﻿14 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  gular 
  block 
  of 
  sandstone, 
  which 
  occupies 
  a 
  prominent 
  position 
  on 
  a 
  spur 
  

   of 
  the 
  mesa. 
  It 
  is 
  thirty 
  -eight 
  by 
  thirty-two 
  feet, 
  and 
  twentj^ 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height, 
  as 
  true 
  and 
  as 
  level 
  as 
  though 
  set 
  by 
  masons. 
  The 
  summit 
  

   is 
  entirely 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  that 
  was 
  built 
  upon 
  it, 
  very 
  evidently 
  

   for 
  merely 
  defensive 
  purposes, 
  for 
  directly 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  at 
  its 
  

   south 
  side, 
  was 
  the 
  habitation 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  A 
  line 
  of 
  wall 
  forty 
  feet 
  

   square 
  incloses 
  a 
  space, 
  within 
  which 
  was 
  another 
  building 
  resting 
  against 
  

   the 
  rock 
  itself, 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  which 
  served 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  

   rock 
  above. 
  Two 
  miles 
  below, 
  where 
  the 
  McElmo 
  comes 
  in, 
  and 
  upon 
  

   the 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  mesa, 
  are 
  other 
  similar 
  ruins, 
  but 
  built 
  much 
  less 
  regu- 
  

   larly. 
  Upon 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  an 
  inscription 
  chipped 
  in 
  

   with 
  some 
  sharp-pointed 
  instrument, 
  and 
  covering 
  some 
  sixty 
  square 
  

   feet 
  of 
  surface. 
  Figures 
  of 
  goats, 
  lizards, 
  and 
  human 
  figures 
  abound, 
  

   with 
  many 
  hieroglyphical 
  signs. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  mesa 
  afforded 
  much 
  

   food 
  for 
  speculation 
  in 
  the 
  interesting 
  remains 
  there 
  discovered. 
  The 
  

   extreme 
  point 
  was 
  a 
  perfectly 
  flat, 
  level 
  table, 
  fifty 
  by 
  one 
  hundred 
  yards 
  

   in 
  diameter, 
  with 
  perpendicular 
  walls 
  of 
  from 
  fifty 
  to 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  

   on 
  all 
  sides, 
  excepting 
  the 
  narrow 
  neck 
  which 
  connected 
  it 
  with 
  the 
  

   main 
  plateau. 
  Across 
  this 
  neck, 
  a 
  wall 
  had 
  been 
  built 
  to 
  keep 
  off 
  either 
  

   human 
  or 
  beast, 
  and 
  rendered 
  the 
  place 
  perfectly 
  isolated. 
  Inside, 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  space 
  was 
  subdivided 
  into 
  small 
  squares 
  and 
  double- 
  

   walled 
  circles 
  formed 
  by 
  slabs 
  of 
  stone 
  set 
  on 
  edge, 
  each 
  square, 
  about 
  

   three 
  by 
  five 
  feet. 
  The 
  supposition 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  that 
  these 
  were 
  

   burial-places. 
  They 
  were 
  dug 
  down 
  upon 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  depth 
  with- 
  

   out 
  discovering 
  anything. 
  Here 
  the 
  soil 
  was 
  thin 
  and 
  light, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   labor 
  of 
  excavating 
  was 
  easy. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  squares 
  were 
  cleaned 
  

   out 
  to 
  the 
  bed-rock 
  beneath, 
  which 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  was 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  

   foot 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  but 
  without 
  discovering 
  anything 
  more 
  except 
  

   that 
  in 
  every 
  case 
  the 
  earth 
  bad 
  been 
  bnrned, 
  and 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  char- 
  

   coal 
  remained. 
  The 
  question 
  arises 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  "these 
  people 
  might 
  

   not 
  have 
  been 
  cremationists. 
  

  

  The 
  Rio 
  San 
  Juan 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  McElmo 
  is 
  a 
  stream 
  averag- 
  

   ing 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  width 
  and 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  in 
  depth, 
  flowing 
  in 
  

   great 
  curves 
  that 
  almost 
  touch 
  upon 
  themselves 
  again, 
  and 
  bordered 
  

   with 
  dense 
  groves 
  of 
  cottonwood. 
  The 
  bottoms 
  are 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  

   miles 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  run 
  back 
  over 
  sage-covered 
  benches 
  to 
  the 
  sand- 
  

   stone 
  bluffs, 
  picturesque 
  in 
  outline 
  and 
  color, 
  which 
  rise 
  from 
  five 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  to 
  one 
  thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  river. 
  They 
  gradually 
  close 
  in 
  

   upon 
  the 
  stream 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  finally 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  caiion 
  below 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  De 
  Ohelly. 
  

  

  Twelve 
  or 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  brought 
  the 
  party 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  

   important 
  ruins, 
  although 
  the 
  older, 
  almost 
  unrecognized 
  "indications" 
  

   were 
  abundant 
  everywhere. 
  At 
  that 
  point, 
  the 
  bench-land 
  juts 
  up 
  over 
  

   the 
  river, 
  and 
  almost 
  upon 
  the 
  brink 
  is 
  a 
  quadrangular 
  structure 
  one 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  sixty 
  by 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  twenty 
  feet 
  square, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  

   open 
  court 
  facing 
  the 
  river. 
  A 
  singular 
  feature 
  in 
  its 
  construction 
  was 
  

  

  