The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-14

the IarIneSt north that cliff DWELL
ing ruins had been found in Utah, and
so turned our attention to this sec
ton. Nine-Mile creek takes its rise
in the mountains that form the water
shed between the DuChesne river and
the Minnie Maud creek. and flows
southeast into the Minnie Maud. as il
is called in the government maps The
people in that region, however, give
the name Nine-Mile to this creek
throughout its entire course, as it
flows easterly through ever-deepening
canyons until it mipsles its waters
with the Green.
Cliff DwelIers Migratory.
The cliff dwelling Indians evidently
migrated to this region in small bands.
making their homes on headlands and
detached cliffs, while they irrigated
and cultivated the strips of fertile soil
in the narrow valley below them
Traces of an old irrigation ditch are
plainly seen still in one portion of this
valley below where the road leads off
to Myton, and corn and corncobs and
squash and gourd stems and rinds are
found in the ruins OF their cliff houses,
showing that they were. to a consider
able degree, an agricultural people,
similar to those whose homes have
been found IN Colorado, southeastern
Utah and in Arizona.
Were Skilled Potters.
Many pieces of broken pottery are
also found, which show skill in work
manship- The plain dark varieties N
bowls, pitchers and vases are the most
numerous Some of these are in the
simple dark clay. unglazed and un-
painted, while others are covered. q
faxV m no f-s<l
them on both sides. with black paint
laid upon a surface that had been
rubbed down very smooth and hard.
Several were decorated by incised
lines. both vertical and horizontal,
made when the clay was soft.
Artistic Clay Workers.
One had evidently had a chain Of
little flat clay rings made and laid
around the neck of the vase
A small piece of a deep platter or
plate of light gray color, painted in
black figures on the inside and glazed
was found in the ruins of a house
situated high UP on an isolated cliff
All OF these show some degree of skill
and civilization, and stamp these more
remote groups as kindred of the peo-
pies occupying the more thickly popu-
lated sections located farther to the
south
Built for Defense.
The structures found in this canyon
seem TO have been used as homes
watch towers, store houses and breast
works. The houses were small. often
circular and varying from five TO
eighteen fet In diameter The walls
were built of flat sandstone blocks laid
N clay mortar. Sometimes these walls
were built across the front of crevices
or shallow caves in the rocks beneath
overhanging cliffs, at others on the
tops of isolated cliffs, where the an
preach was difficult from every side.
Picture No. l shown is an illustration
of house built against the side of a
cliff, about three hundred feet above
the valley. This house is two stories
in height. part of the upper story hav-
ing fallen down, but the floor is still
in place and was made of pine
stringers, upon which were placed
greaseWood poles, then a layer of
rushes and lastly a coat of clay. In
the wall of the upper story were three
windows or port holes. each about a
foot square.
The second picture is that of an ir-
regular house built against the side of
an isolated cliff, on the top of which
are the ruins OF five circular houses
and watch towers. The wall of this
irregular house conforms to the shape
of the cliff, and Is eleven feet in height
in the highest art ard about fiftean
feet long