The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-06-27

Institute of America to unearth ad-
ditional information relative to the
Cliff Dwellers, one of the most inter
esting and recently extinct OF the pre-
| historic races of America. announces
the New York Tribune's Washington
correspondent. TO this end the In
stitute has asked permission OF the
Secretary of Agriculture to explore
| the Canyon of the RitO de los Frljoles,
in New Mexico, which cuts through
the region of the country richest IN
prehistoric ruins. This permission has
been granted, and an expedition Will
be sent to New Mexico in the near
future
The Canyon of the Rito de los Fri
joles, which interpreted means the
Rite of the Beans, branches off from
the Rio Grande at point opposite
Santa Fe. 1t was here that the Span
iards settled in the earliest days OF
Americas history. planting a perma-
nent colony, second in age only to st.
Augustine, Fla. Directly through this
country runs the famous Santa Fee
trail, which was first marked out by
Coronado when he passed from San
Diego, CAL, eastward, being the first
European to penetrate what is now
the southwestern part of the United
States. The Mexican population, which
still predominates In this region,
makes beans its chief article OF food,
and it was through the custom In
early days of holding feasts in the
shady canyon that 1t got its name.
The native Indians still live on the
mesas that adjoin the canyon, where
they celebrate many quaint customs
and religious ceremonies. some OF
which are known to have been derived
from the Cliff Dwellers. Among these
Indians is still to be found strain
of the extinct blood. as there was
some intercourse between the two
races before the Cliff Dwellers became
extinct. The Indians are, however,
a greatly inferior race. never having
attained to anything like the civiliza-
tion of the older race.
d
that the Cliff Dwellers were crowded
by the Indians from the mesas. where
as still found evidences of extensive
irrigation systems. They went into
the canyons and caves for shelter from
the force of numbers of their con-
querors, who drove them from their
agricultural pursuits, and then were
exterminated largely through starva-
ton, the date of their passing being
set at something near a thousand
years ago. The Indians profited in
no way from the agricultural example
81 by their predecessors, and the
irrigation plants fell into decay.
The houses of the Cliff Dwellers
and the caves that in many instances
extend far into the walls of the can
you have been found rici, in relics CT
the vanquished race. In the musty
corridors of these caves have been
found many of the mummified remains
of the people who once lived there.
These are we'll preserved. but when
not treated scientifically crumble TO dust
when exposed to the outer air. Many
of them have been SO exposed and
lost by transient curiosity seekers.
who have benefited science little
through their findings. The skull for
nation of the Cliff Dwellers. which
is large and gives evidence OF intelli-
gence far beyond that OF the Indian,
is. however, we'll known.
In the forest reserves and other
lands under the control OF the govern
ment archaeological ruins are no long
er open to the public for excavation,
and special permits are required even
before exploration is allowed. The
authority to collect objects Of an
tiquity from government property
can now be secured only through the
Secretary of Agriculture in the case
of the national forests. the Secretary
of War on military reservations. and
the Secretary of the Interior on all
other lands controlled by the govern
ment. There is careful provision safe
guarding the public properties against
the gathering of such objects for COM
mercial purposes, or their subsequent
purchase by private persons.
All remains, utensils or implements
of any kind discovered under permits
must be deposited and kept in a desig-
mated museum open to the public. No
monument or building which can be
preserved where it stands may be |
mutilated, destroyed or removed.
Large objects of historical or scien- |
tific interest on public lands may be
declared national monuments, and are |