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FREDERICK W. h 
 
 Huntington Free Library 
 
 Native American 
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 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 LIBRARY 
 
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 3 1924 104 
 
 070 267 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924104070267 
 
The Field Diary of an Archaeological Collector* 
 
 By WARREN K. MOOREHEAD. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 During the past three years many persons have written 
 me concerning my field experiences and surveys. The re^ 
 suits of several explorations have already been published, 
 but It is perhaps wise that what remains should also be 
 given to the public. 
 
 A record of excavation is tedious reading at the best, 
 and since this narrative is intended for the general reader 
 and collector rather than the ethnologist, I have introduced 
 incidents and made comments which would be out of 
 place in a strictly technical report. It' is my purpose to 
 give readers an idea of how a survey, or expedition, con- 
 ducts its worlj. 
 
 Although deciding to follow the original field diary, 
 I have found it necessary to make certain changes and 
 omissions. The remarks on the survey of 1892 are extended. 
 Since that time two or three gentlemen have misrepresented 
 the survey and its work, hence my defense. Aside from this 
 Cliff-dweller expedition, as to other surveys, it is not my 
 purpose to enter into a discussion or to criticize, although 
 there is ample evidence to justify me in offering a few 
 strenuous remarks. 
 
 In all oflacial reports of archaeological surveys, the human 
 side must necessarily be ignored. This paper, then, is 
 not to be considered as official for the reasons given above, 
 although the explorations themselves are presented strictly 
 as recorded at the time. It is an archaeologist's diary, as 
 the title Indicates. 
 
 The work done for institutions or Individuals is briefly 
 mentioned — also that previously published. The remainder, 
 being carried on at my expense, is described at length. 
 
 It has seemed best to leave the narrative In the first per- 
 son. Naturally, In a diary, the ego predominates, and the 
 whole production may seem more or less egotistic. To 
 change it and eliminate the personal element would de- 
 stroy the connection and make the diary stilted and un- 
 natural. W. K. M. 
 
 Andover, Mass., Dec. 6, 1902. 
 
The Field Diary of an Archaeologicai- Oollbctou. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 I cannot recall the exact date but it was either 
 1879 or '80. I was visiting relatives in Musliingum 
 County, Ohio, near Rix Mills. A doctor residing there 
 had opened a small mound. On visiting the spot a 
 short time afterward, my cousin and myself found 
 broken bones scattered about the surface. None of 
 them were large, but I secured the head of a femur 
 and have since religiously preserved it as a most 
 treasured possession. 
 
 Returning. to my home at Xenia, Ohio, I mentioned 
 the mound to Mr. Jacob Ankeney, a collector, and 
 showed him the bone fragment. Ankeney took me to 
 his home and explained the various objects compris- 
 ing his cabinet. I used to haunt his house and can 
 remember with what pride I carried home a box 
 of broken axes, flint implements and "rejects" which 
 he presented, "to interest the boy" as he told my 
 father. In '87 or '88 he proposed that we buy Fort 
 Ancient, and we visited the work with that idea in 
 view. It was then offered for sale at less than half 
 the amount paid by the State of Ohio some years 
 later. 
 
 In '80 and '81 I read all the books relating to In- 
 dians or archaeology that the library afforded. In the 
 summer of 1882 a picnic party was organized to visit 
 Fort Ancient, and in 1885 we made another excur- 
 • sion to the place. I had never seen the "Fort" and 
 as Judge Munger, a prominent citizen, was interested 
 in antiquities, he invited me to accompany him. The 
 diary entry made that night shows what an Impres- 
 sion the remarkable work made on the mind of a 
 green country lad. There Is a statement to the effect 
 that "some day I hope to be able to explore this won- 
 derful mound-builders' ruin," etc. Following the Judge 
 around the embankments, I eagerly drank in all that 
 was said. On the way to the railway station I pur- 
 chased about forty flint implements and a celt of a 
 farmer. 
 
 During the early eighties I roamed the fields of 
 Greene County, sometimes walking twenty miles in 
 a single day, and collected several hundred speci- 
 mens. This was good training. In the fall of 1883 
 I went to college at Granville, Licking County, Ohio, 
 and continued surface hunting. In fact, I neglected 
 studies, and on one occasion a failure in Latin ex- 
 amination brought from our professor the following: 
 "Moorehead, if you would put half the time on Latin 
 that you spend in roaming the country, you might 
 make a scholar." I spent two years at Granville, 
 made a large collection and became familiar with 
 Flint Ridge. The village and shop sites were numer- 
 ous, and I learned much from them. The present 
 Curator of the Department of Anthropology of the 
 Field Columbian Museum, Dr. George A. Dorsey, was 
 
 also a student there at the same time. It is interest- 
 ing to note, however, that he was not then interested, 
 and gave me what few specimens had been found on 
 his father's farm. 
 
 In the mounds near Granville I dug small pits. 
 No thorough field work, however, was done until the 
 summer of 1888. January 8, 1888, I wrote for the 
 Ohio State Journal an article on the preservation of 
 Fort Ancient. This was copied extensively over the 
 State and aroused considerable interest, and I re- 
 ceived letters from prominent Ohio citizens interested 
 in archaeologly. Mr. Graham, Secretary of the Ohio 
 State Archaeological and Historical Society at that 
 time, also wrote and asked me to visit Fort Ancient 
 with him. 
 
 In May I spent some days at Waynesville, Ohio, 
 and visited the prehistoric remains thereabout in 
 company with Messrs. William Brown and Israel Har- 
 ris, geologists. Mr. Harris has since died and left 
 to the Smithsonian the best collection of Warren 
 County fossils extant. He also presented that insti- 
 tution with some five thousand archaeological objects. 
 We also visited the terraces along Caesar's Creek and 
 the Little Miami. These have been the subject of 
 much discussion among geologists and archaeologists 
 as to whether they are of natural or artificial origin. 
 The subject has been threshed out in the American 
 Antiquarian and other publications. Harris was a 
 Yale man, a trained paleontologist, and had written 
 several articles for technical journals. Brown was 
 also a geologist, a man of education and a contributor 
 to journals. The conversations with them opened a 
 new and broad field, and turned my attention to 
 serious study. 
 
 Early in May I applied for space at the Centennial 
 Exposition of the Ohio Valley, to be held in Cincin- 
 nati July 1 to November 1. Without doubt It was the 
 best exposition of the several held in Cincinnati in 
 the past 30 years. The attendance on some days 
 reached fifty thousand or more. At this affair the 
 Government had a fine exhibit, not the least part of 
 which was that by the Smithsonian Institution. Here 
 occurred my first experience with a political com- 
 mittee. At the time I did not undei-stand their ac- 
 tions, but now it is clear that only persistent efforts 
 secured space. The commissioners referred me to 
 a young man named Wiley, Wiley to Eshelby (who 
 is now a leading politician in Cincinnati), Eshelby to 
 the committee; they to Dr. Metz, of Madison ville, and 
 Metz back to Wiley. I suppose that they finally gave 
 the young collector space because they could not get 
 rid of him otherwise. 
 
 Metz and Wiley assigned a space fifteen by thirty- 
 two feet on the third fioor of the main buUding. The 
 exhibit numbered about four thousand objects, filled 
 six ten foot cases, and received an award. 
 
The Field Diaky of an Archaeological Collectoi!. 
 
 EmbanKfnent, East J/Vc, Korl Ancient. The Gaps are " Galetttayj." 
 
 Tuesday, July 9, Dr. Thomas Wilson, Curator of 
 the Department of Anthropology of the Smithsonian 
 Institute, called. That afternoon I also met Mr. Ge- 
 rard Fowke. Dr. Wilson spent many hours with me 
 during the Centennial and persuaded me to bring the 
 collection to Washington and to study under his di- 
 rection. Thus began a firm friendship which lasted 
 until his death on May 4, 1902. A biographical slvetch 
 of his life, by my pen. appeared in Popular Science 
 >;ews September, 1902. 
 
 Early in July, 1888, Mr. Clinton Cowen, civil engi- 
 neer, began work for me in Clermont County. Cowen 
 and I had been In college together at Granville. July 
 16 I joined him at Stone Lick and we visited a number 
 of graves and mounds. These are described in pre- 
 vious publications. For several yeai-s Cowen accom- 
 panied me and made surveys, drew plans, etc., for 
 which I am much indebted to him. His last service 
 was on the Cliff-dweUer expedition of 1892. 
 
 It is very rare to find mounds in southern Ohio, 
 which contain nothing, save in the hilly sections back 
 from large valleys. That interments were once made 
 in even these I am convinced. Possibly they are so 
 old that all traces of bones have disappeared. 
 
 On the farm of Fred Weaver, near Fayetteville, 
 Clermont County, Ohio, is a small mound. It must 
 have been a burial mound, but no indications of skele- 
 tons occurred, and the only object was a rough nodule 
 of hematite. From Clermont County we moved into 
 Ross and located at Frankfort. 
 
 Two Important mounds on the Tighlman Porter es- 
 tate were opened, one in '88 and the other in '89, and 
 numerous copper objects, pearl beads, etc., were 
 found. They have been fully described in chapters 
 X and XI, "Primitive Man in Ohio." 
 
 After exploring the first Porter mound (known as 
 Xo. 15) we went to Mr. Coiner's farm up the North 
 Fork of Paint Creek and distant about four miles 
 from Frankfort. The large mound there has been 
 described in the above mentioned book. Here a seri- 
 ous accident Ijefell me, and because it is rather un- 
 usual for one buried so deep to be taken out alive, 
 and of some interest to physicians, I may be par- 
 doned for relating the story here. 
 
 An account was published in Science (old series'), 
 February 3, 1S93, describing the sensations expe- 
 rienced. The front wall at the center of the structure 
 was about eleven feet high and had been undermined 
 eighteen or twenty inches by the workmen. They 
 then went on top and prepared to insert an iron spud 
 and throw down a large quantity of earth. Seeing a 
 small bone that had been uncovered during the un- 
 dermining, I jumped down into the trench and knelt 
 at the base of the wall, trowel in hand. In the left 
 pocket of a light fiannel shirt was my watch, the 
 chain being carried across and fastened to the right 
 suspender. 
 
 As the earth cracked loudly, I looked up and started 
 to rise. The falling mass knocked me back about 
 five feet, so that I fell with my head and shoulders 
 resting upon a heap of loose earth. The falling wall 
 was, of course, seen only for an instant. It looked 
 black, and the rush of wind it caused I well remem- 
 ber. My head and shoulders were somewhat higher 
 than my legs, possibly a foot. The feet were spread 
 apart. There was not so much pain as pressure, in- 
 tense pressure. It forced the buttons of my light field 
 costume partly into the flesh, and my watch chain 
 left a bright red mark across my chest. I could 
 feel the watch strongly pressed against two ribs— 
 
The Field Diary of an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 D. Sialics surromii 
 
 m o_f Small Mound, Clermont Co., Ohio, 1S88. 
 
 Jiiig ikdcloii. C. Boiic av-'l. •'B. Stone celt. :z^ ft. diameter; 2 ft. high. 
 
 these were broken. The skin over my forehead 
 seemed cut, but it was the pressure of my straw hat, 
 which left a stamped pattern on the forehead. A 
 knife in my pocket seemed burningly hot. Just un- 
 der the small of my back lay a large clod. The pain 
 at the point of contact was considerable at times, 
 and my spinal column seemed .slowly breaking. Then 
 the pain stopped and I could feel nothing. 
 
 Complete consciousness was the peculiar feature 
 of this experience. It made such an impression on 
 my mind that I can recall even at this time — after 
 fourteen years — every detail. The pressure forced all 
 the air from my lungs, and the earth against my face 
 seemed warm, whereas that against the rest of my 
 body above the waist was disagreeably cold. It was 
 impossible to move even a finger, try as I might. 
 
 One singular thought occurred. I remembered a 
 story to the effect that during the war a man, to 
 escape capture, was buried in a sand heap by his 
 wife. There is a similar story told of revolutionary 
 times. In both the subject breathes through a tube 
 and remains buried for several hours. Both are im- 
 possibilities. One covered by earth or sand not only 
 cannot inflate the chest, but is held as in a mold — 
 perfectly rigid. 
 
 Just in front of my mouth and chin was a slight 
 hollow, formed by the arching of two good-sized 
 lumps of clay. I could move my chin and open and 
 shut my mouth. That was the only part of my en- 
 tire body that could be moved. I remember trying 
 to keep my mouth shut to keep out the dirt. But 
 after a few seconds my mouth instinctively , opened, 
 and, the arch having broken down, earth filled it. I 
 remember the horrible sensation of trying to dis- 
 lodge the earth and the fear of strangling that sud- 
 denly seized upon me. I then felt that I was doomed 
 to perish. 
 
 lUr. Cowen thinks it was about a minute 
 before they uncovered me. The workmen 
 gave the time as a little more. Certainly it was an 
 age, although they worked as men never dug before. 
 Overhead I felt the earth move and gathered what 
 little strength remained. A shovel cut my scalp, but 
 it was a welcome pain. 
 
 They soon had me outside and laid on a heap of 
 wheat, sheaves. Just then an hallucination possessed 
 me and I seemed to follow a small, yellow bird about 
 the fields. It had perched upon a tall thistle by the 
 mound and sang as the men carried their burden out 
 of the pit. 
 
The Field Diaey of an Aechaeological Collectok. 
 
 5 
 
 The crystal in my watch broke and the case was 
 dented. There were two injuries to the spine— dorsal 
 and lumbar. Paralysis below the waist existed for 
 some days. I cannot now enter a mine or cave, or 
 stand near an overhanging bank without a feeling 
 ot horror. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FIELD WOEK IN 1889. 
 
 After three weeks I was able to visit the Centen- 
 nial and remained until the Exposition closed, when 
 I shipped the collection to Washington and went to 
 Chillioothe in November to join Wilson and Fowlve. 
 We visited several of the large enclosures and mound 
 groups, notably the Hopewell— then called Clarli's 
 works. As we stood on the high eflEigy mound and 
 overlooked the group, little did we think what great 
 treasures lay beneath us. (Explored three years later. I 
 
 Shortly after this I went to Washington and dis- 
 played the collection in the west end cases of the 
 Smithsonian, on the second floor. For about three 
 years I spent nearly half my time studying under 
 Dr. Wilson, and am greatly indebted to him for his 
 kindness, patience and instruction. 
 
 A dispatch in a New York paper, early in January, 
 1889, stated that a flood in the South Fork of the 
 Potomac near Romney, W. Ya., had exposed numer- 
 ous Indian remains. I at once left Washington to 
 inspect the site. I hired a force of men at Romney 
 and drove eight miles up the river to Mr. Isaac P.'s 
 farm, where the island was situated. The flood had 
 washed out an unknown number of bodies, but not a 
 few remained, buried some two feet deep in loose 
 soil and these we exhumed. Five entire skeletons 
 were found and many fragmentary burials, the lat- 
 ter so near the surface that the plow had disturbed 
 them. 
 
