The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-08
the cause which they elected him to
so,oALLED MOUND BUILDERS

~.
Professor Cummings. the archaeolo.
glst of the University OF Utah, has
been for some years active IN invcsti-
eating the cliff dwellers houses and
remains in southeastern Utah. He has
attained considerable proficiency in
TINS work, and is trusted by the Smith
sonlan Institute as n competent expert
We notice that Professor Cummings
is now turning his attention to the pre-
historic remains north OF Ogden in the
vlcinity of Willard City. where it has
been known for good many years
that old buildings and signs Of rrehis-
to'ic man and his work remain. These
relics. we presume. are the same Us
those investigated by Mr.. Don Maguirc
a good many wears ago, and well de'
scr'bed and illustrated in The Sslt
Lake Tribune at the time that be made
his discoveries. explorati. ms, and Dig
gings. Mr.. Mcguire found remains OF
habtations, of hearth fires. OF food-
and of clothing, of mats. aud of varl-
Gus forms of implements and weapons,
So far as Mr.. Mcguire investigated, he
made pretty thorough examination
and his report of what he found would
be well worthy the attention of Profes-
sor Cummings and his class now en-
gagged in the same investigation.
It is said that Prof, Cummings has
found in a mound near Willard identl-
cally the same sort of remains that
Mr.. Mcguire found: crockery such as
is not Uncommon in various ~arts Of
the country. grinding bowls, lmplo
ments Of hunting and Of war, and rel
les of cooking and of clothing.
There is no reason to suppose that
the advancement of civilization was es
peciallv marked in the inhabitants OF
those old dwellings. On the contrary,
the ''vilization must have been eX
tremely crude, though somewhat ad-
vanced over the mode of life of the
tribes which finally drove out
these settled dwellers: and the fact
that these relics are the relics of set
tied dwellers is the chie' thing, after
all. The truth is, almost without doubt,
that these relics were left by the same
sort of inhabitants as the cliff dwellers,
and as the so-called civilized Mexican
tribes, the Aztecs. the Toltecs, and tie
Mayas, Those aborigines did not OBJ
tain in this latitude the same advance
meut in civilization as their congeuers
or descendants did in Mexico; but that
they were on the way to the same sort
Of civilization, though far behind the
development in Mexico, is not to be
doubted.
1t is good work TO investigate as
far as possible all these remains Of pre-
historic life in this region. 1t is pity
that the investigation could not have
been made more thorough and cxhaus
tive fifty years ago; but at that time
no one thought very much about inves-
tigating prehistoric man in this region,
and much that was luable has been
broken, destroyed. and lost. Near
Paragoonah, in Southern Utah, there
we're in the early settlements there
oy the Mormons. distinct evidences Of
a considerable settlement by a farming
race. which had put in irrigating ca
nails, made pottery, and was about the
most recent outpost of that kind of
civilization that could be found in the
State. Complete bowls, cups, and
,itchers were to be found almost on
he surface in the early settlement of
hat region, but these became broken
and otherwise destroyed. although
few samples Of the more complete uten-
sis were for long time preserved,
and perhaps are preserved yet.
We trust that Prof. Cummings and
his class will find remains fully worthy
,f 4heir attention in their investiga-
lions at Willard. and if we might offer
. friendly, bit of advice, we would say
TO Prof. Cummings that he would do
we'll to see Mr.. Don Mcguire, and find
,ut definitely from him the results of
ais investigations in that particular