ANCIENT RUINS IN SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO. 



By W. H. Jackson. 



In the extreme southwestern corner of Colorado Territory, west of the 

 one hundred and eighth degree of longitude, are groups of old ruined 

 houses and towns, displaying a civilization and intelligence far beyond 

 that of any of the present inhabitants of this or adjacent Territory. 



We will endeavor, in the few pages following, to describe these with- 

 as much minuteness and circumspection as a very hasty trip enabled 

 us to observe ; depending more upon the pictorial illustrations accom- 

 panying this article for clear exposition of the subject than upon any 

 choice of words. 



Although ruins in considerable number and importance were said to 

 exist along the Rio Las Animas and San Juan, we did not think it best 

 to spare any of the little time at our disposal for their investigation. 

 Our object being to find those in which the picturesque predominated 

 and were the least known, we directed our course to the westward, hav- 

 ing obtained reliable information of the existence of some which would 

 come up to our anticipations. The Rio Mancos, one of the western trib- 

 utaries of the San Juan, rises in two principal forks among the western 

 foot-hills of the Sierra La Plata, flows southwesterly through fertile and 

 beautiful valleys to a great table-land, known as the "Mesa Verde," 

 and entering, flows directly south through it to the valley of the San 

 Juan, and then turning west again joins that stream near the crossing 

 of the boundary-lines of the four Territories. 



Commencing our observations in the park-like valley of the Mancos 

 between the mesa and the mountains, we find that the low benches which 

 border the stream upon either side bear faint vestiges of having, at some 

 far-away time, been covered with dwellings, grouped in communities 

 apparently, but now so indistinct as to present to the eye little more 

 than unintelligible mounds. By a little careful investigation, however, 

 the foundations of great square blocks, of single buildings, and of circu- 

 lar inclosures, can be made out ; the latter generally with a depressed 

 center, showing an excavation for some purpose. The greater portion 

 of these mounds are now overgrown with artemisia, pinon-pine, and 

 cedar, concealing them almost entirely from casual observation. We 

 found the surest indication of their proximity in the great quantity of 

 broken pottery, which covered the ground in their neighborhood, the 

 same curiously indented, painted, and glazed ware found throughout 

 New Mexico and Arizona. It was all broken into very small pieces, 

 none that we could find being larger than a silver dollar. We had no 

 opportunity to make any excavations about these old mounds ; but such 

 little scratching around as we could do developed nothing new below 

 the surface, all the pottery which covers the ground having been broken 

 and scattered since the demolition of the homes of the makers. No- 

 where among these open-plains habitations could we discover any ves- 

 tiges of stone-work, either in building material or implements. It is 



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