 Some triangular arrow-heads, a whole clay pot (not 
 decorated), were with the remains, while scattered 
 through the soil we observed numerous bones of deer, 
 turtle, etc. 
 
 In looking over the surface the men picked up 
 many beads, arrow-heads, broken pottery, split bones, 
 carved bones, unfinished celts, etc. The space occu- 
 pied by the evidences of Indian occupation was 
 about 150 by 200 feet. The most interesting find met 
 with during the excavation of these graves was the 
 discovery of a large ash pit about six by seven feet, 
 five feet in depth. In this were many deer bones, 
 broken pottery, ashes, charcoal, etc. There was no 
 order observed; the accumulation was such as is 
 common on wigwam sites. One object found in the 
 pit was a long, sharp bone awl. This was one of 
 the finest specimens of bone objects I ever saw. 
 
 Portions of femur and tibia of a large animal (said 
 by some to be ox, by others bison) were taken from 
 the bottom of this pit. The bones' showed action of 
 lire, and were quite fragmentary. 
 
 Two days were spent in examining another vil- 
 lage site twelve miles down the rivfer on the north 
 side. This village had been little disturbed, and we 
 found many more skeletons, etc. The ground cov- 
 ered by this village does not exceed 200 by 450 feet. 
 In a space of 60 by 100 feet we took out fifteen skele- 
 tons in a fairly good state of preservation. All were 
 buried singly and extended, save four. These four 
 were heaped together; the skull of one was missing; 
 the arms and one leg of another were gone. 
 Four others had nothing whatever placed in their 
 graves. Two of the remaining seven had broken pot- 
 tery and a few arrow-heads with them. The others 
 were buried nearly north and south with the heads 
 to the south. With the first were sixty-two bone 
 beads which, from their curved position, plainly 
 showed they had originally been on a string. The 
 second had a neat little urn, containing a 
 carved mussel shell, placed by his head. 
 This pot was seven inches high, four inches in dia- 
 meter and was decorated with spiral lines. The third 
 personage had nearly three hundred glass beads be- 
 tween the ulna and radius. A small iron tomahawk 
 near his hand showed furthermore that he had 
 known the whites. The fourth Indian had a copper 
 plate over his head. This plate is four and a half 
 inches long, two inches wide, and is perforated near 
 one end. Beneath his head were twenty-four broken 
 quartz chunks about the size of an egg. The fifth 
 individul had a small copper earrihg, a copper tip 
 to an arrow, and three large glass beads. The skulls 
 of these five were taken out nearly whole. The 
 average depth of the bodies did not exceed two and a 
 half feet. 
 
 The owner of the land presented me with a copper 
 plate and a tomahawk of greenstone from the 
 same spot. He claimed that after a heavy rain 
 twelve circular spots about ten feet in diameter 
 oould be plainly seen in. the field; that these spots 
 had a reddish color and were arranged in two rows. 
 He further said he thought them burnt spots of 
 ground where wigwams stood and that the field had 
 been cultivated only a few years, which accounted 
 for the spots being still discernible. The bodies 1 
 found were all under these spots. No skeletons 
 were taken from ground not included in "-these red- 
 dish circular places. 
 
 After the work here was completed, a mound on 
 one of the high hills overlooking the valley was 
 examined. It was of the following dimensions: 35 
 by 45 feet, 6 feet feet high. It was one mile north of 
 
c 
 
 The If^iELD DiABY oi" an Archaeological ColleoToH. 
 
 Romuey. The material was lialf stone, half earth. 
 Seven men were all clay in digging it through; the 
 whole structure was removed. Nothing was found 
 save one decayed skeleton, on the breast of which 
 were five large mica plates, a copper bead which 
 had served as an earring, a slate ornament as an- 
 other breastplate, and five black serrated arrow- 
 heads as weapons. The mica was seven by ten 
 inches in size. The ornament six by two inches with 
 two perforations. 
 
 Returning to Washington I continued study for 
 some weeks. I opened correspondence with Mr. (Jer- 
 ald Fowke concerning explorations in the Ohio Valley 
 and on February 23, 1889, I met Mr. Fowke in the 
 State House, Columbus, Ohio, and employed him to 
 assist in field work. On March 12 we began driv- 
 ing a-bout Ross County, and in. three days secured 
 permission to open forty-three mounds. We covered 
 eighty miles in the three days. Our rapid move- 
 ments were due to rather a peculiar circumstance. 
 The Chillicothe collectors had formed a society, and 
 
 through two newspapers sought to "drive the 
 foreign despoilers hence" as one of the editors 
 stated. We enlisted a paper on our side and a news- 
 paper war ensued, productive of no good either to 
 the society or ourselves. Land owners naturally con- 
 cluded that mounds were valuable. The society had 
 no funds and could not explore, but it succeeded in 
 1 a eventing the opening of some mounds, although 
 during the season we explored some twelve or fifteen, 
 and I afterward (during the next three or four years; 
 opened twenty more. Many bitter things were said 
 on both sides. 
 
 Part of the time we divided our working force, 
 Mr. li'owke opening mounds at one point while I ex- 
 cavated in another. Sometimes we had ten or a 
 dozen laborers at work. The explorations have been 
 described, with a few exceptions, in "Primitive Man 
 in Ohio." 
 
 On May 27 Fowke went to Fort Ancient, and 1 
 arrived on the 30th. That day we walked all over 
 the place and held a consultation in the hotel that 
 
 End of an EmbanKjnenl a1 Fort Ancient, Shotting Height of the Wall. 
 
The Field Diaby op an Aechaeological Oolleotoe. 
 
 night as to how we should go about exploring it. 
 I told him that I wished to examine it thoroughly, 
 to have Mr. Cowen and himself make the survey 
 while I did the excavating; and to embody the re- 
 sults of t-he exploration in a book, the chief object of 
 which was to urge Port Ancient's preservation as a 
 park. 
 
 Preliminary to this work Fowke suggested that 
 we visit the principal earthworks within a hundred 
 miles of Fort Ancient. He further suggested a study 
 of glacial phenomena, terraces, etc., abounding in the 
 region. I gladly availed myself of the opportunity 
 to familiarize myself with these sites, for no one 
 linew them better than Mr. Fowke. 
 
 We were out about twenty-five days and traveled 
 three hundred and seventy-eight miles on foot, and 
 about six hundred miles by conveyances. 
 
 I condense a portion of the field notes (dates 
 omitted): Tuesday and Wednesday we walked up 
 the Little Miami River several miles and examined 
 gravel banks, then walked to Lebanon where we saw 
 the owners of Fort Ancient, the Cowdin and Dun- 
 ham heirs, and secured permission to thoroughly ex- 
 plore the site. Next day we walked to Morrow and 
 took the train to Cincinnati, where we inspected the 
 various museum collections. Early next morning 
 we went to North Bend, on the Ohio River, where 
 we examined glacial drift and gravel banks ex- 
 posed by railway cuts and river erosion. We 
 struck the Great Miami River some miles distant and 
 followed it down to Lawrenceburg, Ind. On the way 
 we observed old channels the river had abandoned, 
 and climbed the high hill whereon stands Fort Miami, 
 a work very like Fort Ancient. Burnt clay shows 
 in the ends of the embankments; numerous pottery 
 fragments, flint chips, bones, etc., are scattered about 
 the surface. 
 
 Proceeding to Aurora the next day we hired a 
 .skiff and went down the Ohio River three miles to 
 the Kentucky side where there is a moraine and 
 many rocks of conglomerate — all interesting. Re- 
 turned to Cincinnati for Sunday and went to Eaton, 
 O. Here Mr. L. AA^ Gunckel joined us for a few days. 
 (Gunckel went on the Cliff-dweller expedition of '92.) 
 A well-defined belt of glacial boulders is here and we 
 followed it all day. At points near Richmond, Ind., 
 and New Madison, 0., we studied swamps and drift 
 and saw the site of a glacial lake and dam. Good 
 peat abounds in these swamps. North of New Madi- 
 son we observed kames and kettle holes. 
 
 At Piqua we inspected the site of the so-called 
 paleolithic implements found by Mr. WUtheiss. 
 Thence to Waynesvllle, O., where the terraces were 
 again examined. Thence to Fort Ancient and over 
 into Ross, Pike, Scioto, and a dozen other counties— 
 this brief record being but a small part of our travels. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE FOET ANCIENT SURVEY. 
 
 Locating at Fort Ancient the survey was establish- 
 ed and we first inspected the famous terraces. The 
 terraces that are found in the little Miami Valley 
 have long been under discussion among archaeolo- 
 gists as regards their origin. They are from twenty to 
 twenty -five feet wide; they run along the hillsides 
 with a surprising regularity of level, and have the 
 appearance of structures designed and executed by 
 the aborigines for a purpose. 
 
 Bone Abutj and 'Bone Scraper from the Vitiate Site 
 Along the Little Miami 'Rit)er, Fort Ancient. 
 
 Just outside the walls of Fort Ancient, along the 
 side of the fortification next to the river, are two. 
 There is one on the west side of the river, and one 
 far up the river, across from the vineyard hill. 
 
 The terrace across the river from the fortification 
 is one hundred and thirty-seven and seven-tenths 
 feet above the river low water level. 
 
 The second terrace, at Air. Ridge's, north of the 
 fort, is one hundred and thirty-six and six-tenths 
 above low water. 
 
 The terrace on Mr. Cowdin's place, just along the 
 fort hill, is one hundred and thirty-five and two- 
 tenths feet above low water. 
 
 These are very remarkable figures, there being but 
 little more than two feet of difference between the 
 lowest and the highest. This is the more striking. 
 
The Field Diabt of ax Archaeologicai OoIxectoh. 
 
 "when ^^•e consider that at one point, where the level 
 is nearly the same, the terraces are nearly two miles 
 distant from each other. 
 
 The question at once arises, could they possibly be 
 due to natural causes? Does nature ever observe such 
 regularity of platforms, whether made by geological 
 deposits or landslides? 
 
 No other answer can be made to these queries, 
 save this: That the terraces are artificial; that they 
 were built by men. We excavated in various parts 
 of them, and our Investigations go far to settle the 
 question. We have found in them flint flakes, and a 
 few pottery fragments, several inches below the sur- 
 faces; and, in three cases, scales of flint and pottery 
 fragments, one foot In depth. These facts un- 
 doubtedly establish the human origin of the terraces. 
 Obviously, they were occupied by men; used by them 
 for some definite object. 
 
 Atwater says they were used by the Indians in 
 their wars with the whites; and, in marching against 
 a tribe, they would traverse the terrace as far as it 
 extended. It is noteworthy, also, that these terraces 
 are both numerous and extensive. That which is on 
 the west side, overlooking the river, runs for a dis- 
 tance of over a mile, from Mill Grove, on the south, 
 to opposite the railroad station at Fort Ancient, on 
 the north. 
 
 Those at WaynesvlUe, ten miles up the river, have 
 been already mentioned. They are of the same ap- 
 pearance, and in the same kind of soil, as those at 
 Fort Ancient. 
 
 The claim that these were made by glacial action, 
 and have no work of man about them, can not be 
 substantiated, for they are not gravel, they are lime- 
 stone clay; and their formation could not result from 
 glacial action. 
 
 June 8 arrangements were made with Mr. Robert 
 Clarke, head of the Cincinnati Publishing House 
 (later The Robert Clarke Company) to bring out the 
 book.* 
 
 The firm of Robert Clarke & Company was 
 founded in 1858, succeeding the house of H. W. 
 Derby & Co., who had been in business twenty-five 
 years. Robert Clarke & Company began publishing 
 from the very beginning of their business, their pub- 
 lications being along the lines of history, scientific 
 subjects, archaeology, biography, etc. 
 
 Their Ohio Valley Historical Series is justly 
 famous throughout the world. Clarke's private col- 
 lection of first editions on America, and library of 
 
 *As this proof is read, word comes from Cincin- 
 nati that the publishing house of Robert Clarke & Co. 
 has been destroyed by fire (February 26). The 
 sheets, plates and bound copies of my several books 
 are lost.— W. K. M. 
 
 early American history, now in the University of 
 Cincinnati is one of the finest extant. Mr. Clarke 
 was more than a publisher; he knew much concern- 
 ing archaeological matters and was an authority on 
 Ohio Valley bibliography. He died in 1899. 
 
 He impressed on me the necessity of a thorough ex- 
 ploration—that Fort Ancient was now a jungle ami 
 that we would be compelled to expend a large sum 
 of money in order to examine the place carefully and 
 systematically; that we must make hundreds of ac- 
 curate measurements, for other men might attempt 
 to upset our calculations— a prediction afterward 
 verified. To Mr. Clarke we were indebted for many 
 wise counsels and practical suggestions. 
 
 The force employed varied from seven to fourteen 
 persons. Besides Messrs. Fowke and CJowen, Mr. W. 
 W. Ralston acted as stenographer, and Mr. Strong of 
 the Cincinnati Camera Club, and Mr. W. Biddle of 
 Xenia, were photographers. Some of my workmen 
 had dug for me during brief field work in '87 and '88. 
 Three of them went on the Hopewell survey. These 
 men had become quite skilful and could remove 
 skeletons which at first glance seemed too frail to 
 be handled. Decayed skeletons they worked about 
 with hand trowels and whisk brooms, brought the 
 bones into relief by cutting away the earth under- 
 neath, whitened the bones so that there might be suffi- 
 cient contrast between the skeletons and the clay. In 
 some photographs of field work the bones do not show 
 distinctly, because the skeletons are of the same color 
 as the clay. This can be avoided by careful work and 
 whitening the bones as stated above. 
 
 We boarded at the hotel run by Mr. J. Van Riper, 
 a character somewhat like David Harum, and full of 
 wise remarks and amusing incidents. He was post- 
 master, railway and express agent, storekeeper, 
 farmer, hotel proprietor, and last, but by no means 
 least, an inveterate croquet player, able to vanquish 
 all comers. When the graves were opened in the 
 "fort cemetery" and seventy people descended on him 
 for dinner, he called me into the store, threw up his 
 hands and almost with tears in his eyes cried: 
 
 "I can handle a dozen people all right, but O, Lord! 
 O, Lord! How am I going to get my money when 
 not half of '^m registered and I can't tell who has et 
 dinner and who hasn't?" 
 
 He made a famous remark on one occasion and it 
 strikes me as original, but If not, of course, I stand 
 corrected. 
 
