Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-10-29
What's New in New Mexico


masonfy. which. Ia couseQuen. has
been weakened and is falling every
daN II was distressing sight Drt an
thar could De- done was rs photograph
the ruins from every angle ana leave
them to lheir fate
Luni Country.
From Chaco canyon the journey Ted
southNesrW3rd over the eastern eN-
tension uf me C8rriso mountains hy
WAY of Dalton pass and Gallup 90 the
Iuni district. where different type
of ruin. much like those 81 The Rio
1rande region, is cogumun. The
Zuni drainage was tr8versed down for
some distance into Arizona ana mp MS
far as the Zuui mountains to lnscrip-
tiou Rock, where the reconnaissance
ended
Inscription Rock
Ii might he added ia passing that
many of the people living in the Ni-
cin.ty If Inscription Rock are inter-
estyd iu the preservation of the dates
and messages left there hy the early
conquistadores ana hope that the
Historical Society of New Mexico Will
take action towards preventing their
ohliteradon A railing could be
placed Ina front Of the inscriptions at
very little expense on the talus slope
Immediately beneath them could he
removed TO the extent of leaving these
historical landmarks out of reach OF
those Who m future may wish to ac-
Quire fame by inscTlbng Their names
lon This great rock The Rock is
national monument
Protect the Ruins
The majority Of the ruins examined
on this survey have been seen hy pre-
lvious investigators and the fact which
most strikes the observer of today Is
the rapidity with which they are de-
teriorating For example thirty years
ago Victor Mndeleff was able to pho
ltograph The standing walls Of the old
church at IlaWikuh one of the seven
cities of Cibon the fame OF which
brought about the exploration of the
southwest Today the walls are gone
land only an experience observer could
/ tell where the church stood. And the
fate of this ruin is the fate Of all nut
"a very few ruins in the southwest
such as casa Grande of Arizona,
number of the picturesque clltfhouseS
of the Mesa Verde in Colorado, certain
ruins u the P8iaritan area as well as
! the ruins of Quarai and Pecos NO"
being repaired and resturedd i'm New
Nexjoo
Saws AIR Nelson "Great credit is
due to DR. r. T. Vewett director of
the Museum of Kew Mexico. and To-
Ia ,.1,ioi,s rovernmental departments
now In co-oppration for the protection
1 Of one of the chief assets of the
southwest These ruins have brought
land are bringing i'm one way aud an
other tens uf thousands Of dollars To
| No southwest annually ana will con-
itinua to do So. But had the ruins, or
m ieost , rah. number of each If the
peeulior t,nos. heen preserved. MS they
! lop1d have hpcn they would doubt
/ 10 an ttme have brought hundreds
! of thousands of dollars. Their pres
er,9tiop would have been as sound a
icomnerciol Investment as the beauu-
! fieatiou of Paris As II u.s. the mme-
| dia+o value of these ruins from a
niTelv commercial point Of view Is
! ereater Than the value Of an the uu-
! deyeIoped desert acres SURROUNDING
them In proof of this contention II
NM, i,o st,ted tbat more than a thous-
land people visited Mesa Verde Ma
! .i4,,,i ,,a,l, mis- season and probably
ms many more have gone from Santa
W. ~ tba pafaiftap ruins Viewed
nom another angle. the value of
tbese. ,ntns to the southwest may he
/ Judged somewhat from the fact that
,bo tn5frirap museum alone has spent
..bnrt Fan thousand dollars merely ON
excavations I'm the past three or four
gear- within sight of Santa Fe and
I.ef ha snot completely cNcoNated a
.inplo ruip but simpN tried them out.
p+n A H. noN already too late to talk
! - ,.......,,.tt,n ,rbfcb ffffy wears ago