The Holly chieftain., 1924-01-10

no written language. Their weapons and tools
were Of stone. They sandals and baskets.
They shaped stones into regular forms and laid
masonry that has resisted the ages. They evident
ly advanced In civilization during their residence
in Mesa Verde.
There are hundreds of cliff dwellings in the
canyons Of Mesa Verde Among the more famous
are these: Spruce Tree House. with ia rooms
and an estimated population of $50; Cliff Palace,
ABOUT three times the size of Spruce Tree House; ;
Balcony House. remarkable defensive site; Fire
Temple, house of worship; Square Tower House.
On the surface OF the mesa several pretentious
structures have already been uncovered and otl,-
ers await the excavator. Sun Temple has 1000
feet OF wills Far View House, probably pueblo,
Is 100 by 113 feet
And now Jesse L. Nusbaum announces that he
has found in Mesa Verde relics of people who
antedated the Cliff Dwellers.
Mr.. Nusbuum is superintendent of Mesa Verde
National park under the national park service,
bureau Of the Interior department. He Is also an
archeoogist Of note and has been Identified with
researches In Guatemala and in various parts Of
the Southwest. He served as major Of ordnance
in the World war.
Visitors to Mesa Verde the coming season will
have a chance to see these relics In the new park
museum. And 1t may be that Superintendent
Archeologist Nusbaum will have more to show.
He Ia now showed in for the winter at Mesa Verde
But he is not alternating On the contrary. en-
couraged by the national park service he Is de-
voting every energy to the search for more relics
Here are some Of the things Superintendent
Nusbaum had to say about his discoveries at Step
House. before he went into winter quarters:
"The new Rock Springs Trail leading to the
west side Of the park has made 1t possible to visit
many of the large ruins never before accessible to
park visitors" said Mr.. Nusbaum. "On this trail
at ruin called Step House, enough evidence was
found the surface to establish the fact firmly
that even before the beginning of the Christian
era. Indians made their homes in the same caves
a11orol h,,flk
above the ruins of this early civilization
Evidence of this civilization. which is known
to archeoogists as that Of the Observation-Disclosures
has been found In northeastern Arizona and in
northwestern New Mexico but has never before
been found in Colorado.
"These post-basketmakers were the first people
begin the making Of pottery and shreds of their
crude ware have been examined. 1t was found
that cedar bark was used to temper the clay and
prevent 1t from cracking during the process of
drying Naturally, In the burning this was Do.
stroyed and as q result the pottery was Of a more
less crude and porous variety. 1t Is undecorat-
ed and is the earliest type Of pottery now known
to exist in the Southwest. 1t is Of an adobe color
with rather pnkish or yellowlsh cast" 4'.
Mr.. Nusbaum has in his possession specimens
of this pottery us well as specimens of baskets
that these ancient people made. Most of the
baskets are Of the fne-coiled variety.
There Is only one culture In the Southwest n,
the present time that is known to antedate that of
the postbasketmakers,' said Mr. Nusbaum. "Al.
ready in the museum collection at Mesa Verde
specimens are on exhibit which have been collected
in the park and indicate that the earlier bnsket.
maker people likewise inhabited this region. II
such Is the case, possibly this winter a basket
maker cave may be located and the history of
primitive man In Colorado will be- carried back
to period Of possibly ten centuries before the
birth of Christ.s
One of the finds in the park TINT makes Mr.
Nusbnum reasonably sure that that region was
once Inhabited by peoples of the earliest known