The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-27
THE MESA VERDA.
Topeka Preacher Writes Of His
Western Explorations.
A Visit to Homes OF the CliH
DWellerS.
INTERESTING STORY.
The Prehistoric Ruins Are
Carefully Examined.
Cities and Utensils of an I'm
known Age.
INTERESTING STORY.

GIenwood Springs. Colo, Aug. 2S.-
There is but one spot in this land OF
many states where the tourist can
stand and with the climbing staff touch
the soil of four states, and that IN
teresting point is where the east-west
and north-south boundary lines cross
separating at right angles. Utah, Colo
Eado, New Mexico and Arizona, known
as The Four Corners"
IT is located in a mountainous section
bordering on the Ute Indian reserVa-
ton and the rock bound San Juan river
A few miles to the northeast OF TINS
point and in the extreme southwest
part of Colorado flows the Mancos
river. with the fiat Mesa Verda on the
north bank crowned with evergreen
foliage, at an elevation of 5000 rect
above the sea. and now far-famed De
cause it locates the ruins of the ancient
Cliff Dwellers. A visit TO lneSe ruins
well repays the expense and discomT
fort for it gives the tourist a new mn
preston of what America was IN the
prehistoric period however ne VII VII, SU,, ~
away with his many queries stlll I'M
Hopelessly VIC ask, why did these
people prefer to dwell in these frownlnS
cliffs, rather than In the 1erllle NdiieSS
so near at hand.
This region is reached over the scenic
Denver and Rio Grande, the tourlss
leaving the railway at the little town OF
Mancos nesting at the foot OF La
Plata mountains, and at the head OF
the valley. down through when nows
the Rio Mancos to join the san Juan,
the great Colorado and nnally INTO the
Gulf OF California.
The Mesa Verda is fiat topped
mountain extending away to the SOUTH
west which is cut and gashed by can
ons and valleys with preclpltous
sides washed out by torrents of former
ages as this country is now enurely
devoid of ain. shriveled under q scorch-
ing sun. and largely devoid OF Vegeta-
ton save the ever present sage DruSn.
The start is made with a guide,
carriage and a pack-norse. For twenty
miles the ride is through a dusty val
lev. Then the carriage is abandoned,
the horses are mounted for nine mile
ride over the mesa, the top or wnlch IS
covered with green forests OF plnon
and cedar. Once over this we enter the
wonderful canon, at the head of when
a comfortable cabin is found Here the
traveller tarries for the night, ready Tor
his explorations on the morrow II Is
hard for one on such an occasion 70
keep from musing on the past. Here ne
is in a land of tradition. or perpetual
sunshine, of towering clifts IN Wnlcn
are built with evident vast labor, dwell
lings of cut stone with doors ana roofs
and windows. on lodges of rock far
above the valley.
There is a charm in delving into this
pasta past quite beyond the histor-
IAN The story told by these ruined
homes, by the pottery from dug up
graves, by bones. tools, weapons,
houses with walls tinted and covered
with hieroglyphics, is a thrilling one
Here on every side are to be found
the scattered footprints of a vanished
people. No one can r1gure out when
they lived A mammoth spruce tree
n hundred feet high and nearly ten
feet in circumference is standing in
one of the deserted homes. which one
time resounded with human voices, to
testify of the many years required in
Who were these people? Whence
came they2 How long ago did they
abandon their homes? If the dried
up mummies found here could force
their grinning faces to speak. the an
swer might be of a race, established |
in these swallow-like homes. who
lived and toiled long before Cortez be-
held the snOw-capped mountains of
san Juan. They might tell of terri !
fed Aztecs fleeing from place to place |
before savage foes and at last gather |
ing in these curious Gin nests, where
they might hide from their enemies
or fight them from the clouds.
Here are thousands of evidences of
a prehistoric race-homes found in |
isolated places. in groups, along ridges
and knobs, as well as in once fertile |
valleys
The Mesa Verda as we'll as the Mon |
tezuma and Mancos valleys are like |
terry, mounds. sites of villages and |
cemeteries. while high up in the cliffs |
like eagles nests are cities of an un- !
known age and people, so cunningly !
cut in the face of the cliff, and made |
10 resemble the natural cliffs. that it |
iss possible to traverse up and down |
the valley and not see them. Indeed, |
the place was discovered only by ac- |
cident For many months the Weth- /
erell boys some forty years ago ranged /
their cattle over this region, little /
dreaming of the historic treasures
which lay about them. One day on /
looking up to the cliff they suddenly /
saw something hanging in midair-l
a palace-with pillars. windows and |
doors.
They climbed up to the eyrie to
$50 rooms. and at once they stood face |
to face with an unknown past. For
days thereafter, while the cattle peace
fully grazed in the valley below these |
cowboys thoroughly explored these 1
wonderful cliff homes, bringing to the /
knowledge of the world not only cliff
Palace" but The Balcony House."
''The Spruce Tree House." 1.-The Sand I
House" and the vast ruins in other
places The treasures found in these
homes in the mounds and graves are
wonderfully interesting. Pieces of pot
terry of unique design, moccasins, straw
and rush mating, feather cloth, cord.
and balls of salt hung up on the walls
wrapped in corn husks, were found
in profusion- The houses were usu-
ally built in rows, one above the other,
the cut stone being sandstone, and laid
in a hard mortar. The apartments
were in touch with each other by mar
row passage ways Many of the rooms
whose walls were covered 18th hero
glyphics had figures Of four-footed an
finals, but nothing resembling the
horse, proving the race to have been
pre-Spanish and pre-Mexican. The
graves of this valley usually revealed
when opened, many varieties of pottery,
war clubs, burnt corn, needles, ar
rour DC and S7fnt In,