Evening star., 1901-03-05
RUINS OF A PALACE.
remains of the HandsOmest of the
Homes of Cliff Dwellers

From the Denver Post.
Down in the southwestern part of pic
turesque Montezuma county, near the cor
ner where Colorado, Utah Arizona and
New Mexico merge their state lines. lies
Cliff canon. near Mancos Within its an
c1ent portals. SCARED by the storms of
centuries past. are hundreds of stranee
habitations where once lived the cliff
dwellers
Time, with it's obiterating and relentless
hand, has removed from the world nearly
all knowledge of those mysterious and ex
tinct people. Only their homes quaint and
puzzling, remain to indicate the tenor of
their lives. In the perpendicular walls of
the canon which rise on both sides to a
height of 1000 feet, this prehistoric race
OF men built their dwellings.
After the lapse of innumerable wears
these may be seen STILL standing like DESC
late monuments of days when the world
was young"
Unlike most memories, however they do
not tell to the curious visitors the history
Of the departed.
implements of husbandry and weapons of
war have been found inside the forsaken
walls of the ancient houses, Offering silent
testimony Of the various pursuits of the
former owners. Today they are highly in
teresting to thoughtful people who seek
knowledge of the past.
The entire section Of country beyond the
southern Rockies. surrounding the corner
where the four states meet, is we'll termed
the land OF the cliff dwellers."
Rivers far larger than those now seen In
this district fed by the melting SHOWS of
lofty sierras, once ran to the south and
west, cutting out in the limestone plateaus
a network Of canons. Astronomers say
that the landscape there resembles the
face of the moon. In all directions are
found the ruins of the Cliff dwellers
Cliff Palace Is called the handsomest of
them all. Across a great chasm it ex-
tends, once solid wall of masonry
Thousand feet wide. Under vast oval cliff
it stands like a ruined fortress with dis
mantled towers, bastions and ramparts.
In front the stones have fallen away, but
behind them rise the walls of a second
story and in the rear of the dark cavern is
the third tier.
In the gloomy recesses further back are
cozy buildings perched in utterly mac
cessibIe hooks. Some of the rooms have
orations Of strange figures in red Corn
cobs may be seen imbedded in the plaster
of several dwellings,.
Broken pottery of ancient design, large
stone mortars, fragments of weapons, and
parts of skeletons are found on all sides.
Under the rear of the cave was the burial
place of the clan. Cliff Palace notwith-
standing it's imposing appearance, was
doubtless a communistic dwelling
There is hall leading through it and
nothing to indicate that it was home
prepared for a ruler of the people. Its
beauty is enhanced by the magnitude of
the natural arch under Which it was built
The great open cave does not seem to have
been enlarged in any way.
The canon Is cut through Mesa Verde for
a distance of over thirty miles, and pre-
sents, with its towering walls scene of
rugged grandeur. Why its almost inacces-
sible sides were selected for home sites by
the early man has puzzled archaeologists.
Fear seems a likely cause for his seeking
such lofty places Of refuge. yet-fear Of