The Ancient Pyramid of the Colorado River
Tags: Mystery, History, Culture, Ancient History, Life

The Ancient Pyramid of the Colorado River Rhiannon Follow Dec 16 · 6 min read

The Great Pyramids in Egypt. No photos of the Colorado Pyramid exist, especially of its location (source)

Desert and River Basin Mysteries

On November 18th, 2020, by helicopter, researchers discovered an 11 foot tall rectangle lodged into the ground in the Utah Desert on public lands. Ten days later, the structure disappeared. This is not the first time, nor the last time, something strange was found in the desert.

The Colorado River and her river basin has mysteries are still being unlocked. For as long as water has flowed within the canyon walls, the Colorado River has been considered a magical body of water. The river is fierce, and has been considered unconquerable up until modern day, even now with much of it dammed off for recreation or drained for agricultural needs. For millennia, the river has been a source of life and wonder, and even as civilization more recently concentrated around it, much of it still remains remote and isolated due to the protective nature of its canyon walls. By 1850, its tributaries had not been mapped (2), and up until the 1950’s, the Colorado Basin was still an isolated and remote area, with very few paved roads likely due to its tough domain, per my prior research.

By Larry Lamsa — Hovenweep, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37790371

Unheard of Archaeology — A Colorado Pyramid

The Placer Herald reported the discovery of an ancient elongated pyramid along the Colorado river in 1853. At this time, the Colorado River basin was still being explored, and a party of five men were in search of a tributary that may be more convenient than existing routes that were not only dangerous, but lengthy. As they were walking through they desert they spotted, in the distance to the west, what could only be explained as a work of art, around 200 miles north of the mouth of the Gila river on the Colorado river (6). Passing over a barren sand plain for about five miles stood a pyramid (1). Composed of layers or courses from 18 inches thick to three feet thick, stood an immense stone pyramid five to eight feet in length with 52 layers of stone standing 104 feet tall. It had collapsed on one side and was nearly covered with sand. This pyramid was considered to be more slender or pointed than our imagery of the Egyptian pyraminds. They discerned that it was a total of 25 feet taller before its ruin (1).

Note that 200 miles North of mouth of the Gila River is technically in Nevada, but we can consider their estimations as estimates. Though the story was printed in 1853 initially, it was redistributed around the world in 1866, though few facts exist. Questions remain, on where it was located, why did they wait 10 years to distribute, did they ever return? Was the site investigated? Though clues exist regarding its location, potentially a “Pyramid Canyon” along the Colorado which has now been flooded by a dam, one can only wonder if this was a true account, and could it be rediscovered in present day, assuming it has not been damaged by the waters of a dam. Reading that in the 1850’s were seen many ancient ruins along the river, supposedly when the desert was fertile land seems intriguing, along with the tragedy of destruction the dam may have inadvertently caused (7).

Theories of the Day

It was said by The Times-Picayune said that an old trapper by the name of John Bridger who was once lead into the desert for trading by a Native American guide. He travelled for five days with the guide until he reached three mountains (buttes) that served as an oasis in the desert. The mountains, inhabited by the Moquis(10), were covered with forest and fruit trees, and agricultural gardens with corn and various vegetables. They were said to grow grain, melons, vegetables, peaches. They have large flocks of sheep and goats all atop a grand plateau, then called a “Table Rock” (10). The Moquis were described to have some sheep and cattle, but not many. Sheep are not native to the area, but this can be explained by trading, and also in my research of the Lost Salish Wooly Dogs, there was much trade between the Southwest peoples and the peoples of the Pacific Northwest, who were known to possess these animals at this time. It is also said that the Moquis are descended from shipwrecked Japanese (13). The people were dressed in leather, knew nothing of firearms and surrounding the mountains for miles were adobe houses, which he was not permitted to enter. After three days he left the tribe, realizing they were isolated and knew nothing of the outside world. Mr. Papin, another trapper of the American Fur Company, described a Captain Joe. Walker, who described the same peoples in the Winter of 1850. It is said that these are the peoples who inhabit the Colorado basin and the mouth of the Gila River (8), other accounts he have given described a fire destruction of many ancient ruins found in the desert (fortresses with 42 rooms), like a volcano blast had destroyed them, similar to what was said of the ancient pyramid (1, 9). It is now theorized that the people left after one generation in lack of water.

Return to the Pyramid, finding a Bridge in the Desert

It does appear that three of the party who found the pyramid in the desert returned. Northwest to the pyramid about three miles they found a bridge, positioned from north-east to south-west, which they believed stood above an ancient river. There was more said about albino peoples living in the desert, but as that is likely some eugenics spin, I wont include it here out of respect for the peoples who have inhabited this region for thousands of years (9).

The Washington Union described, in December of 1853, a Lt. Hamilton and Major Andrews who had mapped out a pyramid on their maps, 141 miles north of the mouth of the Gila. I am unable to locate this map (11). It is unknown what would be considered romanticized, fictionalized or fact in an era when the populace knew nothing about the cultures that thrived for thousands of years and did leave fantastic ruins all throughout the desert. Even papers of the day doubted the authenticity of the finds (14), but with so many Ancient Puebloan ruins, one is left to wonder. I can find no evidence of an ancient pyramid or a bridge in the desert, though there is evidence of astounding buildings, an intriguing culture, and agriculture. As a non-anthropologist, I write this story in respect of the ancient peoples known as the Puebloans.