XXVIII REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. 



vious to his last trip, in addition to his othei" dnties as assistant 

 to Prof. Thomas, he was eng-aged in preparing a paper on 

 the prehistoric metalHc articles of the niovind area. 



WORK OF MR. COSMOS MINDELEFF. 



Late in November Mr. Cosmos Mindeleff was directed to 

 proceed to the Casa Glrande, on Gila river in Arizona, and to 

 examine that ruin with a view to its preservation as provided 

 for by act of Congress ; also to prepare plans and specifications 

 and make contracts for the work. He was further directed to 

 make an examination of the valley of Rio Verde, and collect 

 data for a report on the archeology of that region. Owing to 

 unforeseen delays the contracts for the Casa Grrande Avork were 

 not executed until May 15, 1891, and were not approved by 

 the Secretary of the Interior imtil late in June. Subse- 

 quently the time for the completion of the work was extended 

 two months. 



During his stay in the vicinity of the Casa Grande, Mr. 

 Mindeleff made surveys of this structure and of the extensive 

 ruin of which it forms a part, together with photographs, 

 detailed plans, sketches, and notes, with a view to a detailed 

 report. Among other results of his examination he found that 

 the laiin of this imposing structure is now standing to within a 

 very few feet of its height when built and occupied. 



Pending the execution and approval of the contracts for the 

 Casa Grande work, Mr. Mindeleff made an examination of 

 the valley of Rio Verde from its mouth to Camp Verde and 

 beyond. This region had never been thoroughly examined, 

 and it had been supposed that it would be found as rich in 

 archeologic remains as the region about Camp Verde. Such, 

 however, proved not to be the case. A chain of settlements was 

 found extending from Camp Verde southward nearly to Fort 

 McDowell, but the niins are not so numerous as in the region 

 immediately about Camp Verde. About 10 miles below the 

 latter locality an extensive and well-preserved group of cavate 

 dwellings was found. 



Throughout the whole Verde valley the buildings, now in 

 ruins, were constructed of slabs of calcareous rock, or of 



