The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-08-16
PREHISTORIC RACES
~ In ARIZONA

s..
reused new spirit for archaeological
investigation in the southwest The
remains of enormous and WonderfulIy
made irrigation canals. constructed by
race of whom there are now no
known descendants, are abundant in
the region of Phoenix and Mesa, in
Marlcopa county, but this discovery of
canal that was. evidently fed by the
Rio Verde lin what is now Yavapai
county,, and which was so large that
logs and small barges could be easily
fioated along it, is the most interesting
piece of prehistoric work found in Ari-
iona. in years.
All who have Investigated the fasci-
mating subject agree that there were
once several cities of perhaps 100000
population in central Arizona and
that buildings, each constructed of
peculiar concrete of adobe soil and
gravel, governing two acres in area and
reaching eighty and more feet in height
were not uncommon for sun-worship
in southern Arizona. Los Muertos G
recently named city, but probably more
than 1000 years Odd, in Pima county,
must have had some 100000 population.
The remains of its city walls, reach
ing miles up hill and down dale, and
the immense quantities of burned bone
dust, probably the remains of aborigi-
nal ceremonies, betoken this The vi
cinity of the ella and Salt Sivers was
the scene of the denseSt population as
the abundance of prehistoric imple-
ments and weapons and ruined walls
show
But the artificial waterways of these
ancient and mysterious peoples are the
most interesting remains found in the
tay.f.
are marvels of engineering skill The
largest and best preserved waterway is
thirty-two miles north of Phoenix. The
water was supplied from the Verde
river. For nearly four miles this water
way passes through an artificial gorge
in the Superstition mountains, cut out
of the solid rock to a depth of 100 feet.
After the mountains are passed it di-
VideS into four branches, the longest
of which measures more than forty
miles, while all four aggregate a length
of 120 miles, independent of the soil.
Except in rare instances these smaller
bitches have been filled, and in that
part of the desert are obscured by the
sandstorms tina prevail; but the larger
one is distinct, and measures sixty-four
feet in width, with an average depth of
twelve feet. Through this way the
water for the support of the cities be-
tween the Salt and ella rivers was con-
veyed, and 1,600 square miles of coun-
try, now almost destitute of vegetation
was irrigated by it.
This canal reaches to within a short
distance of the ella river, and the
water was taken from the Salt river
for the apparent reason that at this
point, the north bank of the ella was
SO high that the builders was unable
to reach the current with canal, and
they evidently knew of no way to raise
the water to the level of the surround
ing country. This part of the desert is
covered with ruins, and must have been
at one time the residence of teeming
population. Immediately south of this
region several large canals We're taken
out of the ella, and they extend quite
a distance into the valley, one of them
supplying the city which contained the
Casa Grande-the largest best pre-
served and most noted prehistoric ruin
in the United Etates.
On the other side of the Salt river
there are more waterways. though they
are not of such length. Here, also, was
the principal city, twenty eight miles
in length by twelve in breadth 1t
contained many large buildings, which
are now little more than silapeless
rounds of stone and mortar. All the
wooden parts of these structures have
been destroyed by the ravages of time,
and even the joists where they were
protected by the stone and mortar have
decayed, leaving only the vacancies
they once filed. Near Phoenix, in one
of the ruins which are evidently those
of some public building, the walls ana
roof appear to have been crushed to-
H. -
pile of debris, yet standing to height
of twenty feet. The wooden beams in
the structure, some of them eight
inches in diameter were bent, broken
and thrown across each other in great
profusion. In this position the broken
stone and mortar settled around them
and in the course of time the mass har-
dened again, so that when the wooden
timbers finally decayed, they left holes
the size of the timbers. When the fact
is considered that rain seldom falls
here. and that cold and dew are con-
ditions entirely known in the valleys,
it is apparent that ages must have
elapsed while this process of decay was
going on.
There were undoubtedly two eras of
inhabitation, that of the cliff dwellers
being the more recent of the two. and
perhaps as long after the valley races
had become extinct as our age is after
them. As yet no theory has been adj
vanced by which we can so much as
approximate the age of the cliff dwell
ings. Their builders were rude and
more unsettled than the inhabitants of
the valleys, and they lived by war
and the chase as is proved by the
weapons found about their abodes.
On the contrary, the people of the val
ley lived peaceful lives. built magnifi-
cent temples, to a certain extent en-
couraged the fine arts, and titled the
soil with a system of irrigation equal
TO that of the most prosperous days of
ancient Egypt.
Recent surveys prove that at one
time not less than 100000 acres of
land were capable of irrigation from
the canals then in existence, While now
we have only 337 600. The population
must have been enormous. The extent
of their civilization is not so much en-
Veioped in mystery as is their origin or
the cause of their total destruction.
Hundreds of implements used by the
artisan and farmer have been I'M
earthed, and the vessels used for Gull
mary purposes are symmetrcally and
tasteful!y fashioned. Many of them
were painted in a manner evincing
cohsluefdplS knoWfedge OF art, and the
figures, though they have for ages been
subjected TO the chemical effects of the
alkali in the SOIL are still as bright and
perfect as the day they were drawn.
Shell bracelets found on the arms of
skeletons and other jewels of turquoise
and bone show skill and fine workman
ship. The houses were constructed on
plan adapted to ease and comfort.
and the capacious Railways with their
stone floors and cement walls were
peculiarly fitted for this half-torrid
climate. Their knowledge of engineer
ing was so perfect that our. centuries
of practice and discovery have not en-
abled us TO improve upon the grade or