Archeological investigations in New Mexico, Colorado, and UtahFewkes, Jesse Walter
History
Archeological investigations in New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah
Fewkes, Jesse Walter
Colorado -- Antiquities; Indians of North America -- Antiquities; New Mexico -- Antiquities; Utah -- Antiquities
2. Two ruins on pinnacles of rocks 1½ miles from Taylor’s lower ranch
following the canyon southward.
3. Tower ruin crowning a leaning pinnacle.
4. Ruin on top of a plateau with precipitous sides, in middle of a
canyon 3 miles south of Taylor’s lower ranch.
5. Walls on top of an inverted cone, 6 miles up the canyon from
Taylor’s lower ranch.
6. Several towers in a cluster on a point of the plateau 8 miles below
Taylor’s lower ranch.
The above ruins may be classified into two types distinguished by the
character of their site: (a) True “mushroom rock ruins,” as their name
implies, are perched on tops of isolated rock pinnacles resembling the
so-called Snake rock at Walpi, and (b) the second type, crown spurs of
the mesa overlooking the canyon. The pinnacle foundations of the former
are the last stage in erosion of a spur from the side of the canyon. It
is doubtful whether these pinnacles were cut off by erosion before or
after the buildings thereon were constructed. On the whole both types
of ruins in Hill Canyon present no architectural differences from those
found in some of the tributary canyons of the Colorado River.
The author’s visit to the Hill Canyon region was mainly a
reconnoissance to verify reports of the existence of prehistoric
remains in this little-known region. He was accompanied by Mr. T. G.
Lemmon of Dallas, Texas, a volunteer, who furnished the Hill Canyon
pictures here reproduced. Mr. Owen, the official farmer of the Ute
reservation, and an Indian boy accompanied us, the former as guide, the
latter as driver. In penetrating this secluded country we were obliged
to camp along the way, but were hospitably received by the few ranchmen
along the route and made our home for a few days at Taylor’s lower
ranch while making our excursions to the ruins. It is a great pleasure
to acknowledge this aid and especially that of Mr. Kneale, who aided us
in outfitting at Ouray.
The best preserved examples of characteristic Hill Canyon Ruins
belong to the second type, or those not isolated from the neighboring
plateau, the most striking of which belong to the mushroom type.
Both have a general similarity in circular form and massive walls,
recalling, except in poor quality of masonry the so-called “towers”
of the McElmo Canyon. They resemble the “Tower ruin,” found by Prof.
Montgomery, in Nine Mile Canyon, on the western slope of the range.
Their masonry is composed of natural slabs of rock, rudely fashioned by
fracture, but rarely dressed in cubical blocks, as in the towers on the
McElmo Canyon. Their exposure to the elements has led to considerable
destruction, the adobe in which the walls were laid having been washed
out of the joints. The lower courses of stone, as seen in the view
of the large ruin perched high above the ranch house, were of larger
stones than the upper, and showed more evidences of having been dressed
than the flat stones piled one on the other, which form the upper
courses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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