The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-06-25
THE ENCHANTED MESA
TRACES OF HAalrAr1oN FOUND
ON TOP OF KATziMo.
Mr.. Hodge Found a Few shards and
Stone Weapons, but the Rocky Mesa
top Has Been Swept Bare by Many
Storms. "

OF the Century an account of his AS
cent Of the Enchanted Mesa, made last
September. Mr.. Hodge says: The
rocky floor of the mesa-top had been
swept and carved and swept again by
the storm-demons of centuries since the
'ancients" of the fieeting forms we saw
on the roofs in the moonlight of the
night before had descended the ladder
trail in the early morn of that fateful
day. Although the afternoon was still
young, 1 at once saw that the remain
ing hours of daylight would not suf-
flee for thorough examination of the
summit. Directing the two Lagunas
below to gather together our blankets,
and a sufficient supply of provisions
for couple of meals, a reconnaissance
was begun, and in q few moments a
fragment of greatly weather-worn an
cient pottery was picked up. The
storm Of the previous day, which drove
the Indians from their religious cere-
monies, and gave birth to the glitter
ing little pools in the verdant valley
below, afforded facilities for observa-
ton on the summit that otherwise
would not have been possible. Here
and there in the rocky floor "pot-hoies"
had been eroded by wind and rain, and
were now filled with water; but no
where else on the entire summit had
the rain found resting-place. Over the
brink it had poured in scores of cat
aracts, carrying with it stones and
fn tElayn
from the scanty store yet remaining.
The mesa-top was once covered with a
fairly rich vegetation, pinyons and ce-
dars predominating; but most of these
now stand gaunt and bare, or lie prone
and decaying on the bleak surface,
their means of subsistence having been
long washed away, A few dozen more
storms, and the others must inevitably
perish. But the examination of the
surface of Katzimo was not essential
to a determination of the fact that it
was formerly mantled with a thick
stratum of earth; the talus had already
told the story that on the very site Of
their village the inhabitants of Katzi-
mo had an abundance of material with
which to make the balls Of adobe mud
described by one of the Spanish chTon-
iclers of the sixteenth century. The
last remnants of their houses, together
with the fragments of their household
utensils, save such as we found, passed
over the brink generations ago; but
one may still find an abundance Of the
latter scattered through the detritus
which in places is piled halfway up the
mesa sides. We built a huge fire
around one of the gaunt specters that
stood about us with outstretched arms;
soon there was a mighty blaze, and a
shout of approval reached US from the
two Lagunas below. The next morn
ing, while aiding Major Pradt in max
ing a survey of the mesa-top, was not
a little surprised to find three Aeoma
Indians among us. They were by no
means friendly at first; for, having
seen our fire the night before, they
had come to the top by means of our
ladders to learn the cause of this un-
usual burst of fame from their an
cestral home site, and to GUST the in
truders from the height. The leader,
who was the war chief of the tribe, and
a medicine-man, asked our business.
We told him. The natives became in
terested, and said that their people had
feared we were after their land Being
assured we had no desire to make our
future home on their dry sanddunes
or dried mesas, but that we were mere
ly looking for pottery fragments, the
chief expressed serious doubt that any
relics could be found, inasmuch as
many ages had passed since his peo-
pie lived on the great table, and he be-
lieved all evidences of former occu-
pancy had been swept or washed away.
The interest of the three Indians was
quite apparent when l showed them
the fragment of pottery picked up by
Major Pradt the evening before, and
they manifested no unwillingness to
search for other potsherds when / made
the suggestion. They were engaged in
this quest only short while when they
returned with several fragments of ex-
tire nelly ancient, greatly worn earthen-
ware, a large projectile-point, por-
tlon of a shell bracelet, and parts of
two grooved stone axes, all lichen-
flecked with age, and still moist from
contact with the ground. Thoroughly
satisfied with the outcome, l decided
10 bring the work to close as soon as
the survey, the Photographic work,
and the examination of the general fea-
lures of the mesa's summit were con-
~,