CAFE AND CLIFF DWELLINGS OF ARIZONA. 647 



CAVE AND CLIFF DWELLINGS OF ARIZONA. 



REV. ISAAC T. GOODNOW. 



Nine o'clock in the morning found us at Flag Staff, 344 miles from 

 Albuquerque. By previous arrangement, Major J. C. Minor, land agent of the 

 Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, soon appeared with his fine span of mules and in a 

 rapid drive of twelve miles southeasterly, through woods and dales, soon brought 

 us to Walnut Canon, the site of the wonderful Cliff dwellings. With hardly any 

 warning we approached it from a nearly level plain. Emerging from the pine 

 woods which surrounded it, we suddenly found ourselves upon the brink of a deep 

 chasm, said by Major Minor to be 1,000 feet deep, and perhaps of the same 

 average width, though quite irregular. The sides consist of ledges of gray lime- 

 stone, forming on each side of the canon a succession of huge steps to the 

 bottom, leaving room for a small stream of water. These layers of rock are 

 perhaps from five to fifteen feet thick. Half way down, some of these ledges are 

 overhanging, from six to twelve feet; the base rock having been crumbled or 

 worn away, possibly in part dug out, leaving a space between the upper and 

 lower ledge ff-om six to twelve feet wide and from five to eight feet high. Here 

 we find the cliff dwellings. The roof, floor, and back side of each dweUing is 

 formed, by nature, and it only remains for the inhabitant to build the front side 

 and the ends. This was done with stone plastered together with mud, leaving a 

 low doorway to crawl through. In front of the line of dwellings, nearly at the 

 outer edge of the ledge, is a narrow roadway, or foot path, by which each one 

 could reach his residence. These dwellings in some instances we found in two 

 lines, one above the othet, and in one case I found a third, but very short line. 

 I made a personal examination of some thirty-fi^e dwellings, some larger and 

 some smaller, according to th;g'^pace between the rocks. Major Minor estimates 

 the whole number at 490; extending up and down the canon five miles. 

 Reckoning five persons. to a family, it would give a population of 2,000 inhabit- 

 ants. Near by among the pines we found fragments of pottery, plain and orna- 

 mented. The burial place for their dead has not yet been found, though diligently 

 sought for by Major Minor, who some two years since discovered the dwellings; 

 who inhabited them is a matter of conjecture. They must have preceded the 

 present race of Indians who know nothing about them. And the problem is as 

 much of a mystery to them as to us. One thing I have omitted to notice; 

 approaching from the north — the canon extending east and west — we struck it 

 exactly opposite a high peninsula connected with the north s^de, half way down 

 the cafion, by a low isthmus. This peninsula forms a partial division between 

 the eastern and western portions of the canon that come under our immed- 

 iate inspection, and must command a fine view of both. I was limited in 

 time and did not ascend to the top, though I examined the dwellings below on 