 Evenings, after the day's work was done, Cowen 
 and I frequently went over to the country store to 
 hear the comments of the natives upon various ques- 
 tions of the day. Two residents of Fort Ancient were 
 firm believers in the existence of a cave or cavern 
 under the fort, an opinion shared by Col. Van Home, 
 who spent some time roaming about the place in '90 
 and '93. Van Riper was wont to tilt his chair against 
 
The Field Di.vp.y of a>' Archaeological Collector. 
 
 Hojiile Sioxijc Camp, JWear "Pine "Kid^e Agency. 
 
 the counter and peruse the county paper. On this 
 particular evening he was disturbed by the extras'a- 
 ganee of the countj- in the matter of expenditures 
 and so forth by the officials, and read us the items 
 making comments meanwhile. 
 
 "Now," said he, "what is the sense of this? So 
 much for the sinking fund and so much for the float- 
 ing debt. There aint no sense in such use of words. 
 Who ever heard of a man who had funds sinking or 
 of a man who had debts floating? Why don't they 
 say sinking debt and floating fund? The man who 
 made them terms was a fool." 
 
 Whenever we were in the ravines, hollows or abou; 
 the depressions and springs we examined carefully in 
 order to prove to all concerned the fallacy of the cave 
 theory. 
 
 The labor performed by the survey extended 
 through the summer and fall. The owner of most of 
 the land, Mr. Alfred Cowdin, offered us every assis- 
 tance and cleared twenty or thirty acres of under- 
 brush, etc. The walls in places, were covered with 
 such a mass of undergrowth that it was difficult for 
 one to force his way through. It was impossible to 
 take photographs until Cowdin's men and my force 
 had spent many days in clearing, I never saw a pre- 
 historic earthwork in the Ohio Valley on which the 
 growth was heavier. The splendid preservation of 
 the embankment is due entirely to this fact. Per- 
 sons who to-day visit the place and observe the beau- 
 tiful park which the State of Ohio has made of it 
 can scarcely appreciate the difference between the 
 Fort Ancient of the present and that of 1889. 
 
 The river flows in a deep valley 300 feet below the 
 earthwork. Save in the winter no part of the struc- 
 ture can be seen from the vaUey. Coming up tlie 
 turnpike one meets with a pleasant surprise. 
 
 You ascend the long, steep hill and pass between 
 the walls before you are aware. Indeed, the roaci 
 builders of a century since cut through the fort em- 
 bankment where it is about twenty-one feet high. 
 
 more or less. Had they but carried the road over 
 the embankment, what a view might greet the eyes 
 as one reached the summit. As it is you pass 
 through the cut and some three hundred feet beyond 
 before the vision bursts upon you. There is nothing 
 like it in the State of Ohio or in the whole Ohio Val- 
 ley. Small wonder then that beholders who gaze upon 
 the stretch of massive embankments crowned with 
 majestic oaks and poplars stop and ponder in as- 
 tonishment. 
 
 We never tired of the spectacle, although we saw it 
 daily. 
 
 On approaching from the southeast one has yet an- 
 other view and a longer stretch of embankment is 
 visil^le, yet it seems less impressive to the average 
 observer. To me it is more striking than the first. 
 
 To enumerate all the discoveries made by our sur- 
 vey and the subsequent explorations of April-July, 
 1901, the latter done for Department of Ethnology 
 of the World's Fair, would require more space than 
 is at my disposal. Village sites were found not only 
 within the space enclosed by the walls, but also 
 along the river banks in the valley, and the objects of 
 all kinds found In the ash pits of these sites were 
 strangely like the Madisonville finds. That the same 
 people who cauqied along the riverside lived within 
 the enclosure it is safe to affirm. Layers of deposits 
 led us to conclude that the sites were occupied at 
 different periods, but one can not say with certainty 
 what length of time occurred between these epochs. 
 It may have been a few years, it may have been 
 generations. 
 
 When the survey was completed we published a 
 book in which we urged the preservation of Fort 
 Ancient as a State park. Newspapers took up our 
 plea, and Senator Orin interested himself in the mat- 
 ter. About half of Fort Ancient was purchased by the 
 Legislature and the State Archaeological and Histori- 
 cal Society was appointed to take the property in 
 charge. I was in the East when the first committee 
 visited the earthwork— not the Historical Society 
 Committee— but one appointed by the Legislature. I 
 had offered to visit the site and show the committee 
 about, but received no answer to my letter. The 
 amount expended by the legislative committee would 
 have purchased all of Mr. Cowdin's holdings. A few 
 years later the Legislature made another appropria- 
 tion and bought the remainder of the earthwork. 
 
 There is a stoiy current relative to this first or 
 political committee which is too good to keep. Af- 
 ter laboriously climbing the hill one of the members, 
 a large, stout gentleman, who represented one of the 
 districts in a certain city, stood upon the very wall 
 itself and demanded to know of a native: 
 
 "Say, where the deuce is this fort, anyway?" I 
 suppose he expected to see brick walls, embrasures 
 for cannon and a deep moat. 
 
10 
 
 The Field Diaby of ax AkchaeolOgical Collectoh. 
 
 The main walls of Fort Ancient are 18,712 feet in 
 extent exclusive of gaps or gateways. Including all 
 other artificial work, such as terraces, wing walls, 
 parallel walls, etc., it is no exaggeration to place the 
 total at nearly ten miles. In the entire country there 
 is no work of prehistoric origin to be compared with 
 Fort Ancient. The original theory that it was huilt 
 for defense has held good. We can not positively de- 
 termine the age, and my own estimate of 800 years is 
 but a personal opinion. 
 
 Since 1895 the State Archaeological and Historical 
 Society has restored broken places in the walls, has 
 placed drains to prevent wash, has built a house for 
 the accommodation of visitors and has added to the 
 beauty and attractiveness of the place. Too much 
 credit can not be given to the society for its preser- 
 vation of this wonderful and important landmark of 
 ancient times. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN INDIAN INTEBLUDE. 
 
 After the completion of the Fort Ancient survey I 
 went to Washington and continued work under 
 Doctor Wilson, spending the winter in sorting over 
 some 2,400 trays of specimens. As these represented 
 nearly every section of the United States and were 
 of multitudinous forms and materials a splendid op- 
 portunity was afiforded for study and comparison. 
 
 In February I visited Mr. George E. Bartlett, who 
 lived 25 mUes north of Gordon, Neb., and near the 
 Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Bartlett and I had 
 been in correspondence for some months, he furnish- 
 ing me with notes for one or two popular books on 
 the Sioux tribes. He had seen much service in 
 Dakota in the early days; was United States Deputy 
 Marshal for some time; carried the first mail out of 
 Deadwood; had fought with horse thieves, etc. In 
 short, his real adventures would put to blush many of 
 the so-called "old timers" now traveling about the 
 East. Bartlett and I proposed writing a history of 
 the settlement of the Black Hills from the point of view 
 of the miner, scout and pioneer. To this end several 
 hundred pages of MS. had been prepared. Our co- 
 operation was along historic and popular lines rather 
 than in ethnology proper; of the latter neither of us 
 claimed any knowledge. He had traded with the 
 Ogallala Sioux at intervals for seventeen years and 
 spoke the language weU. 
 
 Bartlett took me to Pine Ridge, to Deadwood and 
 to other points of interest. The entry of February 
 10, is: 
 
 "We returned to RushviUe (Neb.) from the Agency 
 last night. The moon was remarkably bi-ight. Bart- 
 lett told me the story of the famous fight with Exel- 
 by's gang of horse thieves, and it was intensely thrill- 
 ing. Seven men were killed. 
 
 "The supper at Pine Ridge was the wo^st I 
 ever ate. A half breed van the 'hotel.' A tramp 
 could not have done worse and an Indian would have 
 done better. Depend upon a half breed for the 
 worst, always. The bread was black; the beefsteak 
 spoiled and we could not recognize the potatoes un- 
 til told that they were such. The coffee was an un- 
 known gray fluid. A Dutch traveling agent ate with 
 us and when I met him on the cars en route East 
 three days later he said: 'How vas it? Dot schupper 
 still stays mit me.' " 
 
 Even then (February, 1890) there were mutterings 
 of discontent among the Sioux. Bartlett expected 
 trouble, for the Indians were hungry. Just before 
 my departure he said: "Tliey always increase the ra- 
 tions after a fight. I shall wire you in plenty of 
 time." 
 
 Returning to Washington study was continued un- 
 til the early summer when I went to Fort Ancient 
 again and spent three weeks in investigating certain 
 problems which had suggested themselves after the 
 book was published. From thence I went to Clinton 
 County and joined Mr. W. B. Meyer, of Tennessee, 
 and in his company spent five or six weeks in the 
 exploration of a score of small earth tumuli. 
 
 In November word came from Bartlett that the 
 Indians were dancing a ghost or spirit dance; that 
 they believed genei-ally in an Indian Messiah who 
 was to come ajid save them out of all their troubles. 
 
 I got an "open" letter from Doctor Wilson and also 
 one from the publishers and went to New York and 
 called at the office of The Illustrated American. This 
 journal was spending large sums in an endeavor to 
 establish a weekly journal, larger, better illustrated 
 and stronger than its contemporaries. Why it failed, 
 many persons are unable to understand. Possibly It 
 was in advance of the times, for Collier's has since 
 followed the same plan and met with astonishing suc- 
 cess. But the ways of journalism are past the com- 
 prehension of laymen. Suffice it to say that The 
 American gave me carte blanche and I set out for 
 Pine Ridge that very night after less than a two 
 hours' conference with Messrs. Mlnton and Spencer, 
 the managers and "backers." Mr. Minton had been train- 
 ed under Bennett of the New York Herald and had his 
 abrupt maimer. He ordered me to go to the reser- 
 vation at once and w^hile we talked had several ko- 
 daks loaded and made ready for me to take. One 
 could not have been fitted out for a winter campaign more 
 quickly. 
 
 The journal mentioned above has ceased to exist 
 and there are other reasons why I am justified in re- 
 producing—with some alterations and additions— the 
 account furnished Jlr. Minton thirteen years ago. 
 
 It is a matter of regret that no ethnologist was 
 present during the troubles. Several authorities came 
 
The Field Diaky of an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 11 
 
 afterward, but in November and December, when 
 the dance was at Its height only the newspaper cor- 
 respondents wei'e at Pine Ridge, and most of them 
 did not appear until the actual fighting began. Though I 
 made no claims to a comprehension of the subject, 1 
 had studied the previous Messiah crazes reported in 
 various journals and publications, etc. 
 
 I felt the responsibility and determined to do the 
 best possible under the circumstances. There was 
 no one with whom I could advise, for the army oflS- 
 eers, press representatives, school teachers, mission- 
 aries and others were not concerned -with the craze 
 save as it affected them personally or their interests. 
 I telegraphed Bartlett that he should meet me at the 
 railway station and he did so, pouring into my will- 
 ing ears an account of the trouble as we rode to the 
 Agency. 
 
 The land is poor— between Rushville and the 
 Agency. In some creek bottoms nearer the govern- 
 ment buildings is fair land, but the worthless pre- 
 dominates. As Red Cloud says, "the whites gave it 
 to us because they could not use it themselves." 
 
 On mounting a long hill, after many weary miles 
 of sand and dust, the Agency in the peaceful valley 
 beneath is a welcome sight. On every hand are the 
 indications of busy life; there is in the air a sup- 
 pressed excitement; a portent of some impending 
 disaster. 
 
 After the first feelings of surprise and admiration, 
 you naturally begin to inquire, "Why are these twen- 
 ty-one hundred and forty soldiers encamped on this 
 spot?" You count all the Sioux and Cheyenne lodges 
 in sight, and obtain a total of three hundred and 
 ninety^even, which represent some nineteen hundred 
 and eighty-five men, women and children. At a 
 glance you note how the white tents of the infantry 
 and the posts of the one hundred Indian police com- 
 pletely surround the agent's home, the general's quar- 
 ters, and the warehouses. You see tons and tons of 
 hay— great stacks of sacked oats and corn, for the 
 horses; the offices of the agency are filled with extra 
 rifles and boxes of cartridges, while hundreds of bar- 
 rels of flour and l)acon, crackers and biscuits, are be- 
 ing stored as fast as the teamsters can bring supplies 
 overland from Rushville. 
 
 In a word, one is impressed with the security of the 
 Agency, and the enormous quantities of food pro- 
 vided by a kind and generous government for the 
 maintenance of the men sent to hold in check the 
 handful of Sioux who, on account of hunger, have 
 ventured to move farther away upon their own 
 land. 
 
 Although many years have passed I see no reason 
 for omitting my question, "Why are these troops 
 here?" That some one had blundered was apparent 
 to any careful observer or intelligent person. 
 
 Now, let us return to the published account and 
 the diary and follow the events, using the present 
 tense. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MOBE INDIAN EXPERIENCES. 
 
 At Pine Ridge the night of the second day after 
 my arrival the Indians were practically surrounded 
 by troops in a tract of country which may approxi- 
 mately be bounded by the Cannon Ball, Missouri, 
 and Niobrara Rivers and a line drawn from Fort 
 Robinson and Fort Mead northward to the Cannon 
 Ball. If they leave this territory and attempt to go 
 northward they must cross the line of the Northern 
 Pacific Railway, any point of which can be guarded 
 in less than twelve hours by the troops from Fort 
 Keogh or Fort Lincoln. 
 
 The agency is situated near the center of a broad 
 plain, with hills sloping backward aU around. The 
 "hostile camp" was originally situated due north, 
 about eight miles from White River. The distance 
 between the post and Two Strike's village (Two 
 Strike is leader of the hostiles) is about thirty-four 
 miles as a crow flies. Any direct communication 
 except through the priest. Father Jutz, has been out 
 of the question. No white man has been in the camp 
 except Father Jutz, and Judge Burns of Deadwood 
 is the only white citizen who has been at all near it. 
 The government scouts have been near it, but not 
 actually in it, and General Brooke has cautioned all 
 employees and correspondents not to venture in the 
 neighborhood of Two Strike's present quarters. Sev- 
 eral of the interpreters here who know the reserva- 
 tion well, and have a personal acquaintance with 
 the Sioux chiefs, frankly admit that they know noth- 
 ing regarding the extent of the camp. Now, if the 
 difficulty of obtaining Information is so great that 
 men familiar with the ways of Indians know but 
 little regarding the state of affairs in the hostile 
 camp, what reliance can be placed in the statements 
 telegraphed to certain newspapers by correspondents 
 who, upon their arrival here, have undertaken to sup- 
 ply full and detailed accounts of the situation? I do 
 not desire to deviate from the subject in hand, but 
 I am compelled to enter an emphatic protest against 
 the wilful misrepresentation that has marked the 
 work of many of the newspaper correspondents. This 
 misrepresentation has been fi-uitful of evil in two 
 ways. It has given the public at large a wrong im- 
 pression of the state of affairs, and thereby prepared 
 the public mind to excuse whatever injustice might 
 be perpetrated upon the Indians later. In the sec- 
 ond place, the misrepresentation has had a reflex 
 action upon the settlers, and, by increasing their 
 anxiety, has led them to call for sharper measures 
 than were necessary. It has also injured the pros- 
 
12 
 
 The Field Diaby of aw Ahchaeological Collectok. 
 
