186 ABORIGINAL REMAINS IN VERDE VALLEY. [eth.aoti.13 



Concerning the archeologic remains of the Rio Verde valley almost 

 nothing is known. In the early history of Arizona the Verde was 

 known as Rio San Francisco, and vague rumors of large and important 

 ruins were current among trappers and prospectors. The Pacific rail- 

 way reports, published in 185G, mention these ruins on the authority 

 of the guide to Lieut. Wliipple's party, Leroux by name. Other notices 

 are found here and there in various books of exploration and travel 

 published during the next two decades, but no systematic examination 

 of the region was made and the accounts are hardly more than a men- 

 tion. In 187^ Dr. W. J. Hoffman, at that time connected with the 

 Hayden Survey, published descriptions of the so-called Montezuma 

 well and of a large cliff ruin on Beaver creek, the latter accompanied 

 by an illustration.' The descriptions are slight and do not touch the 

 region herein discussed. 



The first publication of importance to the present inquiry is a short 

 paper by Dr. E. A. Mearns, TJ. 8. Army, in the Popular Science Monthly 

 for October, 1890. Dr. Mearns was stationed for some years at Camp 

 Verde, and improved the opportunity afforded by numerous hunting 

 expeditions and tours of duty to acquaint himself with the aboriginal 

 remains of the Verde valley. He published a map showing the distri- 

 bution of remains in that region, described several ruins in detail, and 

 illustrated some pieces of pottery, etc., found by him. .The article is 

 unfortunately very short, so short that it is hardly more than an intro- 

 duction to the wide field it covers; it is to be hoped that Dr. Mearns 

 will utilize the material he has and publish a more comprehensive 

 report. 



The remains in the valley of Rio Verde derive an additional interest 

 from their position in the ancient pueblo region. On the one hand they 

 are near the southwestern limit of that region, and on the other hand 

 they occupy an intermediate position between the ruins of the Gila and 

 Salt river valleys and those of the northern districts. The limits of 

 the ancient pueblo region have not yet been defined, and the accom- 

 IJanying map (plate x) is only ijreliminary. It illustrates the limited 

 extent of our knowledge of the ancient pueblo region as well as the 

 distribution of ruins within that region, so far as they are known; and 

 the exceptional abundance of ruins noted on certain portions of the 

 map means only that those parts are better known than others. Not- 

 withstanding its incomi^leteness, it is the best available and is pub- 

 lished in the hope that it will serve as a nucleus to which further 

 data may be added until a complete maj) is produced. 



The ruins in the Gila valley, including those along Salt river, are less 

 known than those farther northward, but we know that there is a 

 marked difference between the type exemplified by the well-known 

 Casa Grande, near Florence, Arizona, and that of which the best speci- 

 mens (notably the Chaco ruins) are found in the San Juan basin. This 



> Tenth Ann. Eep. U. S. Geol. Survey for 1876 (Washington, 1878). p. 477. 



