﻿ENDLicH] 
  SAN 
  JUAN 
  REGION 
  RUINS. 
  177 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  tlie 
  light-colored 
  bluffs 
  and 
  hogbacks 
  near 
  Junction 
  Creek, 
  

   the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  becomes 
  very 
  monotonous. 
  

   To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Animas 
  long 
  continued 
  mesas 
  stretch 
  off 
  into 
  an 
  ap- 
  

   parently 
  interminable 
  distance, 
  cut 
  into 
  bluffs 
  and 
  small 
  hills 
  near 
  the 
  

   border 
  of 
  the 
  Animas 
  Valley 
  by 
  streams 
  that 
  contain 
  water 
  only 
  during 
  

   a 
  very 
  short 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  A 
  continuation 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  

   the 
  east 
  side. 
  Generally 
  the 
  river 
  hugs 
  its 
  eastern 
  bank 
  very 
  closely 
  

   there, 
  which 
  bank 
  consists 
  of 
  yellow 
  bluffs, 
  composed 
  of 
  shales 
  and 
  sand- 
  

   stones. 
  Local 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  coloring 
  enliven 
  the 
  sce|ne 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time, 
  and 
  are 
  produced 
  by 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  oxidation 
  of 
  iron 
  contained 
  

   in 
  the 
  strata. 
  

  

  All 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  evidences 
  are 
  found 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  inhabitants 
  

   that 
  once 
  populated 
  the 
  valley. 
  Innumerable 
  fragments 
  of 
  pottery^ 
  

   remnants 
  of 
  houses 
  built 
  of 
  river-bowlders 
  and 
  mud, 
  and 
  watch-towers 
  

   upon 
  prominent 
  points 
  denote 
  the 
  former 
  existence 
  at 
  that 
  locality 
  of 
  a 
  

   large 
  number 
  of 
  people. 
  South 
  of 
  station 
  53, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   Animas, 
  a 
  large 
  town 
  was 
  found. 
  On 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  it 
  walls 
  and 
  

   the 
  remnants 
  of 
  what 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  ditches 
  were 
  observed. 
  Frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  chalcedony, 
  jasper, 
  and 
  obsidian 
  were 
  strewn 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  some 
  rude 
  arrow 
  and 
  spear 
  heads 
  were 
  found. 
  "Within 
  the 
  

   walls, 
  which 
  probably 
  stretched 
  across 
  the 
  valley 
  from 
  west 
  to 
  east 
  for- 
  

   merly, 
  were 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  the 
  houses. 
  All 
  that 
  remains 
  of 
  them 
  to-day 
  

   is 
  either 
  a 
  circular 
  or 
  square, 
  elevated 
  mound, 
  composed 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  

   rounded 
  bowlders, 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  Its 
  outlines 
  

   indicate 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  building. 
  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  this 
  town 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  

   large 
  structure 
  of 
  sandstone.* 
  It 
  was 
  constructed 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  

   horseshoe, 
  with 
  right 
  angles, 
  however, 
  opening 
  toward 
  the 
  south. 
  About 
  

   two-thirds 
  of 
  it 
  still 
  remain 
  standing. 
  It 
  was 
  originally 
  four 
  stories 
  

   high, 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  opening 
  guarded 
  by 
  three 
  concentric 
  towers. 
  

   It 
  was 
  found, 
  upon 
  examination, 
  that 
  the 
  sandstone 
  had 
  been 
  taken 
  

   from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  adjoining 
  Tertiary 
  bluffs, 
  had 
  been 
  broken 
  into 
  rectan- 
  

   gular 
  pieces, 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  smoothed 
  by 
  being 
  rubbed 
  with 
  

   another 
  piece 
  of 
  stone, 
  probably 
  also 
  sandstone. 
  The 
  entire 
  building 
  

   was 
  divided 
  into 
  small 
  rooms 
  or 
  compartments, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  no 
  

   light 
  whatever. 
  They 
  are 
  well 
  preserved 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  stories. 
  

   Their 
  dimensions 
  are 
  surprisingly 
  small, 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  hu- 
  

   man 
  beings 
  lived 
  in 
  them. 
  Eight 
  feet 
  long, 
  six 
  wide, 
  and 
  four 
  and 
  a 
  

   half 
  high 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  the 
  average 
  size. 
  Denoting 
  their 
  use 
  as 
  

   human 
  habitations, 
  we 
  find 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  a 
  triangular 
  or 
  square 
  piece 
  

   of 
  sandstone 
  placed 
  in 
  one 
  corner, 
  which 
  served 
  as 
  a 
  fireplace. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   woodwork 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  is 
  preserved. 
  Juniper 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   rounding 
  bluffs 
  was 
  utilized. 
  Eouud 
  beams 
  are 
  let 
  into 
  the 
  wall 
  

   at 
  short 
  distances 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  split 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  wood, 
  lying 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  on 
  them. 
  This 
  in 
  turn 
  is 
  covered 
  

   by 
  a 
  laj^er, 
  again 
  at 
  right 
  angles, 
  of 
  juniper-bark. 
  Upon 
  this 
  is 
  spread 
  

   a 
  floor 
  of 
  cement, 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness. 
  It 
  is 
  merely 
  a 
  

   mechanical 
  mixture 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  friable, 
  shaly 
  marls 
  oc- 
  

   curring 
  in 
  the 
  bluffs 
  near 
  by. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  compartments 
  the 
  walls 
  

   and 
  ceilings 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  this 
  same 
  cement. 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   tribes 
  have 
  adorned 
  them 
  with 
  sketches 
  representing 
  themselves 
  and 
  

   their 
  ponies, 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  scratched 
  into 
  the 
  soft 
  wall. 
  An 
  esti- 
  

   mate 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  rooms 
  that 
  existed 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  

   building 
  was 
  still 
  entire, 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  

   contained 
  upward 
  of 
  500 
  of 
  them, 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  large 
  number, 
  perhaps, 
  

  

  * 
  Compare 
  Report 
  Exploring 
  Expedition, 
  lb59, 
  Captain 
  Macomb. 
  Geology, 
  by 
  J. 
  S. 
  

   Newberry, 
  1876, 
  page 
  79. 
  

  

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