 Sioux tepees fiear Vine "Rid^e Agency. 
 
 pects of the South Dakota and Nebraska settlers, 
 some of -whom have left their homes, frightened by 
 the untruthful stories, and have fled to the larger 
 towns. In a single day, at one small station on the 
 railway, twenty-seven trunks were sent away, and 
 three hundred dollars' worth of tickets were sold. 
 
 The effect in preventing immigration is, of course, 
 far worse. As a sample of the way some corre- 
 spondents collected "news," the following is vouched 
 for: "Four newspaper men were traveling north- 
 ward in a parlor car on the Fremont, Elkhorn & Mis- 
 souri Valley Railway. At all stopping places they 
 would jump off and inquire at the telegraph oflBce if 
 any news had come from the agency. Failing to 
 secure information desirable, they deliberately con- 
 cocted a story of a battle in which sixty Indans had 
 been killed, and telegraphed it back to their respec- 
 tive papers." 
 
 One of the first things I did was to call upon the 
 Rev. Father Jutz, and he was of the opinion that 
 while some of the hostiles might come in, a greater 
 part would remain out for some time. A large coun- 
 cil was held a few days ago and Little Wound and 
 Jack Red Cloud (Red Cloud's son) says that Two 
 Strike (literally, knocks down two) presided; that one 
 faction desired to return to the agency, but that those 
 who were inclined to be fi:iendly were denounced in 
 the most bitter language by the followers of Sitting 
 Bull and Two Strike. 
 
 In speaking of a suppressed excitement prevalent 
 here one does not exaggerate. There are many signs 
 of it. To a new arrival the whole affair seems com- 
 plicated. Educated and mission Indians are torn by 
 conflicting emotions. Shall they stand by their own 
 people or must they abandon their friends and trust 
 to the whites who have reduced their food and 
 brought in multitudes of men carrying death in their 
 hands? 
 
 Those natives who ran away, what of them? 
 
 The Sioux fled to the edge of the Bad Lands not 
 because they wanted to fight, but because they de- 
 sired to worship their Wakantanka and welcome the 
 coming of the Messiah alone and unmolested by 
 whites. Dozens of the so-called hostiles have asked 
 the interpreters, "Why are these soldiers here? We 
 are not for war." The more intelligent of the friend- 
 ly Indians have regarded the presence of two thou- 
 sand troops as an insult, when they have not been 
 afraid that this great gathering of soldiers meant, in 
 the end, the loss of what miserable land they had 
 left and the extermination of themselves. Not long 
 ago Little Wound (Taopi-eiqalan) went to the house 
 of John Dryer, the boss herder, and asked for sup- 
 per. In conversation with the herder, he said: "My 
 friend, I have asked the Great Father for food, for 
 I am hungry, and he has given me none. I am too 
 old to join my brothers in the North, so I must re- 
 main with the squaws at the agency and live on 
 what you see fit to give me." 
 
 When Congress investigates the present Indian 
 trouble it will find plenty of materal for considera- 
 tion in the following points: 
 
 (a.) The shortening of the beef ration one million 
 pounds a year in the cases of a people who are in- 
 creasing instead of decreasing. 
 
 (b.) The difference between the summer and winter 
 weight of a steer. 
 
 (c.) The wilful misrepresentation that the Ghost, or 
 Messiah, dance was a war dance. 
 
 "When a man is hungry he is in no condition to 
 listen to arguments," said an Indian to me. 
 
 Two years before the rations were cut down, and 
 since that time further reductions have been made. 
 The Commissioner of Indian Affairs held that, as 
 some of the Sioux were beginning to raise grain and 
 cattle, therefore the annuities could be diminished. 
 
The Field Diary or an Aechaeological Collectob. 
 
 13 
 
 While on paper a very good showing of the progress 
 of the Sioux is possible, at the agency one can hardly 
 discover that as a race they are greatly improved, so 
 the reduction naturally caused much suffering. All 
 the Indians have not starved, but their supplies have 
 been (and are) insuflBcient. Here is a story declared 
 to be absolutely true: 
 
 Yellow Hair told an agency employee here of the 
 death of Little Wound's daughter about November 
 18 or 20. "She had been sick for several days," Lit- 
 tle Wound said, "and we had no food in the lodge, 
 nor had any of our friends. She begged for meat or 
 broth or bread. I could not with^and the heart-rend- 
 ing appeals of my dying, daughter, so I set out for 
 the agency to beg food from the agent. Scarcely 
 had I proceeded ten rods when a squaw came run- 
 ning out of the lodge, crying loudly, 'Toiyanka! 
 Tolyanka!' (Come back! Ciome back!) I returned and 
 entered my home with fear and trembling. My poor 
 child was dead. As she died she said, 'Oh, give me 
 food! just a little food!' and then falling back on 
 the couch of hides breathed her last." 
 
 December 16, the first reliable information regard- 
 ing the location of the camp of the hostiles was 
 brought in by one of the bravest set of fellows that 
 ever left Pine Ridge Agency. I am safe in affirm- 
 ing that the mission of peace attempted by the 
 thirty-two Indians headed by this half-breed (part 
 French, part Indian) is up to the present the only 
 really brave thing done hereabouts. And they were 
 Indians! Contrast the two — Buffalo Bill's spectacular 
 "After Sitting Bull," and the mission of Louis 
 Shangreau and his companions. 
 
 At noon, Monday, the 15th of December, while we 
 sat at dinner in the little hotel, we were startled by 
 hearing a loud "hallo," and, springing from the table, 
 we all ran out in the street. Before our eyes there 
 appeared a sight I shall never forget. Over the hill, 
 a quarter of a mile to the northwest, came riding at 
 . full speed thirty-two men, sixteen abreast. Their 
 horses were covered with foam from a long and 
 rapid ride, and as they advanced they chanted in 
 loud tones' their song of victory, heralding their ex- 
 ploits. As the cavalcade drew near the song became 
 louder. Louis Shangreau rode at the head, with No 
 Neck immediately behind him. A large crowd gath- 
 ered In the wake of the horsemen as they proceeded, 
 and gazed with great interest and admiration upon 
 the weather-beaten countenances of the daring fel- 
 lows. 
 
 Every man was superbly mounted and well armed. 
 Six-shooters were strapped to their sides, whUe the 
 gun-cases (in many instances neatly beaded and 
 
 ornamented) were strapped to the saddles. The 
 ponies seemed to partake of the joy of the men, for 
 they pranced about and champed their bits, while 
 their eyes snapped with vivacity. They drew up in 
 front of the general's (Brooke) headquarters, and as 
 the last notes of the song died away leaped from the 
 animals' backs. As they crowded into the command- 
 ing officer's presence, we who stood near had the 
 honor of shaking hands witli these men. The gen- 
 eral himself welcomed them with words of commen- 
 dation, for he thoroughly appreciated the efforts of 
 the "friendlies" in the desire to prevent bloodshed. 
 The Indians remained closeted with the officers for 
 some time, and then left to return to their several 
 tepees. 
 
 Last night, about 7 o'clock, accompanied by my in- 
 terpreter Bartlett, I visited the lodge of Scont 
 Shangreau, and secured the following narrative re- 
 garding the expedition and the Intentions of the hos- 
 tiles: 
 
 "One w£ek ago (the 8th) the general called me 
 (Shangreau) into his office, and told me he was very 
 desirous of bringing in .the hostiles without blood- 
 shed. He said that the mission of Father Jutz had 
 resulted in great good, that the government scouts 
 sent out had failed to reach the camp site of Short 
 Bull and Kicking Bear, and that all information re- 
 garding the strength of the hostiles was entirely un- 
 reliable." 
 
 Louis was given the power to select his party, and 
 accordingly chose some good, true men whom he knew 
 could be depended upon in case of trouble. No white 
 man went with them, for it was believed the hostiles 
 would kill anyone not an Indian who should ven- 
 ture near the camp. From subsequent events this 
 was found to be true. 
 
 Bright and early the "friendlies" set out, with sev- 
 eral days' provisions and plenty of ammunition. They 
 rode at a good pace, and reached a high point of 
 land about five miles from the hostiles at sundown- 
 there went into camp near a small stream. The fire 
 which they started to prepare coffee was seen by the 
 hostiles, and at sunrise twenty Sioux, armed to the 
 teeth, rode into the friendlies' camping ground, and 
 demanded: 
 
 "What do you want here? Have you come to spy 
 on us? Speak quick or we will shoot you." 
 
 The scouts did not appear frightened, but ad- 
 vanced without arms to meet the hostiles. Louis as- 
 sured them that they had come on a mission of peace 
 to hold a great council and talk over matters. He 
 said that his men were not warriors, but talkers. Af- 
 ter some parley, the hostiles agreed to escort the 
 band Into the Bad Lands camp. So, as soon as the 
 ponies were caught and saddled up, the entire outfit 
 moved toward Short Bull's great fort. 
 
u 
 
 The Field Diary of ax Ai!ciiaeological Collectok. 
 
 
 ~7~*'^'=-«^^ ^•' 
 
 ''^-, 
 
 Camp of Sioujc Chojt-dancerj, "Pine "Rid^e Agency, J^o-Vember, 1 890. Thij Camp Wa^ on Wounded K.nee 
 CreeK.. J^ear the "Battle Ground of December 29. "B— Chief " J^o Water j" Lod^e. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IN THE HOSTILE CAMP. 
 
 The countrj' through which they rode presents a 
 similar appearance to a volcanic region. Great fis- 
 sures yawn on all sides, peaks of gray-colored eai-th, 
 or a dirty whitish limestone bluff tower here and a 
 precipice extends there. The trees become stunted 
 as one advances, and the grass disappears. Finally 
 all vegetation vanishes, and there remains naught 
 but a series of peaks, of deep valleys, of horrible pits 
 suggestive of the road to the infernal regions'. Truly 
 a more fitting place for an Indian massacre could not 
 be found in the United States. Occasionally broader 
 valleys afford a stunted growth of grass for ponies, 
 but these fertile spots are great distances apart and 
 of limited extent. In prehistoric times eruptions of 
 the submerged volcanoes, or shrinkages in the earth's 
 crust, have caused the irregularities which every- 
 where exist. Tbe scout says that the country af- 
 fords splendid places for ambuscades— little amphi- 
 iheaters, as it were, with but one entrance, the sides 
 of which are so irregular as to form good hiding- 
 places for lurking savages. The hostiles' fort can 
 not be approached except through miles of such 
 land. 
 
 One mile from the fort the entire party lialts, and 
 Short Bull himself advances for a few words regard- 
 ing Shangreau's mission. The scout says nothing of 
 importance happened until all were within the fort; 
 then he had .time to loolc about, and note particularly 
 the inside and outside of the stronghold. 
 
 It is, of course, impossible to photograph it, so 
 Shangreau kindly assists my interpreter in drawing 
 the place. 
 
 The camp is placed upon a plateau one hundred and 
 thirty feet above the surrounding valleys. There is 
 only one place where men can enter it, and that 
 place is but twenty feet wide. The peaks tower 
 higher than the little plateau on which lies the fort, 
 but these hills, being perpendicular and terminating 
 in points, afforded no advantage to troops. The road, 
 or shelving-rock layer, leading into the fort Is broad 
 at the base, but narrows as one aproaches the top, 
 and slopes at an angle of about twenty-one degrees. 
 It would be extremely difficult for soldiers to charge 
 up this shelving rock, and, even did they reach the 
 summit, the breast work thrown across the entrance 
 would effectually check them. 
 
 Trenches are everywhere to be seen, and near the 
 entrance exceed ten feet in depth and are very wide. 
 
The Field Diary of an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 15 
 
 On the farther side from the entrance there are two 
 places where the hill slopes at an angle of thirty- 
 eight or forty degrees. Of course, it would be out of 
 the question for one to climb up such an incline, but 
 the Indians might slide down safely in case they 
 were compelled to retreat. All other sides of the 
 plateau are perpendicular. Some rifle-pits have been 
 excavated on the hiUs near at hand, and the Sioux, 
 taking advantage of these, might harass the soldiers 
 should the latter gain access to the camp. 
 
 Taken altogether, Shangreau says the fortress is 
 the most impregnable place he ever saw, and in his 
 opinion the two hundred and fifty men who are now 
 in it, and who assert their intention to die there be- 
 fore they will leave it, will be able to kill many hun- 
 dred soldiers before they are whipped. He claims 
 that the only way properly to assault the spot is by 
 cannon. The Sioux have never fought a command 
 armed with Hotchkiss guns and howitzers, and if can- 
 non can be brought near, so that shells can be 
 thrown into the fort, lie thinks the Indians will not 
 be able to hold it. 
 
 In corners, or under cover of little caves dug into 
 the banlis, are tons of jerked beef. Every warrior 
 has three cartridge belts full of ammunition. They 
 have loading tools by means of which they can re- 
 load old shells. There are two good springs of wa- 
 ter inside the fort and stunted cedars in a valley a 
 mile distant. In case the fort were surrounded he 
 thinks the wood supply could be cut off and the 
 hostUes brought to terms. They would be able to 
 raid cattle ranches south of their stronghold unless 
 sufficient troops were sent to surround them com- 
 pletely. 
 
 Louis gave a very graphic description of the ghost 
 dance as he beheld it executed in the camp. 
 
 "When we entered there were about two hundred 
 and sixty-two lodges present. One hundred and 
 seventeen of these remained and one hundred and 
 forty-five returned with us to the agency. The 
 squaws and men came forward to meet us, and all 
 seemed very friendly. They supposed at first that 
 we had come to join them, but when they, learned 
 our true mission they seemed very suspicious, and 
 refused for some time to have anything to do with 
 us. Just before we began the council, which lasted 
 the greater part of four days, the high-priest and his 
 helpers came forward and announced that there 
 would be a ghost dance. They formed a circle about 
 the Sacred Tree and began their chant. 
 
 "This beat all the wild dancing I saw on Wounded 
 Knee Creek. People went into trances by the dozen, 
 and the priests were kept busy relating the experi- 
 ences of the fainters. Several remained in trances 
 as long as twelve hours, and gave evidences of utter 
 exhaustion when the directors roused them. 
 
