Miscellaneous Papers. 219 



THE BURIED CITY OF THE PANHANDLE. 



By T. L. Eyerly, Canadian, Tex. 



T N Ochiltree county, Texas, on the south bank of Wolf creek, 

 ^ is a group of stone ruins which has aroused the interest 

 and curiosity of all who have visited them, and caused much 

 speculation among those who have tried to formulate a theory 

 to account for their existence. It is a firmly established opin- 

 ion of many who live in the vicinity that the place where these 

 ruins are was at one time the site of a prehistoric town. This 

 opinion was deduced largely from the fact that the remains 

 resemble to a marked degree foundations of large buildings. 

 So prevalent has this idea been that some of them have re- 

 ceived names, such as "The Temple," "The Watchtower" and 

 others, from some fanciful suggestion as to the location or 

 form that would render them fit to serve the purpose of the 

 structure named. The place has been known as "The Buried 

 City" so long that the appellation is retained above, although 

 recent researches have proved the remains to be of a different 

 nature from that generally supposed. 



The place has been visited by a number of scientists, and a 

 superficial examination of the ruins made a number of times ; 

 but so far as known, no report of the work has ever been pub- 

 lished, nor has any sufficient argument been produced to sup- 

 port any of the various theories that have been advanced to 

 explain their origin. It has been an object of such interest 

 to the people of the Panhandle that it was considered by Can- 

 adian Academy to be of sufficient importance to demand a 

 more careful examination. With this end in view an expedi- 

 tion consisting of twelve members was equipped and sent out 

 by the scientific department during March of 1907 for the 

 purpose of excavating among the ruins, and the material for 

 this article secured. 



The place is situated twelve miles southeast from Ochiltree, 

 the county seat, on section 525, block 43, which section is part 

 of the large ranch owned by Mr. James Fryer. The ruins 

 stand on a level stretch of land covered by native grass, and 

 at the base of a high escarpment caused by a limestone cap- 

 rock in the Tertiary formation. The immediate surroundings 

 are very picturesque and pleasing to the eye. Situated in a 



