NO. I ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS — FEWKES 23 



The author's attention was called to ruins in Hill Canyon like 

 those above mentioned, by Mr. A. H. Kneale, agent of the Utes at 

 Fort Duchesne, Utah, and at the close of work at Mesa Verde a trip 

 was made into the region where they are found. The route was 

 from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Mack, Utah, by rail, thence by 

 rail to the end of the road at Watson. The trip from Watson to 

 Ouray was by automobile. At Ouray the author outfitted with wagon, 

 forded the Duchesne River, and crossed the Green River by ferry. 

 Later he proceeded south to Squaw Crossing on Willow Creek, and 

 thence to Taylor's ranch, in the midst of the ruins of Hill Canyon. 



The ruins mentioned below were visited, but many others were 

 reported by cowboys which were not seen on account of limitation 

 in time, the object of the visit being primarily a reconnoissance. 



The following ruins were seen by the author and his companions 

 during their short visit to tliis region : 



1. Ruins A and B, on the canyon rim within sight of Taylor's lower 

 ranch. 



2. Two ruins on pinnacles of rocks i^ miles from Taylor's lower 

 ranch following the canyon southward. 



3. Tower ruin crowning a leaning pinnacle. 



4. Ruin on top of a plateau with precipitous sides, in middle of a 

 canyon 3 miles south of Taylor's lower ranch. 



5. Walls on top of an inverted cone, 6 miles up the canyon from 

 Taylor's lower ranch. 



6. Several towers in a cluster on a point of the plateau 8 miles 

 below Taylor's lower ranch. ' 



The above ruins may be classified into two types distinguished by 

 the character of their site: (a) True "mushroom rock ruins," as 

 their name implies, are perched on tops of isolated rock pinnacles 

 resembling the so-called Snake rock at Walpi, and (b) the second 

 type, crown spurs of the mesa overlooking the canyon. The pinnacle 

 foundations of the former are the last stage in erosion of a spur from 

 the side of the canyon. It is doubtful whether these pinnacles were 

 cut off by erosion before or after the buildings thereon were con- 

 structed. On the whole both types of ruins in Hill Canyon present 

 no architectural dift'erences from those found in some of the tributary 

 canyons of the Colorado River. 



The author's visit to the Hill Canyon region was mainly a recon- 

 noissance to verify reports of the existence of prehistoric remains 

 in this little-known region. He was accompanied by Mr. T. G. 

 Lemmon of Dallas, Texas, a volunteer, who furnished the Hill 



