Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-06-26
THE PRIMEVAL MAN
He Was Found In New Mexico, It
Is Asserted, Before the Ter
tiary Period,
INTERESTING DISCOVERIES
A Big Lake Wiped Out By a Flow o
Iava-An Agricultural People Which
Lived Along Its Fertile
Shores.

which would authenticate human habi
tation at a much earlier period than ev-
er before discovered, has returned tc
Denver from Santa Fe, where he spent
several weeks.
He discovered some evidences which
show that men lived in the region be-
fore the flow of lava, and he turned in
to DR.. Cobern the following interesting
report of it, which will also be of value
TO the scientific world.
LAKE WIPED OUT BY LAVA.
"Together with an assistant, l have
carefully examined about five square
miles of the lava field in which the ruin
is reported to be located, but without
success. The evidence is conclusive that
where hearsay locates the ruin a large
lake existed, and its bed is now almost
wholly covered with a ava overflow to
a depth of I'VE 100 feet. From data pro-
cured at the surveyor generals office at
Santa Fe ! retraced a portion of the
surveys made by Pradt and Norman
in 1882, and found the ruin they official
~ Ilplt dlll Dlll " tOIlSlS u lOuE SIIldll
rooms. but it is a few hundred feet east
of the border of the ava deposit, and
its walls are partially made of lava
blocks, hence built subsequent to the
overflow. At a point about one mile
northeast of the extensive ruins on
Montezuma, which you examined,
found a group of small cliff houses built
under a high and Overhanging rock
the exposed base of which is about $50
feet in vertical elevation above the lev
el of the old and now narrow belt of
lake bed which extends for several
miles north and south of this point.
CALCINED BY INTENSE HEAT.
"This cliff embraces eve attached
rooms, three of which / examined. The
remaining rooms are filled with great
masses of rock which have fallen from
the natural roof, and which have
crushed their sandstone walls. Two Of
bris are similar to those usually found,
having a floor of plastered clay, and ev-
idence of human occupation. The re-
naming room is the central one of the
group, is of irregular size, but having
an average width n length of seven
and eight feet, as shown by the attach
ed plan of the several rooms. In making
my excavations of thissroom I first re-
moved two feet of sand and material
gathered by mountain rats. AT that
| 1arth ipctnol IF Gnlin~ n o1ou qoop
similar to those in the adjoining rooms,
7 encountered a deposit of small flake
of sandstone, six inches in thickness,
burned to a bright red color, and so
friable that it can be crushed in the
hand. This had evidently fallen from
the overhanging rock, and has been
subjected to an intense heat. Beneath
this I found a quantity of corn, cover
ing a clay n rock floor to a depth of.
from 3 or 4 to - inches. The corn was
in the ear, is as black as jet, and the
room was evidently used as a granary.
Many of the ears are quite 2 inches in
diameter, lave twelve rows of kernels,
and their size would prove that these
ancient people cultivated a variety
larger han now raised by the several
tribes of Pueblo Indians. I secured
about two bushels nearly free from
sand, which brought to Denver.
STONE BROUGHT 100 MILES.
1.-THE corn has been calcined by heat,
but not brought in contact with fire, for
my most careful search failed to find a
particle of ashes or charcoal in it, or in /
its covering of burned sand rock. I'm
bedded in the corn I found two stone
hammers and three broken stone axes.
They are made of green stone and horn
hlende, a variety of rock not found in !
places within 100 miles of hat locality.
"The total absence of tools made from
lava rock attracted my attention, and I
made a careful examination of other
ruins, which occur at frequent intervals
for about six miles toward the south
east till the head of the valley is reach
ed at the present placita of Cebolleta.
"The effects of heat thrown off from
flowing lava may be observed at a point
about one mile west of Grant station,
on the Santa Fe and Pacific railroad.
There Professor Cutler and myself re-
Gently examined its action on the ex-
posed sand rock of a butte which rises
island-like in the lava bed. There the
heat has converted the sandstone into
1uartzite, although not in contact with
lava. The area of his isolated lava
flow is less than 1000 acres; thai west
and south of the cliff house in which
the corn exceeds 400, 900 acres as
shown by official surveys.
LONG BEFORE BIBLICAL TIMES.
From the evidence I believe the mar
gin of this great fresh water lake was
Inhabited at a period of time vastly re-
note by a numerous agricultural race;
hat during the Tertiary period an
of lava coming from assures
n the earth's crust blotted out the lake,
covered nearly all it's area with a de-
Dosit to a depth of more than 100 feet,
accompanied with heat and noxious
5ases that destroyed all animate and
nanimate life. At a much later period
mother race, having the same general
characteristics as the former, dwelts on t
he margin n now uncovered portion l
f the old lake bed, using the lava for
and in part for the construction Of \
heir dwellings, material which waa e
OF present when the older race neces-
arily used other kind of rock to supply !
he implements required in their domes- c
life.
During the recent visit yourself and 6
theirs made to that locality we found
luch that proves the presence of man T
/ that region at a time anterior to that
-hich scientists claim he appeared in