﻿318 
  EEPOET 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  sage-brush 
  and 
  cactus, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  pinons 
  here 
  and 
  there. 
  This 
  dry 
  area 
  

   extends 
  from 
  the 
  timbered 
  foot-hills 
  and 
  hog-backs 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  a 
  mass 
  

   of 
  hills 
  whose 
  northern 
  border 
  forms 
  an 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  line 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  streams 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Florida. 
  This 
  little 
  

   desert 
  covers 
  about 
  100 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  edges 
  of 
  it 
  along 
  both 
  

   streams 
  are 
  occupied 
  by 
  ruins 
  of 
  the 
  extinct 
  people. 
  Traveling 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  Animas 
  and 
  noticing 
  occasional 
  bits 
  of 
  pottery 
  and 
  other 
  relics 
  

   by 
  the 
  way, 
  we 
  followed 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  stream. 
  Below 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  the 
  highlands 
  are 
  all 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  dull 
  red 
  

   sandstone, 
  in 
  layers 
  one 
  above 
  another 
  indefinitely. 
  The 
  side-slopes 
  

   are 
  formed 
  of 
  numerous 
  successive 
  bluffs, 
  with 
  great 
  blocks 
  of 
  stone 
  in 
  

   the 
  spaces. 
  After 
  having 
  climbed 
  and 
  wandered 
  among 
  the 
  noble 
  

   forms 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  peaks, 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  stations 
  on 
  these 
  miserable 
  

   dreary 
  tables 
  is 
  very 
  tiresome 
  and 
  monotonous. 
  Here 
  we 
  miss 
  the 
  

   cool 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  levels, 
  and 
  a 
  burning 
  sun 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   dried 
  the 
  very 
  marrow 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  land. 
  The 
  highest 
  

   points 
  are 
  all 
  covered 
  with 
  brush, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  cannot 
  see 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  about 
  us, 
  but 
  after 
  climbing 
  through 
  the 
  masses 
  of 
  stone 
  blocks 
  

   we 
  are 
  finally 
  compelled 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  station 
  half 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  hill 
  on 
  some 
  projecting 
  ledge. 
  

  

  On 
  July 
  27 
  we 
  came 
  upon 
  a 
  large 
  ruined 
  castle 
  about 
  25 
  miles 
  below 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Florida, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Animas. 
  The 
  build- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  one, 
  but 
  as 
  we 
  approached 
  it 
  we 
  saw 
  nothing 
  to 
  

   indicate 
  great 
  antiquity. 
  In 
  fact, 
  at 
  first 
  we 
  half 
  thought 
  that 
  after 
  all 
  

   this 
  might 
  only 
  be 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  modern 
  Mexican 
  pueblo, 
  but 
  the 
  

   pottery 
  that 
  lay 
  strewn 
  about 
  soon 
  dissipated 
  all 
  such 
  ideas. 
  The 
  build- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  about 
  250 
  by 
  300 
  feet, 
  with 
  the 
  rectangular 
  corners. 
  The 
  re- 
  

   mains 
  of 
  three 
  stories 
  were 
  still 
  standing, 
  while 
  the 
  great 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   debris 
  seemed 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  a 
  fourth 
  story 
  might 
  once 
  have 
  existed, 
  

   but 
  this 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  conjecture. 
  By 
  crawling 
  down 
  under 
  the 
  

   decayed 
  walls, 
  through 
  a 
  low 
  door, 
  we 
  came 
  into 
  a 
  cell 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  

   floor. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  room 
  which 
  we 
  could 
  enter 
  that 
  was 
  still 
  in 
  a 
  

   fair 
  state 
  of 
  preservation. 
  It 
  had 
  evidently 
  been 
  a 
  prison-cell. 
  The 
  

   door 
  was 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  feet 
  high, 
  and 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  wide. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  

   the 
  cell 
  itself, 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  remember, 
  were 
  about 
  these: 
  say 
  7 
  feet 
  

   long 
  by 
  5 
  wide, 
  and 
  4J 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  high. 
  It 
  was 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  

   the 
  building, 
  with 
  no 
  opening 
  of 
  any 
  kind 
  to 
  let 
  in 
  light 
  or 
  air 
  except 
  

   the 
  little 
  door. 
  The 
  wood-work 
  of 
  the 
  ceiling 
  was 
  quite 
  well 
  preserved. 
  

   On 
  the 
  walls 
  was 
  a 
  plaster 
  resembling 
  sandstone, 
  on 
  which 
  were 
  a 
  great 
  

   many 
  scratches 
  that 
  looked 
  ver>' 
  fresh, 
  and 
  some 
  rough 
  outlines 
  of 
  men 
  

   and 
  horses 
  that 
  so 
  much 
  resembled 
  the 
  Ute 
  carvings 
  on 
  the 
  trees 
  along 
  

   their 
  trails 
  that 
  we 
  did 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  ascribe 
  the 
  work 
  to 
  Ute 
  artists. 
  

  

  The 
  walls 
  were 
  of 
  cut 
  stone 
  about 
  twice 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  common 
  brick, 
  

   but 
  the 
  weather 
  had 
  worn 
  away 
  the 
  corners 
  and 
  edges, 
  and 
  the 
  rains 
  

   had 
  leached 
  out 
  all 
  .the 
  mortar 
  if 
  there 
  ever 
  had 
  been 
  any 
  there. 
  In 
  

   the 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  stones 
  were 
  pieces 
  of 
  pottery. 
  The 
  floors 
  were 
  

   of 
  round 
  poles 
  of 
  juniper 
  with 
  the 
  bark 
  on. 
  The 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  logs 
  were 
  

   in 
  no 
  case 
  found 
  smooth 
  cut, 
  but 
  were 
  ragged, 
  as 
  if 
  worn 
  off 
  by 
  some 
  

   dull 
  instrument. 
  In 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  building 
  was 
  a 
  circular 
  tower 
  about 
  

   twelve 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  built 
  of 
  scraps 
  of 
  stone 
  of 
  very 
  irregular 
  shapes. 
  

   The 
  bottom 
  was 
  partially 
  filled 
  with 
  debris. 
  In 
  the 
  near 
  vicinity 
  there 
  

   were 
  circulnr 
  mounds, 
  marking 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  smaller 
  houses, 
  but 
  they 
  

   were 
  few 
  in 
  number, 
  scarcely 
  more, 
  in 
  fact, 
  than 
  might 
  be 
  needed 
  for 
  

   workshops 
  by 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  building. 
  Here 
  we 
  found 
  

   great 
  quantities 
  of 
  pottery, 
  all 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  elaborately 
  painted. 
  All 
  of 
  

   it 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  finer 
  quality 
  than 
  any 
  we 
  had 
  seen 
  near 
  the 
  mount- 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  