 "Short Bull said: 'I see the Messiah .coming from 
 
 the West. He is riding in a plain wagon drawn by 
 two mules, and looks very much like a black man. 
 If he is our Messiah, we are greatly fooled. Now 
 I see him again and he is an Indian. Ah! wait: I 
 see him the third time, and he is a white man. He 
 tells me to send my children to school, to make large 
 farms, and not to fight any more. Do not fight, my 
 children, unless the soldiers first fire upon you.' 
 
 "People were so excited they trembled all over, 
 their eyes roUed, and the muscles of their faces 
 twitched. They were the most crazy Indians I ever 
 beheld." 
 
 The dancing continued for nearly thirty hours; then 
 there was an intermissl«n of several hours, during 
 which a council was held in order to give audience 
 to the peace commission. 
 
 Short Bull and Two Strike, aided by Crow Dog, 
 championed the cause of the hostiles, while No Neck 
 and Louis Shangreau spoke on behalf of the friend- 
 lies. Louis does not remember what he said in the 
 first council, but the substance of his remarks could 
 be put into one sentence: 
 
 "The agent will forgive you if you will return now, 
 give you more rations, but not permit you to dance." 
 
 Short Bull's (Tatankaptecelan) reply was so forci- 
 ble as to remain in Louis' memory in the exact words 
 of the speaker. 
 
 The speech of Tatankaptecelan ran as follows: 
 
 "I. have risen to-day to tell you something of im- 
 portance. You have heard the words of the brothers 
 fi-om the agency camps, and if you have done as 
 myself, you have weighed them carefully. If the 
 Great Father would permit us to continue the dance, 
 would give more rations, and quit taking away por- 
 tions of the reservation, I would be in favor of re- 
 turning. But even if you (turning to Louis) say that 
 he will, how can we discern whether you are telling 
 the truth ? We have been lied to so many times that 
 we wiU not believe any words that your agent sends 
 to us. If we return he will take away our guns and 
 ponies, put some of us in jail for stealing cattle and 
 plundering houses. We prefer to stay here and die, 
 if necessary, to loss of liberty. We are free now 
 and have plenty of beef, can dance all the time In 
 obedience to the command of Great Waukantanka. 
 We tell you to return to your agency and say to him 
 that the Dakotas in the Bad Lands are not going to 
 come in." 
 
 No Neck rejoined: 
 
 "Think, my people, how foolish is this action! Do 
 come in, and all will be well; remain out here, and 
 you will be killed." 
 
 Short Bull added: 
 
 "It is better to die here as brave men, and In 
 obedience to the commands of the Good Spirit than 
 to live like cowards nt the agency on scanty rations, 
 disarmed, without horses and guns. No, we will 
 
16 
 
 The Field Diaky of an Abchaeological Collectok. 
 
 not return. If we dance, our Good Spirit will pro- 
 tect us, and when all dancers are sincere, the bul- 
 lets of the soldiers will harmlessly fall to the ground 
 without power to hurt. There is no army so power- 
 ful that it can contend with Waukantanka, therefore 
 we are not afraid to remain here." 
 
 The gathering broke up, and nearly every one con- 
 tinued in the ghost dance. For two days the hos- 
 tiles would not have further words with the friend- 
 ly scouts. Friday and Saturday, the 12th and 13th, 
 the last council was held. The scenes accompany- 
 ing the closing of this gathering, Saturday after- 
 noon, were very thrilling, and for a space of two 
 hours it seemed as if a general battle would ensue 
 between, those who desired to return to the agency 
 and the hostiles. 
 
 AlDout noon, Saturday, Two Strike— who had been 
 one of the leaders in the dance — arose and announced 
 his intention to return to the agency with the scouts, 
 accompanied by about one hundred and forty-five 
 lodges. Crow Dog (Kangi Sunka, the Indian who 
 killed Spotted Tail about ten years ago) also an- 
 nounced his intention of returning. At this declara- 
 tion from two such prominent men. Short Bull sprang 
 to his feet and cried out angrily: 
 
 "At such a time as this we should all stick to- 
 gether like brothers. Do not leave; remain with us. 
 These men from the agency are not telling us the 
 truth; they will conduct you back to the agency and 
 they will place you in jail there. Louis is at the bot- 
 tom of this affair. I know he is a traitor; kiU him, 
 kill him!" 
 
 And, running to the place where the guns were 
 stacked, Short Bull grasped his gun, and, followed 
 by many of his young men, surrounded Shangreau. 
 Louis', situation was desperate. He knew these 
 furious men might kill him at the slightest resistance, 
 so he laughed as good-naturedly as possible under the 
 circumstances and told them to put up their guns, 
 as he was their friend instead of their enemy. 
 
 "No, do not let the friendlies return," cried the 
 young men; "kill them, or compel them to remain 
 with us. They will tell the agent all they have seen 
 and the soldiers will know how to enter our camp." 
 
 With clubbed guns many of the desperate youths 
 rushed upon the friendlies and scouts, others cocked 
 their Winchesters, and for a few moments it looked 
 as if poor Louis and No Neck, Two Strike and Crow 
 Dog, would lose their lives. Crow Dog sat upon the 
 ground and drew his blanket over his head. He told 
 your correspondent afterward that he expected to 
 be struck and killed any moment, and that he did not 
 wish to know the person who should commit the 
 dastardly act— murdering a brother Dakota. 
 
 The wiser heads prevailed, however, and after a 
 great hubbuti, in which several young men were 
 knocked down, order was restored. One of the horses 
 
 and several of the dogs of the friendlies were shot 
 during the melee. When the one hundred and forty- 
 five lodges started from the camp another difficulty 
 arose. It was during this trouble that Crow Dog 
 made his famous short speech: 
 
 "I am going back to White Clay (the location of 
 the agency), you can kill me if you want to, now; and 
 prevent my starting. The agent's tvords are true, 
 and it is better to return than to stay here. I am 
 not afraid to die." 
 
 Imagine the surprise of the friendlies when, upon 
 looking back from the top of a ridge two miles dis- 
 tant, they saw the one hundred and seventeen lodges 
 of hostiles coming after them. They halted to wait 
 for Short Bull to catch up, and then the entire outfit 
 moved toward the agency, all happy in the prospect 
 of peace and forgiveness. 
 
 But the hopes of the friendlies were short-lived, 
 for Short Bull became scared after having proceeded 
 four miles farther, and, together with his band, left 
 the rear of the column and returned to the Bad 
 Lands. 
 
 Sunday and Monday morning, the Indians moved 
 along the trail, reaching Red Cloud's camp, in sight 
 of the agency headquarters,' just before noon, Mon- 
 day. Louis and the scouts had ridden ahead and 
 reached the general's presence as previously narrated 
 in this article. 
 
 Kicking Bear is one of the prominent Indians now 
 in the Bad Lands. Having been associated with 
 Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in the Custer massacre, 
 he is thought to be very brave. He announces his 
 intention of killing all the soldiers who attempt to 
 run up the shelving-rock layer leading to the forti- 
 fication. Crow Dog believes that Kicking Bear is 
 even a more dangerous antagonist than Short Bull, 
 for Bear has proven bravery upon several occasions, 
 while Short Bull is a good deal of a braggart. 
 
 The killing of Sitting Bull and several of his fol- 
 lowers seems to have had no effect upon the Indians 
 here. Many of those who were upon the warpath 
 with that noted medicine man (he was not a warrior) 
 are now dead, and, on account of petty jealousies, 
 numbers of his former supporters deserted him, so 
 his death has not caused the excitement that the 
 shooting of the young man by the cowboys has. What 
 effect his death had upon the Rosebud or Standing 
 Rock Agencies, I am unable to say, both those points 
 being far removed from this place, but it is probable 
 that his death would somewhat excite the Indians 
 of his village. 
 
 Crow Dog and Two Strike are both rather reticent. 
 They have been with the hostiles for three weeks, It 
 must be remembered, and have not yet overcome the 
 feelings of fear that they would naturally experience 
 when surrounded by so many troops. When some of 
 the ofQcers rode over to-day and welcomed the in- 
 
The Field Diaey op an Abchaeological Oollector. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE GHOST DANCE. 
 
 Camp of the Hosliles in the "Bad Landj /^ear While 
 "RitJer, JfortA of Tine "Ridge. 
 
 coming Sioux, nearly all the "braves" crowded around 
 and shook hands, and I noticed very tew sulking in 
 the background. This would Indicate a prevailing 
 good feeling toward the whites, and a desire to be 
 at peace." A large white flag is floating over their 
 camp at the present moment. The two hundred and 
 fifty men in the fort in the Bad Lands seem deter- 
 mined to die rather than return. 
 
 There is not a little uneasiness on the part of peo- 
 ple at the agency. When the cavalry is removed 
 there will be no troops but a few hundred of the in- 
 fantry left to guard the commissary supplies, the 
 buildings, and the friendlies. We have within two 
 miles of the general's house, seven hundred and 
 ninety-three tepees, representing three thousand nine 
 hundred and sixty-five persons, or one thousand and 
 fifty men capable of bearing arms. A success on 
 the part of the hostiles might excite many of these 
 friendlies, so think the more timid whites. But the 
 "old-timers" and agency employees do not anticipate 
 any trouble at the -post. 
 
 These friendlies are unhappy here, away from their 
 homes. 
 
 The wife of a chief said to me: 
 
 "Look about you, young man! You see a much- 
 patched lodge. There are holes in every strip of 
 canvas on the poles, through which the chilly blast 
 penetrates. Our little fire is not large enough to keep 
 the children warm, and, were it made greater, the 
 smoke would be so dense we could scarcely remain 
 inside. We can not haul much wood in our wagons, 
 for the distance to the bluffs where the pines grow 
 is eight miles, and our horses are not strong. 
 
 "Oh! why are we kept here? The hostiles should 
 be made to suffer, not us. They caused all this 
 trouble. Why do the innocent suffer while the guilty 
 go unpunished?" 
 
 When the Ghosit or Messiah Dance was first given 
 on Pine Ridge Reservation by the Sioux who had 
 been in UtaJi on a visiit to the Ute Indians, there 
 were many on-lookers. These became Interested as 
 the dance proceeded, for such was its influence on a 
 beholder that he felt an irresistible desire to join the 
 circle. 
 
 The largest of the dancers' camps prior to the de- 
 parture for the north was located upon Wounded 
 Knee Greek. Other camps of considerable extent 
 existed upon White Clay Creek, four miles from the 
 agency headquarters, upon Porcupine and Medicine 
 Root streams. The cut on page 19 illustrates one 
 of the dances. On this spot nearly five hundred per- 
 sons were leaping up and down in the dance, or roll- 
 ing upon the earth, at one time, in an enormous 
 circle. The earth is packed as firm as a cemented 
 cellar bottom, so rendered by the hundreds of feet 
 that stamped furiously upon the surface, and for 
 a space of two hundred feet in diameter there is not 
 a vestige of grass, nor the indication of the smallest 
 shrub. 
 
 When the medicine men took the Ghost Dance 
 under their charge one man was appointed "High 
 Priest," to have entire control of the ceremonies. 
 His four assistants were likewise invested with 
 power to start or stop the dance at will. They were 
 given authority to punish any person who should re- 
 fuse to obey their commands. 
 
 While the priests are employed m their prayers, 
 the squaws make a good-sized sweat-house. Poles 
 are stuck in the ground with the tops bent together 
 and securely tied. These saplings are strong enough 
 to bear the weight of several hundred pounds. Over 
 the frame work are heaped blankets and robes to 
 such a thickness that no smoke or steam can pass 
 from the interior. A fire is started in a hole In the . 
 grcnmd several feet from the small entrance to the 
 sweat-lodge, and twenty or thirty good-sized stones 
 are placed therein to be heated. 
 
 When these rocks have become sufficiently hot, 
 the young men who are to partake of the bath strip, 
 with the exception of the breech-clout, and crawl 
 through the door. They seat themselves in a circle, 
 with their feet toward the center and their backs 
 agalnsit the sides of the lodge. 
 
 The attendant shoves some of the hot stones Inside, 
 and the young men pour water from a hide-bucket 
 upon the little stone heap. Steam and vapor arise, 
 completely filling the enclosure. The attendant has 
 meanwhile covered the opening so that no air from 
 the outside may penetrate. As' the vapor condenses, 
 the attendant thrusts more stones within, and thus 
 
18 
 
 The Field Diaby of an Abchaeological Oollectob. 
 
 the operation is continued as long as tlie youths can 
 stand the confinement. 
 
 The pipe is also smoked during the sweat. When 
 the young men issue from their bath the perspiration 
 is fairly streaming from every pore. If it Is not cold 
 weather they plunge into a pool in the creek near by, 
 but if it be chilly they wrap blankets about their 
 bodies. None of the whites and naif-breeds who 
 have witnessed these things ever saw a Sioux rub 
 himself after issuing from the bath. 
 
 Several sweat-houses are erected in order to pre- 
 pare the young men for the dance. When a good 
 number of young men, say fifty or sixty, have thus 
 prepared themselves, the high-priest and his assist- 
 ants come forward. The high priest wears eagle 
 feathers in his hair, and a short skirt reaches from 
 his waist nearly to his knees. The assistants are 
 dressed in a similar manner, but wear no ornaments 
 other than the eagle feathers. The dancers wear no 
 ornaments whatever and enter the circle without 
 their blankets, many of them only wearing their 
 ordinary clothes. 
 
 That Indians should lay aside all ornaments and 
 finery and dance without the trappings which they 
 so dearly love proves conclusively that some power- 
 ful religious influence is at work. In their other 
 dances, feathers and bangles, weapons, herbs, 
 or painted and plaited grasses, porcupine quills, 
 horses' tails and bits of fir-skins, necklaces, bells, 
 silver disks, etc., are worn in great profusion. 
 
 The candidates for the dance do not fast, as has 
 been stated by several writers who have not thor- 
 oughly investigated this subject. After they have 
 come forth from the sweat-house they are ready to 
 enter the sacred circle. The high priest runs quickly 
 from the village to the open space of ground, five 
 or six hundred yards distant, and stationing himself 
 near the sacred tree, begins his chant as follows: 
 
 "Hear, hear, all you persons! 
 
 "Oome, hurry up and dance, and when you have 
 finished running in the circle, tell these people what 
 you have seen in the spirit land. 
 
 "I myself have been in the spirit land and have 
 seen many strange and beautiful things, all of which 
 great Wakanitanka rules over and which my eyes tell 
 me are good and true." 
 
 As the speaker proceeds, the men and women leave 
 their tepees and crowd to the dance-ground. They 
 form two or three circles, according to tlie number of 
 persons who wish to participate, and, grasping hands 
 with fingers interlocked ("Indian grip"), the circles 
 begin to move around toward the left. They rub 
 their palms in dust or sand to prevent slipping, for 
 it is considered unlucky for one to break connections. 
 
