THE CASA BLANCA. 373 



is about 18 feet. Its rooms are exceedingly small, and the windows only a 

 foot square. One circular estuffa was all that was visible."* 



Lieutenant Simpson gives on plate 53 of his volume a figure of the 

 ruin taken from a drawing made by Mr. Kern, and on plate 54 represents 

 in colors two fragments of pottery picked up at the ruins. This pottery is 

 of the characteristic ancient pueblo type. 



During one of the early, expeditions of the survey a very fine photo- 

 graph was made by Mr. T. H. O'Sullivan of the ruin described by Lieuten- 

 ant. Simpson, and is reproduced by the heliotype process as Plate XX of 

 this volume. This ruin has now received the name of the Casa Blanca, or 

 " White House." The description accompanying the photograph states 

 that the Casa Blanca is 50 feet above the valley. Beneath it, by the river- 

 bed, are the ruins of other houses, whose people were probably wont to 

 retire by ladders to this high fortress in time of danger. The Casa Blanca 

 is two and three stories high, and would accommodate many families. It 

 is built of soft stone, split but not dressed, united by a mortar of mud, form- 

 ing a smooth wall, to whose exteral surface has been applied a very durable 

 white plaster or wash, the composition of which is not known. The over- 

 hanging rock is here about 800 feet high, and, as will be noticed in the 

 plate, is furrowed longitudinally by the action of driving storms, and verti- 

 cally by the dripping from above. 



i 



* Senate Document, p. 104, and special edition published by Lippincott, Grambo & Co. 1852, p. 75. 



