﻿HATDEN.J 
  LETTER 
  TO 
  THE 
  SECRETARY. 
  13 
  

  

  region, 
  bringing 
  out 
  with 
  his 
  ready 
  and 
  artistic 
  pencil 
  even 
  more 
  won- 
  

   derful 
  ruins 
  (of 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  class, 
  however) 
  than 
  were 
  found 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Jackson 
  the 
  season 
  previous. 
  

  

  Traveling 
  westward 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  McElmo, 
  a 
  day 
  was 
  spent 
  in 
  

   the 
  further 
  investigation 
  of 
  that 
  interesting 
  locality. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  

   ruins 
  were 
  discovered, 
  but 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  differing 
  from 
  those 
  already 
  fig- 
  

   ured. 
  The 
  extreme 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  and 
  the 
  aridity 
  of 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   try 
  prevented 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  superficial 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  side- 
  

   cartons 
  which 
  debouch 
  into 
  the 
  main 
  one. 
  Enough 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  satisfactorily 
  that 
  ruins 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  tillable 
  land 
  and 
  in 
  those 
  canons 
  which 
  had 
  alluvial 
  bottoms. 
  This 
  

   fact 
  held 
  good 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  regions; 
  for 
  in 
  no 
  case 
  could 
  a 
  single 
  vestige 
  

   of 
  any 
  habitation 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  sterile, 
  rocky 
  gorges 
  removed 
  from 
  

   cultivable 
  ground. 
  The 
  ideas 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  these 
  houses 
  

   as 
  to 
  good 
  farming 
  land 
  would 
  hardly 
  come 
  up 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  eastern 
  

   farmer, 
  yet 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  bottom-land 
  only 
  fifty 
  yards 
  in 
  width 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  their 
  deep 
  canons 
  would 
  yield 
  maize 
  enough 
  to 
  subsist 
  quite 
  a 
  town. 
  

   The 
  supposition 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  an 
  agricultural 
  people 
  is 
  strengthened 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  any 
  group 
  of 
  ruins 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  little 
  " 
  cubby-holes", 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  habitation, 
  but 
  very 
  evidently 
  

   intended 
  for 
  " 
  caches 
  ", 
  or 
  granaries, 
  and 
  the 
  large 
  towns 
  contain 
  small 
  

   apartments 
  that 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  use. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  known 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  short 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  over 
  

   forty 
  miles 
  distant, 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  Hovenweep, 
  near 
  the 
  town 
  which 
  was 
  

   discovered 
  last 
  year, 
  thus 
  necessitating 
  the 
  retraversing 
  of 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  

   the 
  country. 
  . 
  A 
  day 
  spent 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  tributary 
  canons 
  developed 
  no 
  

   remains 
  of 
  any 
  importance, 
  although 
  every 
  little 
  side-canon 
  contains 
  

   traces 
  of 
  former 
  occupation 
  by 
  the 
  town-builders. 
  To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hovenweep 
  is 
  a 
  high, 
  level 
  plateau, 
  separating 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  canons 
  of 
  the 
  

   Montezuma, 
  and 
  running 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  from 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  

   Juan 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores. 
  Upon 
  this 
  were 
  found 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  

   many 
  circular 
  towers, 
  all 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size, 
  twelve 
  to 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  

   in 
  diameter. 
  They 
  are 
  generally 
  almost 
  entirely 
  obliterated, 
  but 
  in 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  cases 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  wall, 
  twelve 
  to 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  high, 
  of 
  well- 
  

   built 
  masonry, 
  were 
  found. 
  This 
  being 
  a 
  sandstone 
  mesa, 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  surrounding 
  valleys, 
  does 
  not 
  contain 
  a 
  spring 
  or 
  any 
  water 
  

   except 
  such 
  as 
  collects 
  in 
  the 
  water-pockets 
  after 
  a 
  shower. 
  The 
  

   soil 
  upon 
  its 
  surface 
  is 
  thin, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  blown 
  off 
  clean 
  to 
  the 
  bed- 
  

   rock. 
  Grass, 
  cedar, 
  and 
  artemisia 
  flourish 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  excellent 
  

   grazingland, 
  and, 
  as 
  cultivation 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  these 
  people 
  

   must 
  have 
  had 
  herds 
  of 
  sheep 
  or 
  goats, 
  which 
  they 
  brought 
  up 
  here 
  to 
  

   graze 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  Utes 
  and 
  Navajoes 
  do 
  at 
  the 
  

   present 
  time, 
  and 
  these 
  towers 
  were 
  built 
  as 
  places 
  of 
  refuge 
  or 
  residence 
  

   for 
  their 
  herders. 
  

  

  Eight 
  and 
  ten 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  Hovenweep 
  town, 
  are 
  two 
  groups 
  of 
  

   ruins 
  worthy 
  of 
  note. 
  The 
  first 
  is 
  built 
  upon 
  an 
  almost 
  perfectly 
  rectan- 
  

  

  