Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-01-10

written language. Their weapons and tools
were of stone. They sandals and baskets.
They shaped stones into regular forms and lald
masonry that has resisted the ages. They evident
" 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
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. a 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 sotn-
ers await the excdVator Sun Temple has l,oOO
feet of walls. Far View House, probably pueDio
is 100 by 113 feet.
And now>Jesse L. Nus5aum announces that ne
has found in Mesa Verde relics of a people who
antedated the Cliff Dwellers
Mr. Nushaum is superintendent of Mesa Verde
National park under the national park service,
bureau of the Interior department. He is also an
archeologist of note and has been identified with
researches in Guatemala and in various parts OF
the Southwest. He served major Of ordnance
in the World war.
Visitors to Mesa Verde the coming season Will
have chance to see these relics in the new park
museum. And it may be that superintendent
Archeoogist Nusbaum will have to show.
He is 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 Tor 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 it possible to visit
many of the large ruins never before accessible to
park visitors" said Mr.. Nusbaum. "On this trail,
at a ruin called Step House, enough evidence was
found on the surface to establish the fact firmly
that even before the beginning of the Christian
era Indians made their homes in the caves
in which the Cliff Dwellers later built their homes
above the ruins of this early civilization.
evidence of this civilization, which is known
70 psychologists as that of the post-basketnakers
has been found in northeastern Arizona and In
northwestern New Mexico, but has never before
been found in Colorado.
saThese ost-basketmakers were the first people
to begin the making of pottery, and shreds OF their
crude ware have been examined. 1t was found
that cedar bark used to temper the clay and
nreyent it from cracking during the process of
driving Naturally, in the burning this was de-
stroyed and as result the pottery was of a more
or less Grade and porous variety. 1t Is undecorat-
ed and is the earliest type of pottery known
TO exist In the Southwest. It is of adobe color
with rather pinkish yellowish cast
Mr. Nusbaum has in his possession specimens
Of this pottery as well as specimens of baskets
that these ancient people made. Most of the
baskets are Of the ane-coiled variety.
"There is only one culture in the Southwest at
the present time that is known to antedate that of
the most basketmakers,' 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 basket
maker people likewise inhabited this region. II
such is the case. possibly this winter basket
maker cave may be located and the history of
primitive man in Colorado will be carried back
to a period of possibly ten centuries before the
birth of Christ"
One of the finds in the park that makes Mr.
Nusbaum reasonably sure that that region was
once inhabited by peoples of the earliest known