Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-14
THE CARE OF NJ.
. CLIFF RUINS
Women of Colorado Take Determined
Steps to Preserve These Dwell
IingS of Prehistoric Man.

The women of Colorado have an
nounce their intention of preserving the
prehistoric ruins, the homes of the cliff
dwel!ers, that are now attracting SO
much attention in scientific circles. They
say tdhat since the great antiquity of
the relics has been admitted they have
been visited by vandals and that unless
something is done to ave them it will
not belong before the most interesting
features will have disappeared.
To accomplish this work, therefore,
they have organized an or~anization and
thhey have now announced their inten-
tion of acquiring title to the ruins, either
by purchase or by a grant from the
a park and museum in which shall be
shown these relics of an unknown an
tiquity.
For years the existence of these cliff
dwellings has been known, and from
time to time some desultory examina-
ton Of their characteristics has been
made, but there was no careful investi-
cation of the ruins until a
lively short time ago. The result of this
recent research was SO productive of re-
suits, however, that archaeologists and
ethnologists the world over are now TAX
ing an absorbing interest i'm the relics.
1t has been customary to speak Of
America as the new world, and to feel
as if one must go to other continents if
he would view the wonderful relics that
lAlIt lldS Ildue nlSlOflc, DuI Their IS now
a growing feeling among scholars tina
We rave all the time been in the wrong
and that, instead of being the new
world America is one of the oldest con-
tinents in existence, a continent hat was
peopled by men far advanced in civiliza-
ton tens of thousands of years ago. FOr
this change of opinion the American
cliff dwellings are responsibel and it is
not strange that the interest of the world
should now be centered Upon them.
PREHISTORIC AREA.
The area of prehistoric ruins in the
southwest covers a tract of 5000 square
miles,fi extending from the -four cor
ners' into Colorado, Utah, New exico
and Arizona. and the section of the tract
most valuable has been one of the grave
questions at issue with the committee,
but it has now been practically decided
to include that portion of the Mesa Verde
the green tableland in the southwestern
corner of Colorado, which contains the
most ruins.
1t should be understood that Mesa
| Verde. the probable location of the flu
ture park, is a strikingly singular divide
between the Mallcos II the Montezu-
ma valleys. Throughout it's extent it
is gashed and came by innumerable
| deep canyons and r~avines. The uplands
| are crowded with forests with the trees
in such close array that one finds it diff
cult to pick a passage through them.
| Ruins of the house of the Mesa-dWellerS
are thick upon the plateau.
The canyons that split theh divide into
tongues and islands of precipitous rock
are lined with the houses of theh cliff
dwellers. The sides of the canyon are
sheer walls of yellow sandstone. ranging
in height from 500 to 1000 feet. Az q
rule the dwellings, stand fifty CIR a hum
dred feet below the rim of the heights.
in a sheltered recess o~verhnug by beet
ding masses of rock.
In a great many instances 1t is i'm
possible to climb to the houses from this
bottom of the canyon I'M most OF them
! have tn he entered from the top OF ths