﻿KHODA] 
  THE 
  SOUTLTE 
  ASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  319 
  

  

  ains. 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  that 
  these 
  ruins 
  did 
  not 
  look 
  very 
  ancient, 
  but 
  it 
  

   must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  as 
  yet 
  we 
  know 
  almost 
  nothing 
  about 
  the 
  

   climate 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  but 
  the 
  vegetation 
  and 
  other 
  things 
  point 
  to 
  a 
  

   very 
  small 
  annual 
  fall 
  of 
  rain, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  decay 
  of 
  a 
  stone 
  

   building 
  laight 
  be 
  very 
  slow 
  indeed. 
  The 
  elevation 
  of 
  this 
  i)lace 
  is 
  

   about 
  5,500 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  hig-h 
  mountains 
  thirty 
  to 
  

   forty 
  miles, 
  which 
  facts 
  would 
  be 
  likely, 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  

   rain-fall 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  figure. 
  What 
  is 
  most 
  needed 
  to 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  

   the 
  age 
  of 
  these 
  relics 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  set 
  of 
  meteorological 
  observations 
  some- 
  

   where 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  Crossing 
  over 
  from 
  the 
  Animas 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  we 
  found 
  another 
  

   large 
  ruin, 
  but 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  preceding. 
  Here, 
  again, 
  was 
  the 
  usual 
  

   assortment 
  of 
  pottery, 
  out-houses, 
  &c., 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  former. 
  In 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  

   a 
  wash 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  cut 
  through 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  we 
  found 
  

   a 
  stratum 
  of 
  burned 
  corn, 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  thick, 
  a 
  little 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  pieces 
  of 
  the 
  cobs. 
  In 
  this 
  ruin, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  previous, 
  

   the 
  whole 
  lower 
  story 
  is 
  covered 
  over 
  with 
  sand 
  and 
  trash, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  

   in 
  a 
  good 
  state 
  of 
  preservation. 
  A 
  couple 
  of 
  men 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  could 
  

   open 
  a 
  way 
  into 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  rooms, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  iniportant 
  relics 
  

   might 
  be 
  unearthed. 
  

  

  oSTear 
  this 
  point 
  we 
  noticed 
  a 
  fine 
  kind 
  of 
  cottonwood, 
  having 
  a 
  large, 
  

   spreading 
  top, 
  entirely 
  unlike 
  the 
  common 
  variety. 
  As 
  we 
  moved 
  up- 
  

   stream 
  we 
  found 
  scraps 
  of 
  pottery 
  everywhere, 
  and 
  the 
  marks 
  of 
  tovTers 
  

   on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  prominent 
  points. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  features 
  of 
  

   the 
  subject 
  that 
  the 
  pieces 
  of 
  pottery 
  are 
  so 
  widely 
  distributed. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  place 
  where 
  you 
  can 
  feel 
  sure 
  that 
  you 
  will 
  not 
  come 
  across 
  them. 
  

   In 
  some 
  places, 
  on 
  dry 
  sandstone 
  tables, 
  many 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  we 
  

   found 
  them. 
  

  

  Near 
  here 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  very 
  small, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  running 
  through 
  

   the 
  sand 
  underneath. 
  The 
  surrounding 
  country 
  is 
  very 
  uninteresting 
  in 
  

   appearance. 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  could 
  reach 
  there 
  extended 
  

   plains 
  very 
  similar 
  in 
  appearance 
  to 
  those 
  along 
  the 
  Union 
  Pacific 
  in 
  

   Wyoming, 
  only 
  they 
  appeared 
  more 
  desolate, 
  and, 
  being 
  further 
  south, 
  

   were 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  watered. 
  These 
  rose 
  considerably 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

   river, 
  and 
  were 
  not 
  terminated 
  by 
  mountains 
  but 
  extended 
  to 
  the 
  hori- 
  

   zon. 
  Farther 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  sandstone 
  tables, 
  ten 
  times 
  more 
  

   desolate 
  than 
  the 
  country 
  near 
  it, 
  formed 
  a 
  prominent 
  object 
  in 
  the 
  

   landscape. 
  The 
  tables 
  were 
  separated 
  by 
  washes 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  yards 
  to 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  wide. 
  Some 
  points 
  far 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  

   Juan 
  seemed 
  to 
  rise 
  several 
  thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level. 
  

   The 
  river 
  cuts 
  off 
  the 
  northwest 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  mass, 
  and 
  runs 
  through 
  

   it 
  for 
  some 
  39 
  miles 
  of 
  its 
  course. 
  Almost 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  tables 
  were 
  covered 
  

   with 
  pines, 
  mostly 
  piiions. 
  We 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  northern 
  edge 
  of 
  

   the 
  formation, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  desolate 
  as 
  the 
  northern 
  part. 
  

  

  On 
  our 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  w^e 
  followed 
  a 
  trail 
  that 
  turned 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  into 
  this 
  curious 
  country. 
  The 
  first 
  day 
  we 
  traveled 
  30 
  miles 
  up 
  

   a 
  dry 
  wash 
  without 
  finding 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  it, 
  then 
  turned 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  to 
  

   another 
  wash, 
  and 
  after 
  traveling 
  five 
  miles 
  more 
  we 
  camped 
  near 
  a 
  

   small 
  spring 
  of 
  very 
  strong 
  alkali 
  water. 
  These 
  dry 
  washes 
  are 
  very 
  pecu- 
  

   liar. 
  First 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  length. 
  One 
  that 
  we 
  came 
  across 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  

   miles 
  in 
  length, 
  without 
  water, 
  except 
  alkali 
  reefs 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  many 
  

   miles. 
  Second, 
  they 
  have 
  such 
  a 
  slight 
  fall 
  that 
  you 
  may 
  travel 
  up 
  one 
  

   for 
  a 
  long 
  distance 
  and 
  be 
  firmly 
  persuaded 
  you 
  are 
  going 
  down-stream. 
  

   This 
  fact 
  adds 
  much 
  to 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  getting 
  lost, 
  especially 
  as 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  bare 
  points 
  above 
  the 
  rest 
  from 
  which 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  lookout, 
  but 
  all 
  

   the 
  tables 
  are 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  horizontal 
  stratum, 
  and 
  the 
  tops 
  are 
  

  

  