Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-03-11
Geology Explains II.


more than quarter of a century ago.
Geology Explains It.
All there is of this history today
is tradition, handed down from In
dian tribes, and may be briefly re-
cited as follows; The lost people
lived In peace and harmony, and hand
ed down from some other country,
must have had some tradition that
made them believe the world was
larger than the country whose north
ern boundary is in the SHOWS of the
southern lap of the Rocky mountains.
with Its south boundary in Arizona,
and It's west line along the cave dwell
ings Of the majestic and awe inspir-
ing walls of the deepest canoned river
in the world-the Colorado. The Mo
qui and Navajo Indians carry in their
memories the best traditions of the
lost people. They tell you with Eng.
lish and Spanish words mixed with
their mother tongue, aided by signs
and gesticulation, that all was happy
until without warning there was
terrible trembling of the earth. The
waters disappeared and mountains
took the places of the streams. The
mountains they had seen before were
crumbled to dust and new water
courses appeared. The greater num-
ber of the people were destroyed.
This brief story. together with the
findings of explorers, where nearly all
the ruins are In regions bearing un-
disputed evidences OF volcanic erup-
ton Of one era or another gave at
once to the student of geology the
opinion that nothing other than one
Of the three eruptive periods in the
laccolithic La Plata mountains had
destroyed the people whose Identity
has been lost. Had these people come
here before the first eruptive period
they were destroyed in that period.
Had they come here after the first
they might have been destroyed by
the second, but that one Of the periods
destroyed them there can be no doubt.
Which period, will never be known.
A cedar tree found within the past
few years, on top of an Aztec grave
in which the romans of three sets OF
human bones were found, one above
the other, as they had buried at Pom
peii, showed an age of 2,20O years.
How many thousand years had the
grave received its last consignment
before the cedar tree began to grow,
and when was the first, second or
third eruptive era? Was either era
before a tablet had ever been made
to guide the construction OF the Bible
or were these Biblical tablets made
before either of the eras?
Since these lost people were de-
stroyed before the copper age was
known In country filled with copper
and other metals, Is 1t likely that they
had been destroyed before the keep
ing or writing OF history begun? Ex-
tended exploration Of the ruins, cliu
dwellings and graves has failed to md
one atom of metallic substance. Were
the outcroppings of mineral veins in
the mountains north, where such
people must have gone to hunt game
when they lived, been In sight then,
would they not have been SO attracted
by bright, shiny and vari-colored min
eral combinations as to have carried
some OF these specimens or particies
% their places of abode, where not
piece of mineral has ever been found!
Did they live SO long ago that the
y orld had not then learned any use
or mineral, or did they pass from
hese scenes OF human action before
he economy OF the universe had pro-
iuced mineral?
The Moqui Indian tradition is that
hese people lived 5000 years ago.
md the MoQui, whether his history
,as been preserved in his passing
well or not. has q pride
n the belief that he has descended
rom the lost people. No other peo-
lie known today possess half the de-
rec OF extravagant superstition pos
essed by the MoQuis. Illogical the
rists have speculated that the lost
eople found bright yellow meta4hc
ubstance in the streams after one Oh
be eruptvs periods, but NO solo OF
sllow copper has ever been ioaaa