Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-02-25
THE CLIFF JEWELLERS.

Uncle Sans Surveyor Tells of R,,ir.
Of the Past
oie remains of the cliff lwellers
were found recently in Southern Col
o,auo by Cecil y. Deane, n United
4eate deputy surveyor. I've found.
,ie salu. extensive ruins of the dwell
iers ana of prehistoric people. and T
doubt IL ever before they have been
visited. 1t is in Il locality. where the
scientists and relic hunters never come
ana nave no doubt that they will
prove entirely new to the scientific
world In one locality west or.thc La
ci Ha river we found an area OF some
' J,ooo or ';Voo acres in one body that was
uotteu with the ruins of Il people that
uoupticss subsisted by agricultural
pursuits. The land was literally cover
Gu with the ruins OF stone houses
While the original inhabitants OF this
vast tract subsisted by means Of farm
ing, yet no evidence of irrigation were
found. and the nearest water nj nrc-
seit is the La Plata or NIancos river.
In other localities we found similar
evidence OF prehistoric race and
uHuer tne salne CONDITIONS, indfcaIin,r
tnat IL they did their farming by ir-
rigatlon all traces have long vanished
or else there were streams nearer than
Ut present. 1t may be possible. too.
mat in the past generations; there vna
more rain In that section ana that II
was not than. as it is now, an arid
region.
The surface is now covered with n
dense growth OF sage bush and of min
on or cedar trees. In parts it is almost
impossible for n man to make his way.
In surveying Il dense forest we dis
covered the ruined walls OF one house
that originally must have been several
stories high. Tho walls were massive.
indicating that it WAS more than n
single story. The stone that had fall
len out OF its place forms Il pile over
ten feet in height and is strcwn about
everywhere.
This house must have been ono of
great importance to the people of that
day. 1t may have been one of their
great temples or ii may have been a
community house. 1t is. OF course, en-
tirely speculative as TO lis use, but ita
immense size would indicate that il
was not an ordinary dwelling. In
places parts of the walls are exposed,
Just as 1t was bulded by the people
VINO long ago passed away. leaving
only the remains of their buildings 10
indicate to the present generation that
they have lived. II is probable that Il
systematic and careful search in the
vicinity of The ruins and an cxplora-
ton of the ground would bring TO light
many evidences OF the people that
"ouiu eiieu iiucl iISni on their modes
of life and on their history We, Of
course, had no time for this work. as
we were taken up entirely by survey
ing.
Inside the walls to the house of
which L have just spoken large pinon
trees are now growing, which is an
other indication of the antiquity OF
the ruins. Large cedars. too. are groy-
ing within and all about the ruins
The forest where we found the big
house is dense,the trees being of large
growth. and is practically inacccssi-
able.
"In another locality we found the
homes of the cliff dwcllcrs. They were
built of stone and perchcd, cyric-like.
ON the beetling cliff. hundreds of feet
above the bed OF the canyOH, anu TfTCy
can only nc reached by means of ropes
reaching down from the top OF the al
most vertical cliff"