, which has
excited the interest of scientists and the
daring of exploring parties. 1t was
brought into prominence few months
ago by the expedition of Professor Will
lam Libbey of Princeton university, who
took rope throwing mortars, huge kites,
balloons and tons of apparatus to scale
this hitherto inaccessible tableland. The
purpose of the investigation has been to
determine whether the summit was at one
time inhabited by the prehistoric Acoma
Indians.
Professor Libbey reported no evidence
of early occupancy. Mr.. Hodges xplo-
rstions have brought different results,
however, for after scaling the mesa he
spent some time on the summit, found
number of fragrants of pottery, arrows,
shell, bracelets, stone axes, etc., establish
ing conclusively that the top of the mesa
was at one time inhabited.
Mr.. Hodge was sent by the bureau of
ethnology to examine a series of ruins in
western New Mexico, and to attend the
snake dance of the Moqui Indians. This
done, he was directed to proceed to the
mesa and scale its precipitous walls in
any way he saw fit. He procured an ex-
tension ladder comprising six sections of
six feet each, together with an ample sup
ply of roI es, and proceeded to the mesa
on September 3, accompanied by Major
George H. Pradt, deputy surveyor at La
guna, N. M, who is familiar with that
section. Mr.. A. @. Vorman of Pasadena,
CAL, who acted as photographer of the
expedition, Mr.. Il. G. Hayt Of Chicago,
aud two Laguna Indians.
The mesa was determined to be 431 feet
from the western plain to the top of the
highest pinnacle above the cleft, and the
talus at the base of the cleft 224 feet
above the plain. The climb was without
any serious difficulty until the party
reached great sandstone. The ladders
were hauled, section by section, to this
point by means of the ropes, then fitted
together, and raised against the cliff. Mr..
Hodge ascended to the top, and climbing
over the slope, Immediately above, sue
oeeded in lashing the top of the ladder
to huge boulder that had fallen from
above the ledge on the terrace some 20
feet from the summit. The ladder was
then ascended by the remainder of the
party and the top easily reached. The
ascent consumed exactly two hours and
quarter.
The explorers had not been on the sum. :.
nit of the mesa five minutes before Major
Pradt picked up fragment of ancient
pottery, which indicated clearly that the
mesa had been visited, at any rate, in
former times aud that Professor Libbey
was mistaken in his conclusions. Dur
ing the afternoon and the next day Mr..
Hodge examined the ground critically
while Major Pradt made survey of the
mesa and Mr.. Vroman secured number
Of photographs. Several potsherds, two
stone axes (broken), fragment of shell
bracelet and stone arrow point were
the chief evidences of former occupancy
found on the narrow storm.swept crest;
but abundant potsherds, etc., we're found
In the talus, swept down from the sum-
nit. All vestiges of the ancient trail as
,ending the talus and continued thence to
The summit by hand and foot holes in the
solid rock have been obliterated, but some
traces Of the holes remain.
This verification Of an Indian tradition,
notable for inherent evidence of accuracy,
. peculiarly gratifying to students Of an
Professor Libbey's ladder was discov-
red still lashed 10 place above the ore
'asse.
Mr.. Hodges researches will arouse
,reat interest among American ethnolog.
sts,and archseologists inasmuch as they
re said to show that Indian tradition
hould not be dismissed as merely myth.
al after only casual exploration.