 The sacred tree needs a few words of explanation. 
 It is a nearly straight sapling thirty or forty feet 
 high, trimmed of branches to a height of several 
 
 feet. To the topmost twig is attached a small white 
 flag or canvas strip, supposed to be an emblem of 
 purity, together with some colored streamers. The 
 base of the tree is wrapped with rushes and flags to 
 a thickness of about five feet. Between the reeds the 
 dancers from time to time thrust little gifts of peace 
 offerings. These offerings are supposed to allay the 
 anger of the Great Si)irit, and are given in perfectly 
 good faith by the poor natives. They consist of 
 small pieces of calico, bags of tobacco, or pipes. Dur- 
 ing the heat of excitement, those worshippers most 
 deeply affected cut the flesh on their arm. 
 
 Henry Hunter (The Weasel, "Itonkasan") informs 
 me that after the dance had been runnmg some days, 
 the rushes covering the base of the tree were in 
 spote, besmeared with human blood. 
 
 As the circle moves toward the left, the priest 
 and his assistants cry out loudly for the dancers 
 to stop a moment. As they pause he raises his 
 hands toward the west, and, upon all the people 
 acting simiilarly, begins the following remarkable 
 prayer: 
 
 "Great Spirit, look at us now. Grandfather and 
 grandmother have come. All these good people are 
 going to see Wakantanka, but they will be brought 
 safely back to earth. Everything that is good you 
 will see there, and you can have these things by 
 going there. All things that you hear there will be 
 holy and true, and when you return you can tell your 
 friends how spiritual it is." 
 
 As he prays, the dancers cry aloud with all the 
 fervor of religious fanatics. They moan and sob, 
 many of them exclaiming: "Great Father, I want you 
 to have pity upon me." 
 
 One can scarcely imagine the terrible earnestness 
 of these people. Bartlett and Mr. Sweeny, one 
 of the agency school teachers, the chief herder, 
 Mr. John Darr, and others, have informed me that 
 during their extended experience on the agency, of 
 many years' duration, they have witnessed many of 
 these dances. They describe the scene of the dance, 
 especially at night, as most w^eird and ghostlike. 
 The fires are very large, and shed a bright reflection 
 all around. The breasts of the worshippers heave 
 with emotion, they groan and cry as if they -were 
 suffering great agony, and as the priests beg them to 
 ask great Wakantanka to forgive their sins, such a 
 cry of despair and anguish arises as to deeply affect 
 even the whites present. Bartlett said that, in his 
 opinion, men could not be more in dead earnest nor 
 pray harder than did these poor children of the 
 plains. 
 
 After prayer and weeping, and offerings have been 
 made to the sacred pole, the dance is started again. 
 The dancers go ratlier slowly at first, and as the 
 priests in the center begin to shout and leap about, 
 the dancers partake of the enthusiasm. Instead of 
 
The Field Diary of an Abchaeological Collectob. 
 
 19 
 
 "She Ghoj-t Dance. 
 
 moving with a regular step, each person jumps back- 
 ward and forward, up and down, as hard as he or 
 she can without relinquishing their hold upon their 
 neighbor's hand. One by one the dancers fall out 
 of the ranks, some staggering like drunken men, 
 others wildly rushing here and there almost bereft 
 of reason. Many fall upon the earth to writhe about 
 as if possessed of demons, while blinded women 
 throw their clothes over their heads and run through 
 brush or against trees. The priests are kept busy 
 waving eagle feathers in the faces of the most vio- 
 lent worshippers. The feather is considered sacred, 
 and its use, together with the mesmeric glance and 
 motion of the priest, soon causes the victim to fall 
 into a trance or deep sleep. Whether this sleep is 
 real or feigned the writer does not pretend to say, 
 but sufficiently deep is it that whites visiting the 
 dance have been unable to rouse the sleepers by jest 
 or blow. 
 
 Unquestionably the priests exercise an influence 
 over the more susceptible of the dancers akin to hyp- 
 notism. 
 
 One of the young men who danced in the ghost 
 circle twenty times, told me that the priest, "Looked 
 very hard at us. Some of the young men and women 
 could not withstand his steady gaze, and did what- 
 ever he told them." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 GHOST DANCE VISIONS. 
 
 Regarding what is seen by the converts when in 
 the spirit land there is much speculation. I have se- 
 cured interviews with three prominent chiefs touch- 
 ing upon this matter, and before relating what they 
 told me I wish to call especial attention to the strong 
 resemblance of their visions to the teachings of the 
 Savior in the New Testament. 
 
 Little Wound said: "Wljen I fell in the trance a 
 
 great and grand eagle came and carried me over a 
 great hill, where there was a village such as we used 
 to have before the whites came into the country. 
 The tepees were all of buffalo hides, and we made 
 use of the bow and arrow, there being nothing of 
 white man's manufacture in the beautiful land. Nor 
 were any whites permitted to live there. The broad 
 and fertile lands stretched in every direction, and 
 were most pleasing to my eyes. 
 
 "I was taken into the presence of the great 
 Messiah, and he spoke to me these words: 
 
 " 'My child, I am glad to see you. Do you want to 
 see your children and relations who are dead?' 
 
 "I replied: 'Yes, I would like to see my relations 
 who have been dead a long time.' The God then 
 called my friends to come up to where I was. They 
 appeared, riding the finest horses I ever saw, dressed 
 in superb and most brilliant garments, and seeming 
 very happy. As they approached, I recognized the 
 playmates of my childhood, and I ran forward to 
 embrace them while the tears of joy ran down my 
 cheeks. 
 
 "We all went together to another village, where 
 there were very large lodges of buffalo hide, and 
 there held a long talk with the great Wakantanka. 
 Then he had some squaws prepare us a meal of 
 many herbs, meat, and wild fruits and 'wasna' 
 (pounded beef and choke-cherries). After we had 
 eaten, the Great Spirit prayed for our people upon 
 the earth, and then we all took a smoke out of a fine 
 pipe ornamented with the most beautiful feathers 
 and porcupine quills. Then we left the village and 
 looked into a great valley where there were thou- 
 sands of buffalo, deer, and elk feeding. 
 
 "After seeing the valley, we returned to the village, 
 the Great Spirit speaking meanwhile. He told me 
 that the earth was now bad and worn out; that we 
 needed a new dwelling-place where the rascally 
 whites could not disturb us. He further instructed 
 me to return to my people, the Sioux, and say to 
 them that if they would be constant in the dance 
 and pay no attention to the whites he would shortly 
 come to their aid. If the high priests would make 
 for the dancers medicine-shirts and pray over them, 
 no harm could come to the wearer; that the bullets 
 of any whites that desired to stop the Messiah dance 
 would fall to the ground without doing anyone 
 harm, and the person firing such shots would drop 
 dead. He said that he had prepared a hole in the 
 ground filled with hot water and fire for the recep- 
 tion of all white men and non-believers. With these 
 parting words I was commanded to return to earth." 
 
 The Weasel said: "While dancing I saw no visions, 
 but the other Indians told me to not think of any- 
 thing in particular, but keep my eyes fastened upon 
 the priests, and soon I would see all that they saw. 
 
20 
 
 The Field Diary op an Abchaeological Collector. 
 
 " Sear~Comes~^acfirOnd~Liej-7>ottfn," a Prominent 
 Ghost Dancer of Tine "Ridge. 
 
 "The first large dance held was on Wounded Knee 
 Creek under the guidance of Big Road. We had 
 been dancing irregularly for several weeks when a 
 runner came into camp greatly excited one night, 
 and said that the soldiers had arrived at Pine Ridge 
 and were sent by the Great Father at Washington. 
 The priests called upon the young men at this junc- 
 ture not to become angry but to continue the dance, 
 but have horses ready so that all could flee were the 
 military to charge the village. So we mounted our 
 ponies and rode around the hills all night singing 
 our ghost songs. . Never before in the history of the 
 'Dakotas' has a dance like this been known. We did 
 not carry our guns nor any weapon, but trusted to 
 the Great Spirit to destroy the soldiers." 
 
 The favorite song among the Sioux has since been 
 "harmonized" by eastern musicians. It is a peculiar 
 and plaintive melody. Mr. James Mooney published 
 in 1896 his famous work, "The Ghost Dance Re- 
 ligion." It was issued by the Bureau of American 
 Ethnology as Volume II of the Fourteenth Annual 
 Report. Mooney was not at Pine Ridge during the 
 troubles, although he was there subsequently. This 
 is unfortunate as he might have visited the great 
 dance at No Water's camp and obtained for ethnolo- 
 
 gists some valuable data. My own notes are imper- 
 fect, and in my rendition of the ghost dance songs I 
 made several errors natural to one not an ethnologist. 
 However, all the publications treating of the dance 
 were subsequent to mine. 
 
 I take from Mooney's report the "first" song as in 
 my original there are two words incorrectly given: 
 "Ina' he'kuwo' 
 Ina' he'liuwo'; ina' he'kuwo'. 
 Misu'nkala che'yaya oma'ni-ye, 
 Misu'nkala che'yaya oma'ni-ye. 
 I'na he'kuwo'; i'na he'kuwo'. 
 "Translation: 
 "Mother, come home; mother, come home. 
 My little brother goes about always crying. 
 My little brother goes about always crying. 
 Mother, come home; mother-, come home." 
 Mooney says: 
 
 "This touching song was a favorite among the 
 Sioux. It was composed by a young woman who 
 saw her dead mother in the other world, and on wak- 
 ing out of her trance vision implored the mother to 
 come back to them again, as her little brother is for- 
 ever crying after her." 
 Ano< . 3r chant is: 
 
 This the father said, 
 He brings the pipe for you, 
 And you shall live. 
 This the father said, 
 This the father said. 
 
 
 ^J^3= 
 
 *i- 
 
 ^^ 
 
 E 
 
 Music of the Second Ghost-dance Song. 
 
 The second song expresses in brief the goodness of 
 the father. Some one of the dancers has come to 
 life from the trance, and has just related his or her 
 experience in the other world. The Messiah, or 
 father, has been very near to the subject, and the 
 high priest, enlarging upon the importance of this 
 fact, funs about the interior of the circle handing 
 several pipes around, exclaiming that these pipes 
 were received direct from the Great Spirit, and that 
 all who smoke them will live. 
 
 The people are worked up to such a pitch of re- 
 ligions frenzy that their minds are now willing to 
 receive any utterance as truth undisputable, so they 
 pass around the pipes, singing the song meanwhile. 
 The repetition of the words, "This the father said," 
 gives more weight to the song. 
 
 Just after the dancers have been crying and moan- 
 
The Field Biaby op an Archaeological Oollectok. 
 
 21 
 
 i« * 
 
 
 Shting "Bull. Killed "December, 1890. 
 
 ing about their sins tlie priests strike up the first 
 song, in wliicli all join, singing with deafening loud- 
 ness. Some man or woman may be at this moment 
 at the tree, with his or her arms thrown about the 
 rushes, sobbing as if the heart would break; or an- 
 other may be walking and crying, wringing his 
 hands or going through some motion to indicate the 
 deepest sorrow for his transgressions. So the singer 
 cries aloud to his mother to be present and aid him. 
 The appeal to the father refers, of course, to the 
 Messiah, and its use in this connection is supposed 
 to give emphasis to the demand for the mother's 
 presence and hasten her coming. 
 
 Mooney presents a dozen of songs or chants, all of 
 which are nlore or less pathetic. 
 
 That Indians inspired by the motives expressed in 
 such hymns — for they are manifestly religious — con- 
 template "the war path," as claimed by the authori- 
 ties, is a sufficient comment on the Intelligence of our 
 Indian bureau of 1S90. 
 
 One of the visions seen by a young woman, when 
 under the influence of the trance, varied somewhat 
 from the others. She told the following story con- 
 cerning -what she saw: 
 
 "I was carried into the beautiful land as others 
 have been, and there I saw a small but weU-made 
 lodge constructed entirely of rushes and reeds. These 
 were woven closely together and resembled the fine 
 basket work that squaws of other tribes make during 
 the winter. The tepee was provided with a stone 
 wail, which was composed of small, flat stones laid 
 up against the walls to the height of three or four 
 feet. In this lodge the great Wakantanka dwelt and 
 would issue forth at noon. Promptly at the time 
 when the sun was above me the lodge trembled 
 violently and then began its descent toward the 
 earth. It landed near the dance ground, and there 
 stepped forth a man clothed jn a blanket of rabbit 
 sides. This was the Messiah, and he had come to 
 save us." 
 
 The vision of Little Horse is still more remarkable. 
 Through the Weasel he said: 
 
 "Two holy eagles transported me to the Happy 
 Hunting Grounds. They showed me the Great 
 Messiah there, and as I looked upon his fair coun- 
 tenance I wept, for there were nail prints in his 
 hands and feet where the cruel whites had once 
 fastened him to a large cross. There was a small 
 Tsound in his side also, but as he kept himself cov- 
 ered with a beautiful mantle of feathers this could 
 only be seen when he shifted his blanket. He in- 
 sisted that we continue the dance, and promised me 
 that no whites should enter his city nor partake of 
 the good things he had prepared for the Indians. 
 The earth, he said, was now worn out and it should 
 be repeopled. 
 
 "He had a long beard and long hair and was the 
 most handsome man I ever looked upon." 
 
 Before concluding my description of the dance as 
 it appeared during the first few months of its exis- 
 tence at Pine Ridge, I would like to add that the 
 dances were held throughout the day usually, but 
 that once in a while, when a village was especially 
 devout, they were continued all night. In that event 
 food was prepared in large quantities, so that the 
 worshipers could partake of refreshments when they 
 desired. 
 
 The high priest frequently announces in a lond 
 tone the visions related to him by the converts. His 
 discourse is often interrupted by loud grunts of ap- 
 proval on the part of the assembled natives. 
 
 I asked the Weasel: "Did you ever see the medi- 
 cine shirt worn?" 
 
 "Yes, they wore blessed shirts that night. The 
 priests had said prayers over these garments, and 
 they were bulletproof. One girl tried to gash her- 
 self with a butcher knife on the arm, but the blade 
 was bent and the edge turned, so powerful was the 
 medicine in the shirt." 
 
22 
 
 The Field Diabt of an Aechaeologicai CollecToe. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 where the blame lay. 
 
 In concluding my remarks upon tbis "early aspect 
 of the dance," I wish emphatically to say that, by 
 careful research both among Indians and whites' here, 
 I do not hesitate to lay the blame for the present con- 
 dition of affairs upon the shoulders of those persons 
 responsible for reducing the food supply. Further- 
 more, the failure. to keep promises made the Sioux by 
 the last commission has had a bad effect. 
 
