420 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 52 



and it is probable that there were formerly others unrecorded, which 

 have in the course of time been leveled to the surface of the culti- 

 vated fields. There are also other signs of former settlements of 

 smaller size, many smaller mounds, and banks of irrigation ditches 

 and canals lined with rows of stones, indicating lateral branches. 



In general appearance the prehistoric mounds of the Salt River 

 Valley resemble those of the Gila, but the ground plans of a few 

 of them are larger than any of the Gila Casas Grandes. None of 

 them show walls standing above ground, a fact indicating great age. 



The Salt River Valley ruins are commonly regarded by the Pimas 

 as older than those along the Gila and Santa Cruz. The legends of 

 these Indians declare that the culture of their builders was somewhat 

 more advanced and older than that of the Gila, but that the com- 

 pounds of these two regions were inhabited simultaneously. It is 

 said that there was a constant communication between them, and 

 that the relations were not always friendly. An examination of 

 the ruins of the two regions indicates that those of the Salt are more 

 ancient than those of the Gila and the Santa Cruz. 



The Salt River Valley compounds may be divided into three 

 groups : A, Phcenix Ruins ; B, Tempe Ruins ; C, Mesa City Ruins. 



A.— PHCENIX RUINS 



The ruins and prehistoric irrigation ditches in the neighborhood 

 of Phcenix have been studied by Mr. Patrick, who as surveyor has 

 for many years professionally visited almost every part of this 

 valley. The city itself is built on the site of one or more prehistoric 

 settlements, which have long ago disappeared, its very name being 

 derived from its relation to other more ancient settlements of the 

 region. 



The ruins near Phcenix here considered may be grouped as fol- 

 lows : I, Patrick Compound; 2, Kalfus Mounds; 3, Heard Mounds. 



I. — Patrick Compound 



This cluster of mounds lies on the left of the road from PhcKnix 

 to Tempe, about half the distance of the Great Tempe Mound from 

 the former city. In its neighborhood there are now many houses, 

 the leveling of the ground for which has greatly changed the aspect 

 of the place since the author's visit in 1892, but outlines of walls 

 and ditches can even now be traced. 



