The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-09-04
HOW CLIFF DWELLINGS OF
NEW MEXICO WERE FOUND

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Recent researches conducted by
archaeologists and students from ives
tern universities have brought to
light some new facts about the cliff
dwellera in southwestern Colorado
and northwestern Ne Mexico.
The first discoveries were made 40
years ago by two cattlemen named
Wetherell, both well known here and
now living at Two Grey Hills, who
had for months travelled the valley,
only to meet one day. the surprise of
seeing a great building on one of the
cliffs of the Mesa Verde. The sun
happened to be shining just right a1d
enabled them to discern what had
previously escaped their observation.
Climbing up. they found a great
about it other houses and ruins, of
great extent. Mummies, bits of pot
terry, feather cloth balls of salt nulg
in bags sof corn husks and rude uten-
sils of various kinds were scattered
about. In mounds they dug up war
clubs, arrowheads, needles, flint orna-
ments aid burnt corn.
After the Wetherells came other ex
pIorers and many of the museums of
the world have been enriched by the
finds made there. Not long ago an
investigation party discovered west
of La Plata river a group of cliff
houses of which no government re-
port had ever been made. These
have been the subject of the recent
Investigations
The new collection consists of
about fifty houses perched on rock
shelves which extend at intervals to
a height of 500 or 900 feet above the
bed of the canyon. Seen from below
they look like swallows nests and
many of them could not be reached.
In the valley five miles further
along isolated ruins were found. Ex-
cavations made disclosed more mum
mics, stone ornaments, bones and
pottery.
Thirty miles below Durango. just
over the New Mexico border, the
ruins of once extensive village have
been discovered About the center of
it is signal and defense tower equip
ped with protective devices of char
acter different from any previously
found.
Instead of a single circular wall
this one has three. with spaces of
about seven feet between them. The
=
two feet and it is connected with the
interior walls with cross walls. The
last wall of defense could be reached
only by ladders, and was practically
impregaabie in the days when the
club and spear formed the chief wea-
sandstone imbedded in clay mortar.
In other ruins great quadrangles
were found In the wall crevices the
mortar still bears the imprint of fin
gers. Most of these stones were car
rIed up from the bed of the canyon.
So far as Investigations have dis
closed, the ruins of the cliff dwellers
,are scattered over 100000 square
miles in Colorado. Utah, Arizona and
New Mexico. The great mystery of
how they were annihilated still puz-
zles the scientists. They figure that
if could not have been famine. since
great stores of corn have been uncov-
cred, nor could they have migrated,
because no other race possesses the
marked characteristics of art and ar
chitecture shown by the cliff dwell
ers. Traces Of FIRE have led to the
conjecture that their destruction
must have come through a volcanic
eruption.
The later investigators take 40
stock IN the old story that Pueblo
Indians. VINO are now occupying a
part or the ola teraitpry are descen-
dants Of the cliff dwellers. Their de-
coratire pottery symbols are entire
IN difFerent The older race had
great communal buildings Or stone,