 Had the agency employees and their head acted in 
 concert, and asserted the authority given them by 
 the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the whole mat- 
 ter could have been settled without great trouble. 
 Philanthropists, while meaning well, from a lack of 
 knowledge of the nature of an Indian, treat him in 
 such a sympathetic mannjer— often selecting the most 
 worthless and lazy Indians to bestow their favors 
 upon— that he becomes puffed up with his own im- 
 portance. Egotism leads to insolence, and insolence 
 gets him into serious trouble with the agency em- 
 ployees and Westerners in general. The Catholics, 
 Episcopalians, and Presbyterians are all doing a good 
 work, and they are to be commended. But it is un- 
 fortunate that they sometimes pull in opposite di- 
 rections. (Since 1890 they have labored for the com- 
 mon cause, so I am informed.) 
 
 The Indian can not understand how so many be- 
 liefs can spring from one good book, and, naturally 
 suspicious, when he hears one missionary speak dis- 
 paragingly of the salvation afforded by a rival church, 
 concludes the whole set are for the whites first, the 
 Indians afterward. 
 
 When the commission visited the agency in the 
 summer of 1889, for the purpose of securing signa- 
 tures to the treaty whereby the Sioux relinquished 
 claim to several million acres of their land, a num- 
 ber of promises were made by the commissioners 
 which were never kept. The gentlemen, returning to 
 Washington, engrossed with the many political cares 
 and social pleasures of the capital city, soon forgot 
 the sacred promises assured to the Sioux. Not so 
 with the Indians themselves. As they sat about their 
 tepee fires and discussed the affairs of their nation, 
 they often wondered why the increase in rations did 
 not come, why the presents were so long delayed. 
 
 An Indian never forgets a promise. 
 
 Can it be wondered, then, that the Sioux lost what 
 little remaining faith they had in the whites? 
 
 After the departure of the commissioners for the 
 East, the Sioux waited patiently for thirty-four weeks 
 in the vain hope of receiving more rations and the 
 fulfillment of the commission's promise. Then a great 
 council was held, and Agent Galagher was appealed 
 to. The agent went to Washington, and consulted 
 with such officials as he could find at their post of 
 
 duty. He insisted that the million pounds of beef 
 withdrawn from the yearly annuities should be re- 
 turned or he would not be responsible for the actions 
 of the Indians under his charge. He claimed that 
 the Indians were suffering from a lack of sufficient 
 food, and knew of a certainty that several children 
 had died from starvation. Mr. Galagher carried out 
 to the letter his promises to his people, and then has- 
 tened back to Pine Ridge. He may have been in 
 fault afterward, but, even allowing this, we must 
 give him due credit for his manly efforts in behalf 
 of the suffering Sioux. 
 
 How did the Commissioner of Indian Affairs re- 
 ceive the agent's report? Did he endeavor to have 
 the million pounds of beef reentered in the annuities? 
 By no means. He concluded the reports of Mr. Gal- 
 agher were somewhat exaggerated, and gave the mat- 
 ter no further thought. 
 
 The winter of 1889 set In, and still there was no 
 evidence that the promises would be fulfilled. For- 
 tunately it was a mild winter; the Sioux did not suf- 
 fer more than during the summer. 
 
 Mr. Sweeny, one of the school teachers upon Medi- 
 cine Root Creek, told me that the children under his 
 instruction brought their dinners in little beaded 
 sacks. Out of curiosity he opened several of these 
 "lunch baskets," and examined their contents. No 
 bread, cake, pie nor vegetable was found in any of 
 those examined. He told me further that the chil- 
 dren would get very hungry on the colder days, and 
 during recess would dig out chipmunks and prairie 
 dogs, which they cooked and ate without seasoning. 
 
 The teacher fed many of the hungry little ones at 
 his own home, using a considerable part of his slen- 
 der salary in this charitable work. 
 
 The report of Agent Galagher, submitted to the 
 Indian Bureau upon his resignation in favor of 
 Agent Royer, showed a number of cattle smaller by 
 one-third than was reported by Dr. McGillicuddy. It 
 had taken the Sioux ten or twelve years to accumu- 
 late the herds of horses and cattle which the docu- 
 ments show were ranging upon the reservation in the 
 summer of 1889. What has l)ecome of the five thou- 
 sand missing steers? Did thieves steal them? The 
 deputy marshals say they have not arrested more 
 than forty cattle thieves upon the reserve during the 
 past two years, and these offenders never secured 
 more than one or two head before capture. Is it 
 probable the Sioux would deliberately kill the herds 
 of which they were so proud, unless forced to do so 
 by hunger? When the rations were reduced one mil- 
 lion pounds they asked that a discrimination be made 
 between summer and winter weight of steers. They 
 said: "If you give us four hundred steers every 
 other Wednesday during the summer, and list them 
 as weighing twelve hundred pounds each, you should 
 
The Field Diaby or an Archaeological Oollectoe. 
 
 23 
 
 George E, 'Bartlell, Inierpreier, Catted by 
 the Sioujc Hujie. 
 
 list the same number during the winter as weighing 
 nine hundred pounds each. Your cattle are not stable- 
 fed; they range about in the winter snows searching 
 for grass. They find but a small quantity, therefore 
 they can not fatten, but, on the contrary, grow poor. 
 The shrinkage is not in bone and sinew, but In the 
 most tender portions. Write to the Great Father and 
 say we can not live upon the few cattle he gives us." 
 
 The Great Father, of course, tooli no notice of this 
 request, and the Indians were compelled to slaughter 
 their own herds. One by one the cattle disappeared, 
 until at last but few remained upon the Government 
 ranges. The agent, seeing the worli of years vanish- 
 ing in weeks, made another frantic appeal to Wash- 
 ington. But his letter was pigeon-holed along with 
 those of other agents. The authorities could not un- 
 derstand why Indians should suffer. Did they not 
 fare sumptuously every day at the expense of a rich 
 and generous government? Why, then, should they 
 harass the Oommissioaer by frequent appeals for aid? 
 It was evident that all the Indians were liars seek- 
 ing to defraud a government which had already been 
 entirely too liberal. And so the Bureau did nothing, 
 and the Sioux continued to kill their cattle. 
 
 The spring of 1890 dawned. Anxious to reach a 
 country where game could be obtained, about two 
 hundred of the most dissatisfied Sioux left for a trip 
 through the mountains in Montana and Wyoming. 
 From there they expected to visit the Crows and Utes 
 
 in Utah. It was while they were relating their trou- 
 bles to the Crows that the good preacher Johnson 
 appeared, and, taking advantage of the trouble which 
 weighed upon the guests of the Utes, told them the 
 old, old story of the true Messiah. _ As a drowning 
 man grasps at everything within reach to save him- 
 self, so the desperate Sioux seized upon this new doc- 
 trine as a sure escape from their troubles. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE FAILUKE OE THE INDIAN'S MESSIAH. 
 
 The news that the hunting party had returned sev- 
 eral months sooner than was expected spread quick- 
 ly through the villages. Runners announced that a 
 great council would be held upon Wounded Knee 
 Creek, in which an old man would deliver a special 
 message from Great Wakantanka to the Sioux na- 
 tion, and requested all men and women interested 
 in the welfare of the nation to be present. The meet- 
 ing was held at night upon a spot of ground near No 
 Water's camp. Probably four or five hundred men 
 and six hundred women were present. Two Lance, 
 the old man selected to speak, rose slowly to his feet, 
 advanced to a point near the great bonfire around 
 which the people were seated in several circles, and 
 spoke the following words: 
 
 "Brothers, if you listen to my words attentively 
 you will profit thereby. We have returned from the 
 country of the Utes bringing good news for the 
 Dakotas. Many, many winters ago the Great Spirit 
 sent His Son upon the earth to teach men to do right 
 ■ — to be good. Instead of listening to the words of 
 the holy Visitor, the wicked white men killed Him. 
 He has appeared to a good and righteous man in the 
 land of the Utes, and told him that he would soon 
 come upon earth again; but this time for the salva- 
 tion of the Indians, and not the whites. The whites 
 are to be overwhelmed, so the Messiah said, by a 
 great earthquake or storm. In the terrible convul- 
 sion of the earth, all Indians who are not prepared 
 to welcome their Lord will meet with the, same fate 
 as the whites. Therefore, O my people, I exhort, 
 nay, command you to do all that the good man says, 
 in order that you may not suffer the death of our 
 despised enemies. 
 
 "The holy Teacher further says that the overpow- 
 ering of those who have oppressed us is not to be 
 accomplished by force of arms, that no weapons are 
 to be used. We are simply to pray and trust in the 
 Messiah, and dance as he shall command. This is 
 to us a very strange doctrine, as you will admit. We 
 have been accustomed to fight, not to pray. There- 
 fore we must be all the more careful to obey every 
 command of the new Saviour, or we will displease 
 Him. 
 
24 
 
 The Field Diary ob" an Abchaeological Collectok. 
 
 "Listen! urge upon you to watcli very carefully 
 every motion of the dance -which we are about to 
 execute for you, and, when you have learned the 
 songs and the movements, join in with us. Be re- 
 pentant for your sins, pray the Great Wakantanka 
 to look down upon you in pity, to give you food and 
 clothing. Be sincere, be earnest, and He will hear 
 our prayers." 
 
 In a few days the whole nation was Infatuated 
 with the new craze. They danced, and prayed, and 
 pleaded with such earnestness as can scarcely be 
 imagined. But their God heard not. He saw not 
 their gifts thrust into the matting about the sacred 
 tree. 
 
 He regarded no song of appeal for aid. He heed- 
 ed not the tears nor the sobs of anguish for sin. 
 
 In their affliction they turned their gaze to the 
 stars, to the moon above, during the long and weary 
 hours of the night dance. The heavenly bodies seemed 
 to look down with pity and compassion upon the sup- 
 plicating throng beneath, but their cries met no re- 
 sponse. 
 
 On and on they danced, dragging weary limbs 
 about the circle, hoping, trusting that He who lived 
 beyond the stars would take pity upon them. The 
 hoot of the owls in the great cotton-wood trees, or 
 the yelp of the coyote upon the plain, mocked the 
 sanctity of the song, and these sounds were the only 
 answers to their pleadings. 
 
 As time passed and the Messiah failed to appear, 
 there came a change in the minds of the worshippers. 
 Some of the more skeptical advocated a cessation of 
 the ceremonies, but they encountered the most bit- 
 ter denunciation on the part of those still firm in the 
 faith. The trouble between the two factions reached 
 its height during Agent Galagher's visit to No Wa- 
 ter's camp upon Wounded Knee Creek. Those who 
 had lost faith in the Messiah attempted to dissuade 
 the others from driving the agent back to Pine Ridge; 
 but the latter were strongest and carried the day, 
 compelling Mr. Galagher to return to the agency more 
 hastily than he set out. 
 
 A few weeks afterward Dr. Royer entered upon his 
 duties at Pine Ridge. With the new administration 
 came an order to all Indians not believers in the new 
 Messiah to locate near the agency. The Indian police 
 were kept very busy for several weeks notifying the 
 distant camps of this command, and assistant those 
 who were unable to travel. Early in November all 
 the anti-Messiahists were encamped near the agency, 
 under the surveillance of the military. The converts 
 to the new doctrine encamped on several creeks 
 twenty miles from the agency until the middle of 
 November, and then, becoming alarmed at the pres- 
 ence of so many troops, fled into the Bad Lands. 
 
 For two miles in every direction around the agency 
 
 are the tepees of the friendlies. Ten years ago near- 
 ly all the Sioux were living in hide or canvas lodges. 
 Now the most of them live in good, substantial houses, 
 many of which are decorated with pictures and orna- 
 ments. Every Dakota owns a tepee, but uses it 
 only during summer hunting excursions. The young- 
 est children were born in log houses, and even the 
 older persons are so accustomed to a good dwelling 
 that they feel ill at ease in a canvas lodge. Consider, 
 therefore, the sufferings of these people, crowded to- 
 gether In frail tents, with Insufficient clothing, with 
 no fuel to be had nearer than the timber-covered 
 bluffs eight miles away, and the half-starved ponies 
 able to haul but small quantities of this. 
 
 They have pleaded in vain with the agent to al- 
 low them to return to their log houses. The chil- 
 dren are sick with colds, many have diphtheria, and 
 several have died. Fortune smiled upon them by 
 giving a month of the most beautiful weather in the 
 fall, but fearful storms have since swept down- upon 
 them with scarcely an hour's warning. Blizzards 
 may spring up inside of thirty minutes; the ther- 
 mometer has been known to fall fifty-eight degrees 
 inside of an hour upon the reservation. Even the 
 most stoical man must be moved when he contem- 
 plates the terrible suffering, not to mention the loss 
 of life and property, that must needs accompany a 
 Dakota storm. 
 
 The antl-Messiahists are perfectly aware of the 
 danger that threatens them. Not long ago the wife 
 of one of the greatest chiefs said to me: 
 
 "Why are we detained here? My husband, my 
 brother, my cousin are not going to join the dancers 
 in the Bad Lands. There is not a family in this 
 large camp (of one hundred and ninety-five tepees) 
 that does not watch over at least one sick child. The 
 coughing and crying of poor distressed babies keeps 
 us all awake at night. It Is two miles from here to 
 the Government buildings, and, should a great bliz- 
 zard swoop down upon us, many women and chil- 
 dren would perish before the men could get us into 
 the Great Father's warm houses." 
 
 I conclude the ghost dance observations with 
 American Horse's statement made some years ago. 
 It covers the present situation admirably. 
 
 "It has been two years since this trouble started. 
 General Crook and two commissioners came up here 
 to make a treaty for our land. Red Cloud objected 
 to selling. I was in favor of selling, or doing any- 
 thing the Great Father wanted. Then they called 
 us all in to the agency and kept us there for seven 
 days. When we got back our stock and everything 
 about our houses was gone. Then our rations were 
 cut down. From that day our people have been di- 
 vided. Some were so excited they could hardly be 
 controlled. I labored to keep them all together and 
 
TltE TlELD PlABY OF AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CoLLECTOK. 
 
 25 
 
 jA "Helle Amon^ the Married Women. 
 
 to have them do as the white man wanted. When 
 our rations were cut down, some of our people died. 
 They had nothing to support life. The medicine was 
 powerless. It was like the seed of our land — very 
 poor. And the doctor Avas no better than our old 
 women. Of course, we blame much of this on the 
 agents, for many of them have been bad. We com- 
 plained, but it did not avail us. Thus it was many 
 became so discouraged that they were easily led 
 away by bad men. I say again, and mil say it to 
 the Great Father, that my people were nearly starved 
 these last two years or more. And we were not 
 clothed. Look at us. We are like men pulled out of 
 the ditch — nothing but rags to cover us. They send 
 us books, and give us good advice, but paper and 
 wind will not keep life together. If the people of 
 the East heard the way we were treated they would 
 refuse to believe it. The agent may cause a good 
 deal of this, but why does the Government fail to 
 keep the treaties? It is cold weather, and yet our 
 winter clothing has not come." 
 
