﻿18 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Nearly 
  opposite 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Abajo, 
  or 
  Blue 
  Mountains, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   locally 
  known, 
  head 
  the 
  great 
  canon 
  and 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Montezuma, 
  

   which 
  empties 
  into 
  the 
  San 
  Juan. 
  Here 
  the 
  bottoms 
  of 
  the 
  canons 
  

   have 
  once 
  supported 
  a 
  very 
  thickly 
  settled 
  community. 
  There 
  is 
  almosta 
  

   continuous 
  series 
  of 
  ruins 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  twenty-five 
  miles 
  ; 
  this 
  in 
  

   one 
  caQon 
  only, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  others 
  contain 
  numerous 
  remains, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  

   clifi'-houses 
  and 
  towns. 
  In 
  the 
  main 
  caiion 
  first 
  spoken 
  of 
  are 
  two 
  ruins 
  

   notable 
  for 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  stones 
  employed 
  in 
  their 
  construction. 
  In 
  

   one, 
  built 
  upon 
  a 
  small 
  isolated 
  tableland 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  

   are 
  stones 
  set 
  upon 
  end, 
  six 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  eighteen 
  inches 
  square, 
  

   and 
  ranged 
  along 
  the 
  walls 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  twenty-five 
  or 
  thirty 
  yards. 
  

   Another 
  case 
  is 
  where 
  stones 
  seven 
  feet 
  in 
  height 
  (above 
  ground) 
  and 
  

   twenty 
  inches 
  square 
  are 
  standing 
  perpendicularly 
  about 
  five 
  feet 
  apart, 
  

   and 
  form 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  wall 
  inclosing 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  a 
  large, 
  important 
  

   building. 
  Throughout 
  the 
  canons, 
  every 
  available 
  defensive 
  point 
  has 
  

   been 
  utilized, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  heavy 
  walls 
  and 
  

   large 
  blocks 
  of 
  houses. 
  Another 
  singular 
  feature 
  was 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   holes 
  cut 
  into 
  the 
  perpendicular 
  lower 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  canon 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  ascending 
  the 
  rocks, 
  holes 
  just 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  give 
  hand- 
  and 
  foot- 
  

   hold, 
  and 
  leading 
  either 
  to 
  some 
  walled-up 
  cave 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  building 
  erected 
  

   above. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  steps 
  ascend 
  the 
  nearly 
  perpendicular 
  face 
  of 
  

   the 
  rock 
  for 
  150 
  or 
  200 
  feet. 
  On 
  exposed 
  surfaces, 
  disintegration 
  

   has 
  almost 
  entirely 
  weathered 
  away 
  the 
  holes, 
  while 
  on 
  more 
  protected 
  

   surfaces 
  they 
  are 
  deep 
  enough 
  to 
  still 
  answer 
  their 
  original 
  purpose. 
  

   The 
  main 
  western 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  contains 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  

   and 
  more 
  im^jortant 
  ruins 
  of 
  all 
  northern 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Mancos. 
  Water 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  pools 
  near 
  its 
  head, 
  

   and 
  lower 
  down 
  running 
  along 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  miles, 
  where 
  it 
  sank 
  again. 
  The 
  bottoms 
  are 
  rich, 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  

   Indians, 
  Utes, 
  who 
  occupy 
  the 
  country, 
  raise 
  good 
  crops 
  of 
  corn 
  without 
  

   irrigation. 
  

  

  The 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  trip 
  was 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  utensils, 
  

   both 
  modern 
  and 
  ancient, 
  stone 
  arrow- 
  and 
  spear-points, 
  knives 
  and 
  

   axes, 
  photographs, 
  especially 
  illustrative 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  ruins, 
  

   and 
  numerous 
  sketches 
  of 
  everything 
  of 
  note. 
  These 
  results 
  are 
  fully 
  

   elaborated 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  following 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Eeport. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1875 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  T. 
  Gardner, 
  then 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  pri- 
  

   mary 
  triangulation, 
  made 
  four 
  important 
  stations 
  in 
  Southern 
  Colorado, 
  

   viz 
  : 
  West 
  Elk 
  Mountain, 
  Leon 
  Peak, 
  North 
  Mam, 
  and 
  Sierra 
  la 
  Sal. 
  

   The 
  last 
  station 
  is 
  located 
  beyond 
  the 
  extreme 
  western 
  boundary 
  of 
  Col- 
  

   orado, 
  in 
  Utah, 
  and 
  the 
  observat'ons 
  were 
  very 
  complete 
  and 
  valuable. 
  

   From 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  party 
  under 
  Mr. 
  Gardner 
  proceeded 
  toward 
  the 
  

   Abajo 
  Mountain, 
  but 
  were 
  attacked 
  by 
  a 
  lawless 
  band 
  of 
  Ute 
  Indians, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  their 
  season's 
  work 
  was 
  closed. 
  In 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  

   Mr. 
  Gardner 
  resigned 
  his 
  position 
  on 
  the 
  survey 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  very 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  one 
  of 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  trigonometrical 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   New 
  Yorli. 
  

  

  