Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-09-01
How Cliff Dwellings Of
New Mexico Were Found

R@ceat rAa nnd1efed b
arf h~aea5oxsts students from
wetcfn unfrer have brought ~
tight Some new facts about the cliff
awellefs In Westeru C1.cu1q
ard n9fthwaern SEES MeTfeo
TIE nrw diN1eres were made for
- years ago b. tH1 oainemen named
W@thereL both reI known here and
row lining a. Tu1 Ores HIS who
rad fgT MONT Travelled the valley
Only ~ meet ons day the s1rprle ~
seeing a great building on 2 n the
elffs u fhe Mesa Ver5e The sun
happene1 r. s. panilg just right ard
enabled Them 10 discern what had
UreEl0usiE aearz their obserralan
climbing 80. they found z great
structure o. 30 r7gmz and scattered
bout It other houses and ruins u
great extent Mummies. bits u pot
fefy. feather cloth halls ~ salt hung
FRI bagE Of corn hasEs and rude uten-
sis q various kinds were scattered
shout In mounds they dug Up war
clubs. arrowhead needles. Gint 0rna-
menfs and burnt corn
After the Wetherelis came other ex-
pl9rers and many ~ the OF
the world hay been enriched b. the
finds made there Not long q an
I-HFestigatlgH party discovered west o.
La Plata river 81 group u cliff houses
u whish 80 Eorarnment report had
ever been made These have been the
subject 81 the recent investigations
Tine new coliEcuuu consists Of about
fifty houses perched On rock shelves
Mich extend st Intervals o. q height
N 500 ~ soc Zee. above the bed Of
the ranyuu seen frnm below. fhsy
look IKE swallows nests and many
~ them could not be reached.
In q valley i've miles further along
lF9lated ruins were found ExcaTa-
fions made disclosed more mummles.
stone ornaments. bones and pottery.
Thirty mii~ below Durango. just
8yer the Mes Mexico border. the ruins
~ q OHce extensive village have been
discovered. About the cenfer % 81 ISL
a signal and defense tower equipped
with protective devices ~ q charac-
ter different from any previously
found.
Instead % a single circular wall
this has three. with spaces Of
about seven feet between them. The
exterior wall has a diameter o. fifty
two Feet and BE- is connected with the
interior walls By cross walls. The last
wall ~ defense could De reached only
by ladders md was practically inn
pregnahle in the days when the club
and spear formed the chief weapons Z
n attack TIE walls are 0f sandstone
irnhcdded 81 Clay mortar
In other ruins great quadrangies
found. In the wall crevices the
mortar sfll bears the imprint 81 fin
gers Mnsf ~ these stones were car
ried nu from he bed 90 The canyon.
So Ear a = Investigation have dis
closed. the FuinE ~ rhe cliff dwcilrrs
scattered over 100. 900 square
miles in Colorado. Utah Arizona and
New Aexir1 The great mystery o.
they were annlhliafed FtNl pug
zies the scientists They figure that
t could not have beer famine. since
great stores ~ corn have been uncor-
.rei. nor could they have migrated
because no other race possesses The
Characteristic 90 ART and
architecture shown h~ the cliff dwell
~ Traces q fire have Ted a. the
1njecture THAI their destruction must
come .tfoush p volcanic eruH-
iu sr inFerFft'rs take no
J. tN ta rl'f4 Lha- the Fieplo
- n" nccup}lns
'1It ~ tNr ~a t'rfitnr1' are descend
~ tnr .hit d"eirfs Their dec
Ilue f't-efl slmD"-f are entirely /
ne p4a'E race had great
-dihEH ni stone ire
l.hiF Z. many Stories and faced
IN hGnlre 81 square yards % tool
r" The fueh1 Indians uye
mouse sln-arled brick
Lt L ttafnef NrRhL ~ Mont
'ei' aent opt o. ShaFano o. /