-7- 
Passed a number of ruins. Among others "battle rock" 
said by tradition to be the sight of the last battle between 
the ancient town-builders and the encroaching Utes. It is an 
interesting and picturesque place (see plan and sketch). Saw 
also ruined tower. Reached the Hovenweep by crossing the tongue 
of tableland that lies between the McElmo and its principal 
tributary. "Hovenweep" signifies in Ute, deserted land or canyon. 
Encamped near what must have been an extensive, fortified castle. 
(See Jackson's views and plan). 
August 1st, Hovenweep castle. Jackson and Harry rode 
westward on a dim trail in the morning to look for ruins and to 
search the Montezuma for water. I followed them to the west fork 
of Hovenweep and returned to camp early. Hot day. No. 1 caps 
all the higher mesas, the variegated shale beneath has a great- 
deal of hard rock seemingly stained and impregnated with iron. 
The surfaces of the slopes are carved into finely, sometimes 
coarsely broken fragments of the dark glistening rock. Can 
only guess at the thickness for it grades down into the sub¬ 
ordinate bed of sandstones and shales. 300 feet will perhaps 
cover the entire series. These last named beds of sandstones 
sometimes form subordinate mesas but never so regularly as 
that formed by the sandstones of No. 1. In the afternoon 
I went back to the cliff 100 yards from camp and made a sketch 
