Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-25
Brand-New Antiquities
BY Frederic J. Haskin

great ana only IUuubtJJ III 'DlDTduo
Springs is the entertainment Of tourists
a few bricks and brooms are made some
where within the city limits, but such
small enterprises fade into insignihcance
beside the large and highly organized
business Of selling Nature 70 the public
Colorado Springs itself is not spec
tacular, but it is attractiyely located at the
base Of the mountains, is famous for its
healthful climate, and is the most com
Portable habitat in the Pixies Peak region,
which also includes Colorado City, Mani
tou, and q vast stretch of gorgeous seem
cry. Where the original supply Of scenery
runs short, moreover, new supply has
been provided by various scenic pro-
duction companies, so that there is
enough to keep the sightseer busy as long
as his money holds out.
Among the principal points OF interest
in this region, for example, are the his
toric 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 ancients failed
TO foresee the future tourist demand Of
this particular area and neglected 10
build here. But few enterprising TWEEN
tieth-century business men have. They
have reproduced as accurately as possible,
the cliff dwellings Of the Mesa Verde
National Park, at an alleged cost OF
500, 600, and are now gathering large re-
turns on their investment by exhibiting
the new-made ruins at the price Of 81
glance.
Upon climbing the steep road leading
up the canon, eitherby motor, burro or
foot, the tourist first beholds an adobe
Indian dwelling Of the type built by the
present-day Pueblo Indians. II consists
OF two floors, connected, not by stairs, but
by crude wooden ladders. The first floor
contains the inevitable curio shop, with
some unusually interesting Indian relics,
and the second floor is occupied by
Pueblo Indian family, which is employed
by the scenic production company 70
Indianize the atmosphere and amuse the
/ tourists.
Here the visitors are organized into
| sightseeing parties, If they are not already
| so organized, and conducted by GUIDE
young lady OF pedagogical appearance,
carrying a small switch for a poInter-to
| the nearby cliff dwellings, built under the
| overhanging ledge Of Phantom I'm.
/ There are eight curious houses IN all, con-
nected with small, crumbling passage
/ ways and perforated with tiny, mysterious
| windows and doors. They are built OF
stone. According to the guide, the only
| difference 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 analvzed by the reproducers, so
they were compelled 70 use cement.
THE GUIDE HOLDS FORTH.
"The cliff dwellers," says the guide,
holding up the expedition for bret his
torical spiel, "were a prehistoric people
whose origin ia unknown. They left these
| traces of their existence IN Colorado
Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Arct1-
ologists have solved many OF the leadine
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 tha'
the cliff dweIlers were s. plgmy people
probably not more than two and hall oi
three and q half feet in heignt-anc
ASSUMPTION which has been borne out by
several skeletons recently excavated-
"On the wall Of this first room, you VII
see an example OF their ancient hierogiy
phlcs These have never been translated
The rock containing them, by the way, !
original, having been brought here VIII
the rest of the materials.
oThis." continued the guide as she lee
the party through a small passageway, I
the milling room, where they ground theI
meal. You viii see by the specimens on TN
fieor that thew used stone implements
|, living in the Stone Age. Over here IS 1
!; niche in the wall, evidently used TO hol'
their implements, showing that they wer'
orderly
Again the party lowered its heads Il
proceeding TO the next~SOou, which con
tanned one of the cllff-dwellers curlou
T-shaped doors.
''The Hopi Indians also use this sans
T-shaped door in their dwellings, ex
planned the guide Here IS s. strange ston'
box. Scientists think that II was rlre
place, but when it was excayated 1t con
tanned no signs of fire.
The next is 3 sepulchre, three storei
high. where the ancients buried their dead
laving the bodies on their right side
When the third floor, which was used tirst
was filed with dead and their persona
property, the aperture was sealed, and th'
second floor opened as q receiving mOrgue
The drv climate and the slr-tlght room
are supposed to have had mummlfyln.
effect upon the dead, for many OF the ctt
dwellers have been excavated In mummy
form.
Next we. come 10 the balcony house
| which is larger than most of the dwelling
| When this house Was exeavated In tbs
Mesa Verde, it contained rough mat
tress and a crude form of bedstead. Th'
cliff dwellers were just beginning 70 MAKE
furniture when they became extinct
The round watch-tower of the Mess
Verde is also part of the Phantom I M
ruins. and the speakers house has like
wise been crowded under the rocky ledge
porch and ALL There IS also model o
one of the prehistoric storehouSeS, wher'
the ancients stored their grain.
THE BONES cF THE ANCTENTs.
In connection with the ruins is a small
museum containing specimens of tn,
cliff dwellers handiwOrk- their baskets
water pitchers, sandals, turkey-bone nee
dies, toys and bone buttons much hk'
ours. There is also mattress made 0
rushes of the kind that was found Il
various exeavated houses, and a couple o
prehistoric skeletons. The latter show th'
cliff dwellers TO have been tlat-headed,
state which they achieved by attaching
heavy weight TO the back Of the head 0
each infant cliff dweller and keeping
there until the head attained the prope
form. They also had fat noses and pro
ieeting teeth.
The skeletons in this museum, more
over, are not small, but of goodly size
AS a matter of fact, the cliff dwellers wer