The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-02
Kansas Ruin
Strange EaDltaticu
Of aa Eariltr Raee.

Of an carIltr Race.
It has always been a source OF regret
to the dramatically inclined that Kansas
was sorrowfully new in everything. But
Kansas has ruins. They are near Scott
City. s. w. willis8on has entered into
N investigator. This Is what he has
tc say;
For the past fifteen years or more the
existence Of CERTAIN remarkable ruins IN
Scott county, Kansas. has been known TO
the people Of the vicinity. and to certain
others who have visited the locality. at
trac;ed by their fame. 1 first heard Of
them while engaged in geological work
On the Smokey Hill valley in 1881, but
found It then inconvenient 10 examine
them, though my interest was much ex-
cited While in the vicinity the past sum-
mer seized the opportunity, In company
with a friend, Mr.. w. o. Bourne, OF Scott
City, to visit the immediate site OF the
ruins and make such brief examination Of
them as our time would permit Since
then, Mr.. Bourne has very kindly made
who had examined these and ether ruins
IN the vicinity. and has sent me his notes
and correspondence. II is 10 be hoped
that Mr.. Bourne or others will continue
the investigations, in the hope Of reach
the more certain conclusions concerning
their origin.
The ruins, II they may be dignihed by
that name, are situated in the valley OF
Beaver creek (wrongly called Ladder
creek on the maps. in the northern part
of Scott county, twelve miles due north
from Scott City. and about ten miles
south of the Smoky Hill river. At this
place the valley of the creek, which here
runs north, Is less than mile wide. sur
mounted on either side by high bluns OF
Tertiary material The immediate valley
is excavated in the Cretaceous chalk. The
result Is that here, as elsewhere in west
ern Kansas where like geological cond!-
lions obtain, that the underfiow through
the porous Tertiary sandstones over the
impervious chalk floor comes abundantly
into the valley, furnishing a considerable
stream OF water. Perhaps no stream In
the western part OF the state offers more
favorable conditions for irrigation than
does this in its lower part. In the driest
years there Is always an abundance or
water in the stream, and the deep pools
along its course are always well supplied
with fish. Nowhere have 4 ever taken so
many in so short a space Of time as
have from the pools in this same Beaver
creek in years gone by. About half mile
above the site OF our present ruins, the
Tertiary underflow comes 10 the surface
along the side OF a hill in such perpetual
abundance that 1t Is utilized IN the irTiga-
ton OF a considerable tract Of land. The
place Is widely known by the people in
the vicinity as the big Springs"
These two facts-ea1y facilities for I'M
failing and extensive irrigation. and fish
and beaver producing. perpetually flow
ing stream-are undoubtedly explanatory
of the ruins.
The ruins visited by US are situated near
the mildle Of the valley, close 20 the
stream, and away from any possibility OF
ambush by hostile savages. They occupy
a small knoll OF ground and consist OF
low, rounded heap of soil and stone, per-
haps seventy-five or a hundred feet in
diameter, the soil wholly overgrown by
buffalo grass. The rocks are the coarse
sandstone furnished by the Tertiary out
crops Of the surrounding hills. They are
present in considerable abundance, but
not sufficiently so to furnish material for
superstructure of the size that our
dwelling certainly was. A small excava-
ton has been made near the middle OF
this mound by previous explorers, per-
haps two feet in depth. 4 brief continu-
alton of this excavation disclosed to US
the original floor of the dwelling covered
with a dark humus of decayed organic
matter. and containing numerous frag-
ments Of charred corn and corn cobs. The
original walls OF the structure are stand
ing only TO the surface OF the mound.
and are lined throughout smoothly and
evenly with native plaster" two or three
inches thick, such plaster as is now used
in many Of the sod houses Of the plains.
That the whole structure had been COM
posed of sods, save probably the roof. Il
assumed from the large amount Of DIS
turbed earth In the whole mound. The
extent OF the mound. and the walls. 50
far as they have been traced. indicate that
the original dwelling was about forty feet
in extent IN either direction. Other esu-
mates much larger than this have been
given. but ! do not think the basis for
such Is wholly satisfactory. II had been
divided into separate rooms. each lined
with plaster. We found at least two
rooms. but other explorers have given
four or five as the real number. The full
extent and shape Of these rooms VIII only
be definitely determined by considerable
excavation. The rocks seem 10 be more
abundant at one extremity OF the ed.fce.
from which / suspected that they had
been used in the structure OF a fireplace
and chlmney-this Is a conjecture only.
So far as can learn no metal tools or
implements OF any character have been
found either In the ruins themselves or In
the vicinity. The only implement Of any
kind seen by me was one found In che
immediate vicinity. consisting Of large
shallow sandstone. into which hited a
smaller sandstone with convex surface.
the two undoubtedly used IN grinding or
pulyeriz!ng corn.
The most interesting fact, however. con-
nected With the ruin Is that the corn Is
not the modern white man's corn. bu; the
primitive. abori zinal corn. Fragments u
the cObs. as l found them. were not larg-
e. than ones hnger. and had only a few
rows q kernels upon them. The kernels
were larger than those % pop core.
smaller than our fed corn. with rounded
surfaces. each iaSiyidua! kernel bus 1T
tie compressed by is mates. This corn -
so very DISTINCTLY diferea; from any noE
grown in the state. that IL az once proves
the antiquity ~ re structure. TIE corn.
II not grown by the aborig.nss. must have
come from seed furnished By them. This
corn L found in considerable abundance.
quarts OF even pscks q 81 may be %
;asaed with Il little ishor. FraEmsnts %
charcoal are also found IN the soii watch