Year: 1875




On the San Juan River about the junction of Col
orado and Utah. the two divisions OF the survey in
charge of Mr. Holmes and Mr. Jackson, which had been
together during the previous weeks, separated,
the Photographic party following the course OF
the river west starting on the morning OF
the Sd Of August, while the other party
proceeded down into New Mexico. We kept the bank
ofthe stream and travelled eisurey along constantly
the alert for ruins The first day took US distance
of perhaps twelve miles, but we observed nothing OF
this kind save few dapdsted walls and some de-
cayed pottery Not until we had made camp did we
discover anything worthy Of note but here found
under a shelving crag which iutted from the dipping
sandstone ridge a collection OF little dens, neatly
walled up in 'front.' with small square entrances They
were almost too limited to houses, and
concluded that they must have been caches store
houses connected with larger building. In all
probability they had been used granaries by the
people who built them. This supposition strength
ened upon finding above them the level top Of the
mesa scarcely 100 yards away the extensive ruins oan
isolated structure Few Of the walls however were
standing and could only trace where they had been
by the banks OF crumbled stone and adobe. The in
terror room a semcirce, around which ar
ranged some dozen rectangular apartments and over
the whole place much broken crockery and quantity
Of arrow heads we're scattered Just below this, on





houses or caches, but larger than the arst OBJ
served This locality had evidently been at time
In the dim past a thriving community.


We found the water Of the San Juan dsagreeably
warm, reaching temperature in the afternoon Of
ninety degrees but it


THE ONLY WATER AT OUR COMMAND,


and there plenty of ii tried to feel satisfied
However we invented, or rather discovered mode Of
cooling the liquid, and although had ether chic
roform, alcohol other evaporator spare, We man
aged TO get the water down to a drinkable
temperature. This we did by filling our
covered canteens and rubber bags and
keeping them continually wet the surface. The
evaporation thus occasioned by the upon the ex-
terror lowered the temperature Of the inside to
thirty forty degrees below that the river and in
the space of quarter Of hour In places the
stream reached width of over two hundred yards and
generally deep 10 be impossible In descend
Ing its course each day revealed more ruins which
seemed TO grow steadily wonderful and full Of
terest As rode along, constantly the lookout
for walls in the cliffs and crevices, time slipped away
unheeded and every rapid moment developed to our
searching eyes forms of primitive architecture.
Hanging fearful gulfs and seemingly plastered
against perpendicular walls were houses which
showed evidences, far as we could reach them,
Of having been populated. AS far up as
the unasssted eye could penetrate deserted
walls and artificial debris. Under cliffs, midway be-
tween the summit and base of high abrupt plnteaus,
appeared dwellings, on the very top OF castelated
rocks three hundred feet high with no perceptible
means Of approach every conceivable position and
condition; wherever in short place seemed totally
inaccessible these curious remains perched in
perfect security from the vsitatons OF nqusitive ad-
Yenturers In most cases had TO content ourselves
with distant view through field glasses One par
ticular set OF ruins struck being remarkably
located that they worthy Of mention. They were
set the almost perpendicular face Of precipice,
some six hundred feet in Height, about half way up
The walls extended along for several hundred feet in
state of good preservation, resting narrow shell
stratum Of sandstone scarcely six feet wide
The portion Of the rocks above juued over
that approach from that quarter totally imposs
ble while the vertical rock below presented
inviting means Of access. The only way in which the
inhabitants could have reached their exalted abodes
was By the aid Of ladder 800 feet long From the
very character Of the cliff steps could have been
used. One thing IN all these ruins noticeable,
which was a present desire the part Of the
builders 10 conceal them by building in hid
den and initiating in color and form the strata
Of rocks in which they erected This desire was
painfully apparent in cases. where the exterior OF
the whole house had been ingenously painted with
the deep red covering Of the dark sand
stones surrounding in order TO escape the observa-
ton Of a pitiless foe. It is curious fact,
and one which shows TO what extremes these people
were driven and what arces they rcsored in order
to remain concealed that all OF these ruins with very
few exceptions, are found the north side Of the
river This seems suggest the idea that they hoped
thus eude the search OF their enemies as they came
down from the north and pushed their way southwark
past these secreted habtations On the northern limits
OF this country we find some Of the most extensive
ruins all facing the north and having


TIE APPEARANCE OF FORTIFTcAuoSs.


Thus we led to suppose that the people at first
made determined stand against their prosecutors but
as they were driven they weaker and we're
scattered.


In one place on the San Juan singular struc-
ture built against the perpendicular wall OF clin like
balcony, some fifty feet above the valley, with no
roof save the overhangng shelf OF the rocks above In
the back OF this semicrcular Enclosure were several
square holes which were designed for eupboards The
most interesting and in fact the only large ruin
saw on the south bank Of the Rio San Juan was situated
in large hemspherical several hundred feet IN
diameter The building was perched on narrow shell
around the back Of the cavern half way up occupying
nearly half Of the arc Of the circumference 90 degrees
The rooms placed side by side, gave total length
OF more than 200 feet Near the right hand sde In an
open space between two rooms were four post holes
drilled into the stone ledge floor about four inches
in diameter and foot deep. We took them 10 be the
holes in which the posts for weaving had been set for
know that this ancient people employed the art Of
weaving In one OF the largest rooms we found cir
cular fireplace in the floor, which still held the dust
Of charcoal and burnt bones. This was about eight
inches deep and two and half feet in diameter All o
the interior plasterng well preserved that In
nearly portion could DO traced the Impressions o
fingers and in many places the ndentations Of finger
nails quite distinct having been made by some
idle mechanic he she lounged at work and amused
himself or herself by thrusng the fingers into the fresh
mud In many parts Of the mortar perfect impressions
of corn cobs were seen and several pieces Of these
were found plastered into the wall between
the stones This fact coupled with Another-tha
~ discovered charred corncobs buried near one Of h