20 Conservation Reader 



from those of whom we have been speaking. They were 

 called the Pueblo Indians. In Mexico there were similar 

 people called the Aztecs. All these Indians still live in 

 permanent stone villages, as they did a thousand years 

 ago. They learned more about Nature than the wandering 

 Indians, but we do not believe they would ever become 

 civilized if left to themselves. 



The only animal that the Indians had tamed was the 

 wolf. They made httle use of the wolf-dog except in the far 

 North, where it drew their sleds over the snow. 



Some of the Indians of our country once knew of the use of 

 copper, but it had been forgotten when white men first came." 



All about the Indians was the same world that surrounds 

 us. In truth, it was a richer world in some ways, for since 

 then many of its treasures have been lost through greed and 

 waste. 



The rich soil of the valleys was almost undisturbed. The 

 forests were uncut save for an occasional tree used in making 

 a canoe or a rude cabin. The forests suffered only at the 

 hands of the insects, storms, and fires. The flowers that 

 covered the ground in spring went ungathered. The vast 

 grassy prairies were disturbed only by the feeding of such 

 animals as the buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope. 



A single great forest spread over all the mountains and 

 valleys of the eastern part of our country. Now you can 

 travel for many miles in the more thickly settled portions 

 of this region and see not a single tree of the original forest. 



To the west of the forest came the prairies and plains. 

 Still farther west came lofty mountains and desert valleys. 

 On these Western mountains were other forests with trees 

 of wonderful size. 



