﻿KHODA.] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTEEN 
  DISTRICT. 
  317 
  

  

  The 
  monuments 
  rest 
  on 
  loose 
  slaty 
  rock, 
  which 
  wears 
  away 
  very 
  fast, 
  

   while 
  the 
  rock 
  above 
  is 
  firm 
  and 
  breaks 
  off 
  in 
  large 
  cubic 
  blocks. 
  With 
  

   the 
  constant 
  wearing 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  foundation 
  and 
  the 
  cracking 
  of 
  the 
  

   columns 
  themselves, 
  these 
  curious 
  pillars 
  are 
  fast 
  going 
  to 
  ruin. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  across 
  the 
  Piedra, 
  there 
  commences 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   hog-backs, 
  very 
  sharp 
  and 
  continuous, 
  which 
  give 
  a 
  peculiar 
  form 
  to 
  

   the 
  topography. 
  Between 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  Ute 
  trail 
  from 
  Pagosa 
  passes 
  

   over 
  to 
  the 
  Animas. 
  Above 
  the 
  crossing 
  of 
  the 
  Piedra 
  that 
  stream 
  is 
  

   inclosed 
  in 
  a 
  deep 
  canon 
  for 
  some 
  10 
  miles, 
  but 
  below 
  it 
  is 
  open 
  all 
  the 
  

   way 
  to 
  its 
  mouth. 
  When 
  we 
  crossed 
  it 
  on 
  July 
  23, 
  it 
  was 
  30 
  to 
  40 
  yards 
  

   in 
  width 
  and 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  with 
  a 
  rocky 
  bed 
  and 
  swift 
  current. 
  

   A 
  short 
  distance 
  below 
  the 
  ford 
  we 
  saw 
  anew-made 
  grave, 
  the 
  occupant 
  

   of 
  which 
  (A. 
  R. 
  Stewart) 
  had 
  been 
  drowned 
  while 
  trying 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  

   stream 
  a 
  few 
  months 
  before. 
  This 
  vicinity 
  is 
  a 
  favorite 
  camping-ground 
  

   for 
  the 
  Weeminuche 
  or 
  Southern 
  Utes. 
  We 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  these, 
  with 
  

   their 
  horses 
  and 
  goats, 
  when 
  we 
  passed 
  through. 
  To 
  the 
  west, 
  the 
  trail 
  

   takes 
  its 
  course 
  up 
  a 
  little 
  stream 
  between 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  hog-backs, 
  thus 
  

   having 
  a 
  smooth, 
  even 
  grade, 
  with 
  a 
  wall 
  on 
  either 
  hand. 
  These 
  spaces 
  

   are 
  trough 
  shaped, 
  with 
  very 
  abrupt 
  sides. 
  The 
  ridges 
  are 
  very 
  sharp, 
  

   with 
  their 
  steepest 
  slope 
  toward 
  the 
  mountains. 
  The 
  Indians, 
  appre- 
  

   ciating 
  the 
  peculiar 
  adaptability 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  for 
  defense, 
  have 
  taken 
  

   pains 
  to 
  fortify 
  a 
  narrow 
  gap 
  near 
  the 
  Piedra 
  with 
  piles 
  of 
  loose 
  stones, 
  

   to 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  rifle 
  pits. 
  Under 
  a 
  good 
  leader, 
  a 
  small 
  band 
  of 
  Indians 
  

   could 
  hold 
  this 
  place 
  against 
  an 
  army, 
  especially 
  since 
  toward 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  it 
  is 
  backed 
  by 
  dense 
  timber. 
  

  

  Passing 
  by 
  these 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  Rio 
  de 
  Los 
  Pinos, 
  a 
  stream 
  quite 
  as 
  

   large 
  as 
  the 
  Piedra. 
  Here 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  bridge, 
  which 
  

   we 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  by 
  Major 
  Macomb 
  in 
  1859. 
  Near 
  this, 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  pieces 
  of 
  pottery 
  and 
  a 
  

   dim 
  circular 
  mound 
  inthe 
  sage-brush, 
  iudicating 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  approach- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  ruins. 
  On 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  

   several 
  miles 
  below 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  marks 
  of 
  ruins 
  that 
  

   bad 
  long 
  since 
  crumbled 
  to 
  dust. 
  Whether 
  the 
  houses 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  

   adobe, 
  or 
  whether 
  of 
  stone 
  as 
  the 
  rest 
  farther 
  south, 
  I 
  cannot 
  tell. 
  If 
  

   the 
  latter 
  theory 
  be 
  true, 
  we 
  may 
  properly 
  assign 
  to 
  them 
  great 
  antiq- 
  

   uity, 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  former, 
  the 
  weather 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  might 
  accomplish 
  the 
  

   same 
  result 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time. 
  These 
  last 
  relics 
  were 
  situated 
  on 
  a 
  table 
  

   adjoining 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  about 
  50 
  feet 
  above 
  it, 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  sandy 
  and 
  

   covered 
  with 
  sage-brush. 
  A¥hen 
  we 
  were 
  there 
  late 
  in 
  July 
  all 
  vegeta- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  parched 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  heat, 
  except 
  along 
  a 
  strip 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  

   yards 
  wide 
  near 
  the 
  stream. 
  Considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  pottery 
  were 
  

   found 
  on 
  the 
  surfiice, 
  but 
  all 
  was 
  very 
  much 
  discolored 
  by 
  the 
  weather. 
  

   The 
  only 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  buildings 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  circular 
  mound 
  of 
  earth 
  

   seldom 
  if 
  ever 
  one 
  foot 
  high, 
  with 
  a 
  basin 
  inside 
  of 
  it 
  distinguished 
  

   from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  plain 
  by 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  flint-grass, 
  from 
  the 
  

   water 
  standing 
  in 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  About 
  some 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  burned 
  

   rock 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  Except 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  little 
  scraps 
  of 
  pottery, 
  we 
  saw 
  

   nothing 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  these 
  early 
  inhabitants 
  occupied 
  the 
  region 
  

   along 
  the 
  Nutria. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  kept 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  

   from 
  the 
  mountains, 
  probably 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  cold 
  winters. 
  As 
  they 
  must 
  

   have. 
  used 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  for 
  irrigating 
  their 
  corn, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   improbable 
  that 
  a 
  close 
  examination 
  among 
  the 
  sage-brush 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pinos 
  might 
  reveal 
  some 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  ditches, 
  since 
  these 
  would 
  likely 
  

   be 
  preserved 
  long 
  after 
  many 
  other 
  artificial 
  works 
  had 
  disappeared. 
  

   Between 
  the 
  Pinos 
  and 
  the 
  Florida, 
  and 
  extending 
  southward 
  to 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  is 
  a 
  desert 
  plain, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  mostly 
  

  

  