Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-08-25
ANTIQUES?
THEY MAKE EN-
IN COLORADO
Homes of Ancient Cliff Dwell
ers Reproduced for
Eager Tourists.
EVERYTHING REALISTIC
By FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

tourists.
A few bricks and brooms are made
somewhere within the city limits, but
such small enterprises fade into inSiE-
nifcance beside the large and highly or
ganized business Of selling nature to
the public.
Colorado Springs itself is not spec
tacular, but it is attractively located at
the base of the mountains; is famous for
its healthful climate, and is the most
comfortable habitat in the Pixies peak
region, which also includes Colorado
City, Manitou, and a vast stretch of gor-
geous scenery.
Where the original supply of scenery
runs short, moreover, a new supply has
been provided by various scenic produc-
ton companies, so that there is enough
to keep the sightseer busy as long as
his money holds out.
Among the principal points of inter
est in this region, for example, are the
historic ruins of the ancient cliff
dwellers, located at Phantom Cliff canon,
at Manitou.
These are not original.
In scattering our southwest with their
mysterious dwellings, the aucients failed
to foresee the future tourist demand Of
this particular area and neglected to
build here.
But a few enterprising twentieth CEN
fury business men have.
They have reproduced as accurately as
possible the cliff dwellings of the Mesa
Verde national park, at an alleged cost
of 100000, and are now gathering large
returns on their investment by exhibiting
the new-made ruins at the price of 81
a glance.
Uron climbing the steep road leading
up the canon, either by motor, burro or
foot, the tourist first beholds an adobe
Indian dwelling of the type built by the
present-day Pueblo Indians.
It consists of two floors, connected not
by stairs, but by crude wooden ladders.
The first floors contains the inevitable
curio shop, with some unusually inter
esting Indian relics and the second floor
is occupied by a Pueblo Indian family,
which is employed by the scenic pro-
duction company to Indianize the at
mosphere and amuse the tourists.
Here the visitors are organized into
sightseeing parties, if they are not al
ready so organized and conducted by a
guide-a young lady of peda gOgical ar
pearance, carrying a small switch for a
pointer-to the neaby cliff dwellings,
built under the oyerhanging ledge of
Phantom Cliff.
There are eight curious houses in all.
connected with small, crumbling passage
ways and perforated with tiny, myster-
ious windows and doors.
They are built of stone.
According to the guide. the only diff
ference between these modern ruins and
the ancient ones is the plaster used on
the walls.
The ancients used some sort Of an
adobe mixture for mortar, which could
not be analysed by the reproducers, so
they were compelled to use cement.
THE GUIDE
HOLDS FORTH.
THE cliff dwellers.'' says the guide.
holding up the expedition for a brief
historical spiel, ''were a prehistoric peO-
DI, whose origin Is unknown.
'Taey left these traces OF their eX-
istence in Colorado, Utah Arizona and
New Mexico.
"Archaeologists have solved many Of
the leading mysteries concerning this
long vanished people. but many battling
features are still to be explained.
Notice the small size of the doors and
windows.
These lead Us to believe the cliff
jewellers were a plgmy people. probably
not more than two and half or three
and half feet in height-an assumption
which has been borne out by several
skeletons recently excavated.
"On the wall of this first room. you
will see an example Of their ancient
heiroglyphics. These have never been
translated.
The rock containing them. by the
way, is original, having been brought
here with the rest Of the materials.
"This." continued the guide. as she
led the party through small passage
way. lis the milling room, where they
ground their meal.
you will see by the specimens on the
floor that they used stone implements,
living in the Stone Age.
"Over here is a niche in the wall. EVIL
IDENTIFY used to hold their implements,
showing that they were orderly
Again the party lowered its head In
proceeding to the next room, which con-
tanned one of the cliff dweller's curious
T-shaped doors.
THE Hope Indians also use this same
T-shaped door in their dwelling" ex-
planned the guide.
Here is a strange stone box. Sclen-
lists think that it was Z fireplace, but
when it was excavated it contained no
signs Of ere.
"The next is a sepulchre, three sto-
rfes high. where the ancients buried
their dead. laying the bodies on their
right side.
"when the third floor, which was
used first. was flled with the dead and
their personal property, the aperture was
seaIed, and the second floor opened as a
receiving morgue.
1.-THE dry climate and the alright
room are supposed to have had a mum
myfying effect upon the dead, for many
of the cliff jewellers have been excava-
ted in mummy form.
FOUND CRUDE
FURNITURE.
Next we come to the Balcony house,
which is larger than most of the dwell
ings.
''When this house was excayated in
the Mesa Verde, it contained a rough
mattress and a crude form of bedstead.
1.-The cliff jewellers were just begin
ming to make furniture when they be-
came extinct"
The round watch tower of the Mesa
Verde is also a part of the Phantom
Cgiff ruins, and the speakers house has
likewise been crowded under the rocky
ledge, porch and all.
There is also a model of one Of the
prehistoric storehouse, where the ancients
stored their grain.
In connection with the ruins is a
small museum containing specimens Of
the cliff dwellers' handiwork-their bas-
kets, water pitchers, sandals, turkey
bone needles, toys and bone buttons
much like ours.
There is also a mattress made Of
rushes OF the kind that was found in
various excavsted houses, and a couple
of prehistoric skeletons.
The latter show the cliff dwellers to