64 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1926 
situated about 6 miles from Flagstaff on the National Old Trails 
Highway. The work was begun on May 27 and was unfinished at 
the close of the fiscal year. 
As a result of this excavation there has emerged from the ground 
near Elden Mountain a rectangular building measuring 145 by 125 
feet, containing nearly 40 rooms and a large kiva, from a study of 
which a good idea can be obtained of the aboriginal architecture of 
this neighborhood. The building was a compact community house 
in places two stories high, whose upper walls, judging from the 
amount of stones found in the rooms, were formerly 4 or 5 
feet higher than at present. No walls were visible when the work 
began, but since the earth has been removed, they rise to a height 
of 4 to 10 feet. 
The rooms are comparatively large and compactly united without 
any visible outside entrances, being formerly entered by ladders 
and a hatchway in the roof. No windows or lateral doorways 
are visible in the walls now standing. In order to protect this large 
building from the elements its walls have been repaired where neces- 
sary and their tops covered with Portland cement to prevent erosion. 
The most striking result of the work has been the accumulation 
of a large collection of characteristic pottery from the two ceme- 
teries which were discovered a short distance from the northern and 
eastern walls and which extended over a considerable area, but never 
very distant from the pueblo itself. A number of skeletons were 
found, some of which were nearly perfect, others more or less 
fragmentary. Several of these skeletons have been brought back 
for the study of specialists. They appear to have artificially de- 
formed skulls. There was no common orientation, although a 
majority were interred with heads to the east. 
The distinction of the kinds of pottery would naturally be re- 
served for a more complete report which will appear later. As a 
rule, however, the number of varieties was rather limited and there 
were very few intrusions from outside, all of which goes to show 
the ancient character of the ruin and the isolation of its people from 
others in the Southwest. The typical specimens of pottery may be 
grouped under a few characteristic types. Perhaps the most abun- 
dant is colored dull red on the exterior with glossy black interior. 
The exterior surface is corrugated or smooth. From its abundance 
this type may be known as the Flagstaff ware. It is never deco- 
rated with painted designs. A more striking type is white with 
black decorations, mainly geometrical figures, which is widely dis- 
tributed in Arizona. There occur also a few specimens of red ware 
with black interiors, which bear indubitable evidence of having 
been derived from the settlements on the banks of the Little Colo- 
rado or near Tuba City. 
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