The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1911-10-04
PREHISTORIC IRRIGATION
Evidences In Nevada of Settle
ments Made Centuries Ago
By Tillers Of The Soil

G. McClelland in che Elko Free Press
and tells of early day agriculturalists
of the state:
How many of the readers of this
paper, or of the people of Nevada,
know that many parts OF Eastern
Nevada were settled at one time by
colonies of agricultural inhabitants?
Nearly fifty years ago, there was
published in Harpers Monthly Maga-
zine a series of illustrated articles,
describing the massive works that
had been constructed by a race of
people who had inhabited Mexico and
northern part of South America long
before that country had been discover
ed by the Spaniards. Since that time
it has been attempted to trace the
place from whence that people came
from to inhabit that country, and the
general opinion is that they crossed by
from Asia by way of Behring Strait
and gradually moved south until they
reached South America. Traces of
their dwellings and civilizations have
been found in New Mexico and Arizona,
but they seem to have ceased there,
and nothing has ever been written of
finding these old ruins farther north.
The writer had the good fortune to
read the articles referred to, and ever
since has read with interest accounts
of what had been found in the United
States. He has perhaps wandered
ever more parts of northeastern Neya-
da, over plains, hills and mountains
than any other person In various
places, sometimes in a valley, or the
hillside he has seen mounds of earth,
that was then supposed to have been
thrown up by the badger or squirrel,
and often they had been worked into
by one or both of these animals; again,
on the mountain sides he has found
what appeared to have been a dwelling
that had been destroyed, or a place
that appeared to have been leveled off.
seemingly by hand and for some pur-
pose; but it took many years before the
fact gradually dawned upon his mind
that the mounds of earth were more
regular than could possibly be made by
random delving in the ground by ami
mails.
About twenty miles northwesterIy
from Tuscarora, on the edge of the
Owyhee desert, in Elko county, is
the first village of our prehistoric pre-
decessors, the writer has discovered.
1t is located upon the top of the bench
land, lying west of the Owyhee river
and nearly mile from any water
supply. A cursory examination only
was made but it appears to be about
half mile square, the houses being
constructed of mud or sun dried brick
None are very large, ranging from
10x12 feet to 12x16 feet, with perfect
ly square corners, the earth of which
they are composed rising about foot
above the surrounding lands, and being
from 20 to so feet apart. For dis
tance of from to 10 miles to the south
and west of the village, the same kind
of dwellings are located on the best
farming lands, and so thickly that it
seems there must have been dwelling
for at least every twenty acres of land.
While out there some of the houses are
isolated, in many cases there would be
two or more on one point ridge, as
though either several families had con-
structed their buildings close together,
or one had several buildings. In few
cases the ruins show that the original
shape had been nearly round; and these
may have been store houses. There
was never more than one of these in
place.
About six miles south Of the village,
in the mountain, is fine large spring,
that rises on the west side of noun
tain spur, and flows east, into a deep
canon, from table bench. From this
spring ditch or canal has been dug,
which must at one time have conducted
liS w otSl uoi III III tilC QllCClluH VI lilc
village. 1t can be easily traced across
the bench, to where water once flowed
down the mountain side, and even now
the ancient water course can be seen
to the foot of the mountain. There all
signs of the water course disappears,
and whether that water was once con-
Quoted to the village, or not cannot vet
be decided. Any metal or wooden con-
duit would be destroyed in the GEN.
turies that must have elapsed since the
people lived there. Still, the country
must have been very nearly as it is
now, as the dirt dwellings still remain
and show the shape they originally had,
and no convulsion of nature or flood Of
water has changed the contour of the