 As they brooded over their wrongs, the scarcity of 
 rations, and the miserable treatment of Red Cloud, 
 the Messiah craze came. Imagine with what 
 joy they hailed the coming of Him who was to save 
 and rescue them. How they hoped and prayed, only 
 to be deluded and again cast into the depth of 
 despair! Even this last boon and comfort was re- 
 fused by their conquerers; for no sooner had the news 
 of the coming Saviour reached the ears of the Great 
 Father at Washington than he ordered his soldiers 
 to the frontier to suppress the worship of any In- 
 dian who should dare to pray to his God after the 
 dictates of his own conscience! 
 
 CHAFTER XI. 
 IX WASHINGTON AGAIN. 
 
 For a time I shall depart from the diary entries 
 and write in the light of subsequent developments. 
 
 The battle of Wounded Knee occurred December 
 29, eleven miles from Fine Ridge. It has been fully 
 described by Mooney in his Ghost Dance Religion 
 (,\nnual Report, Bureau of Am. Ethnology) and stu- 
 dents are referred to his excellent narrative. By 
 means of newspapers and magazine articles laymen 
 know more or less regarding this climax of affairs 
 at Fine Ridge. 
 
 The day before the battle word came to the 
 agency that the troops had surrounded a body of 
 Indians and were bringing them in. This news pro- 
 duced little excitement, for we had all had rumors 
 and reports until we either ceased to believe or be- 
 came indifferent. As my relations with the Indians 
 had been intimate, I was not unprepared for the 
 news of serious ti-ouble. It is no more just in pass- 
 ing to say that the other correspondents sat about 
 the "hotel" or speait their time in the company of 
 the officers, or took recreation by riding out a mile 
 or two to the hills overlooking the agency. It is 
 amusing to read in these later days of Mr. So and 
 So who was at Pine Ridge during the troubles, etc. 
 —as if Jlr. So and So had passed through a cam- 
 paign equal to the civil war. There was no particu- 
 lar danger at any time at Fine Ridge and there 
 were ten soldiers for every Indian present on the 
 day of the battle of Wounded Knee. I can not re- 
 frain from remarking further that I was the only 
 person present not an official who employed an in- 
 terpreter and photographer. The artists did not 
 come until after the battle of Wounded Knee. 
 
 The day previously mentioned, Saturday, Decem- 
 ber 28, I shall always remember. I sat in the sad- 
 dler',? shop talking to the photographer when an or- 
 derly rode up and informed me that Major Brooke 
 (now General Brooke) desired my presence at his 
 quarters. Proceeding to the Majoi-'s office I was in- 
 formed by that individual that I must leave the 
 
26 
 
 The Field Diaey of an Abchaeological Collbctok. 
 
 agency. He said he would not place me under ar- 
 rest if I got out at once. His grounds for this ac- 
 tion were as follows: 
 
 That I had been very active among the Indians 
 and camps near the agency, going about with my 
 interpreter, listening to their stories, sympathizing 
 with them, etc.; that I had expressed myself strenu- 
 ously in conversation with the officers and civilians 
 about the agency, that he understood that I had sent 
 articles denouncing the treatment of the Indians, etc., 
 to an Influential publication in the Bast. All this 
 tended to ferment trouble. As many of the younger 
 Indians understood English they would communi- 
 cate my view to the dissatisfied element, and 
 they, in turn, would believe that many people in the 
 East were upholding them in their contentions. So 
 the Major ordered me to go over to the railroad 
 where he would have no jurisdiction over my ac- 
 tions. 
 
 He was not offensive. He was acting, he said, for 
 the best interest for all concerned. One of the trad- 
 ers was sending a team to Rushville in one or two 
 hours and I could go with him, so the Major said. 
 If I needed any assistance in packing my effects, he 
 would send two men to my quarters. 
 
 I thanked the Major fo^r his ofeer but assured him 
 that it was unnecessary, that I would be ready in 
 time to go over with the clerk. I told Major Brooke 
 that I was very sorry to leave Pine Ridge; that my 
 work there was not completed. I had done nothing 
 of which I was ashamed. On the contrary I had 
 simply told the truth about the state of affairs and 
 th-e cause which culminated in the ghost dance. The 
 other observers that catered to the military and had 
 given the Indians scant justice, had not stud- 
 ied the situation at all. With this the interview end- 
 ed and I marched over to the "hotel," paid by bill, 
 found interpreter Bartlett and with his assistance 
 packed up my belongings, while the photographer put 
 up the negatives and drawings. I suppose the ofil- 
 cers had heard of my departure for when I drove out 
 of Pine Ridge, one or two of them shook hands with 
 me and a. gentlemaA (whose name and rank I do not 
 know now and whose card I have unfortunately lost) 
 told me that personally he entirely agreed with me 
 on these questions and he thought that some other 
 officers did, but there was a difference between per- 
 sonal and official attitude. 
 
 So we drove away fromi Pine Ridge. Two horse- 
 men also' took the road, but kept about a quarter of 
 a mile to the rear. They were both soldiers. When 
 we were some five miles from Pine Ridge they 
 turned their horses and rode back to the agency. 
 
 At Rushville I did not remain more than two or 
 three days. During that time news was brought to 
 me by Bartlett and one or two Indians who spoke 
 
 English, but this information was not satisfactory 
 as that obtained during the residence at the agency, 
 so I left for the East and repoi-ted to Mr. Minton 
 of The Illustrated American. He published all the 
 manuscript I had sent him, and also one entitled "In- 
 dian Women," which I omit from the columns of The 
 Inventor. 
 
 The American issued an appeal to Congress, the 
 upshot of which was for the Department of the In- 
 terior to conduct Indian affairs in such a manner 
 that a repetition of the Pine Ridge tragedy would be 
 impossible, or to give control of all agencies to the 
 War Department. 
 
 In January I spent a number of days interviewing 
 prominent men in behalf of the Indians, anJd circu- 
 lated numerous copies of the petition according to 
 Mr. Mintom's orders. A copy of the petition was 
 mailed to members of both the House and the Sen- 
 ate and also to prominent officials and public men. 
 The newspapers of the country commented upon the 
 attitude of the magazine and referred to my narra- 
 tive on the wrongs perpetrated upon the Indians. 
 Some praised us, others heaped maledictions on our 
 heads and others gave the whole affair a political 
 tone. The work in Washington was far from pleas- 
 ant and I was glad when it was over. Heaven de- 
 liver me from assuming the role of a lobbyist again. 
 It is only necessary to quote one conversation from 
 the diary of January 13: 
 
 "What," shrieked Commissioner Morgan, "Write 
 myself down an ass! Sign a petition heralding to 
 the world that the Bureau is guilty of fraud and in- 
 competency? 
 
 "Not much!" 
 
 Mr. Minton. wished me to travel through Mexico 
 for his magazine, but I did not care to leave .the 
 United States at that time. 
 
 It must not be thought that life at Pine Ridge had 
 not its bright side. Indeed, many incidents occurred 
 to enliven the seriousness of the situation. Two of 
 these are worthy of note here. 
 
 The photographer brought with him several large 
 bottles of acids to be used in developing the nega- 
 tives he took. One quart bottle contained a fluid 
 similar in color to the cheap whiskey sold near the 
 reservation. 
 
 One day George (who sang ghost dance songs for 
 me and assisted the interpreter) came into our head- 
 quarters. Spying the flask he cried: "Give me min- 
 newakan." 
 
 "No, no," I replied, "it's bad, it's poison." i was' 
 seated in a corner far off reading, and before I could 
 spring from my chair he had seized the flask and 
 raised it to his lips. 
 
 One swallow, a strangling sound, the jingling pf 
 broken glass as he dashed the bottle on the floor, 
 and he ran out of the door yelling and coughing. We 
 
The Field Diary op an Archaeological Oollector. 
 
 Guard Admitting Women to Drats/ Haiionj, "Pine llid^e. Typical Indian Woman. 
 
 were convulsed with laughter for it was very amus- 
 ing to see the macldest Indian in Pine Ridge running 
 around the yard, holding his stomach and shouting. 
 The police came up to ascertain the trouble, and they 
 laughed too when we told them. George never came 
 to see me afterward, and I suppose he longs for my 
 scalp, although really I had no intentional part in 
 the unfortunate affair. 
 
 A year or two before the ghost dance, a well- 
 known philanthropist visited Pine Ridge just before 
 Christmas and brought with him numerous boxes 
 and barrels containing clothing and gifts for the 
 Indians. He placed his boxes in formidable array 
 on the platform of a mission church and the Indians 
 flocked from far and near and filled the edifice to 
 overflowing. It was announced to them by the in- 
 terpreter that when this kind gentleman had deliv- 
 ered a brief address he would proceed to open the 
 boxes and distribute the gifts. 
 
 Not wishing to lose so good an opportunity to im- 
 press upon his hearers the need of education and 
 moralitj', the good man spoke at great length. Af- 
 ter lie had talked for an hour an old Indian, who was 
 not in sj'mpathj' with modern Ideals, said something 
 in a loud voice. Naturally surprised, the old gentle- 
 man paused in his sermon and turning to the inter- 
 preter asked, "What does my good friend and chief 
 say?" The interpreter hesitated to offend the philan- 
 thropist and said, "I'd rather cot tell you." "Yes, 
 but I must know," pei-sisted the gentleman, "Well," 
 said the interpreter, "he says, give us more presents 
 and less talk." 
 
 In passing the ghost dance it should be noted that 
 several men made capital out of the sufferings of the 
 Sioux. English-speaking Indians were enticed away 
 by certain "wild-west" show companies and what 
 was once a religious ceremony was debauched into 
 a money-making scheme. The Commissioner of In- 
 dian Affairs did well to prohibit reservation Sioux 
 from joining the demoralizing exhibitions. 
 
 The proprietotrs of such shows love the Indian for 
 what they can get out of him. When the real his- 
 tory of affairs on the Great Plains iS' written— 1830 
 to 1892— some of our Bills and Dicks will not appear 
 to advantage. The Indians' side has not been heard. 
 Mrs. Jackson, in her "Century of Dishonor," but be- 
 gan the revelation. 
 
 My old college friend, Dr. George A. Dorsey, was 
 at this time studying for his Ph. D. under Professor 
 Putnam at Harvard. He and I corresponded rela- 
 tive to work under Professor Putnam in the interest 
 of the World's Columbian Exposition. While waiting 
 the appointment I continued work and study under 
 Dr. Thomas Wilson. Looking back upon these years 
 I can truthfully say that I have only happy mem- 
 ories of my association with the dear old Doctor. 
 
 Doctor Wilson was ever in good humor. I never saw 
 him lose his temper although Fowke related an inci- 
 dent to this effect that occurred at Flint Ridge. He 
 and Doctor Wilson were crossing a field and were sud- 
 denly and unexpectedly charged by a large ram. 
 Fowke, being very tall and active, engaged the ani- 
 mal's attention thus giving the Doctor, who was 
 short and stout, time to reach the fence. Safe upon 
 
28 
 
 The Field Biaey OS' an Archaeological CollecToK. 
 
 the ottier side the Doctor shook his fist at the animal 
 and called him sundry names,' while Fowke becom- 
 ing weary of the sport of dodging, outran the heast 
 and vaulted the fence to safety. 
 
 Doctor Wilson had a fund of good stories with 
 which he was wont. to enliven the tedium of — 
 Flints and stones 
 And musty tomes 
 And dead men's bones. 
 
 Although of engaging disposition he could rebuke 
 afCrontery and Ignorance. Upon one occasion a very 
 pompous individual entered the hall and I attempted 
 to show him the exhibits. He had been there but 
 ten or fifteen minutes when, becoming weary, he said 
 to me: "You needn't explain further. I know all 
 about these things." 
 
 Doctor Wilson at this moment came out of his office 
 and having overheard the remark he immediately 
 approached the stranger, laid a paternal hand on his 
 shoulder and said impressively: "My dear sir, if you 
 know all about these things you are the very man we 
 want. I have studied them twenty years and I am 
 at a loss to understand their meaning. Come over 
 to Professor Langley's and I shall resign at once in 
 your favor." 
 
 A few months after Doctor Wilson's death, Mr. Oa- 
 hill, caretaker in the Smithsonian, died. This man 
 had been for thirty years employed in the hall de- 
 voted to prehistoric archaeology and had served un- 
 der Doctor Rau and others. He had picked up a great 
 deal of iniormationi during these years and. as he 
 went about in his quiet way dusting the cases, he 
 frequently answered questions propounded to him 
 by visitors. He had the native Irish wit and some 
 of his sayings are worthy of preservation. 
 
 A pompous Englishmian entered the exhibition hall 
 and gazed at a certain famous display, pondered over 
 the label and then turned to Oahill— who was rub- 
 bing a near case — and said: 
 
 "My mon, I have looked In this case ten minutes 
 and I cawn't understand it." 
 
 "Sure, sor," replied Oahill, "if ye looked at it all 
 day could ye onderstolnd It?" 
 
 When the question of Gardner's theory of monkey 
 language was interesiting Washington scientists, Oa- 
 hill said: 
 
 "And, sor, I never heard monkeys talk loike men, 
 but I have heard men talk lodke monkeys." 
 
 While passing through a hall containing ethnologic 
 exhibits he paused before a case of scalp-fringed 
 garments and remarked to me: 
 
 "Now I know why Oongress always sinds bald- 
 headed politicians to trate with the Indians." 
 
 Visitor— "Why are these stones labeled 'un- 
 known' ?" 
 
 Oahill— "To educate the public." 
 Visitor— "Why, how's that?" 
 
 Oahill- "Well, you see if they were labeled loike 
 the other stones nobody would ask me questions." 
 
 OHAPTER XII. 
 
 AT FORT ANCIENT AND HOPEWELL'S. 
 
 An archaelogical student plays many parts. He 
 must explore, study and write. He should be cos- 
 mopolitan and equally at home in the museum as in 
 camp. To-day he participates in discussions at some 
 scientific meeting; to-morrow, he joins in the small 
 talk of farmers gathered about the mound he is open- 
 ing. The ability 'to make one's self agreeable to 
 rustics is not to "be despised. In fact, I know two 
 geniUemen— both eminent in archaeology— they have 
 neither tact nor a pleasing personality — ^who have 
 found it difficult to secure permission from land 
 owners for exploration of ancient remains. A little 
 personal interest in the affairs of the natives, a 
 friendly conversation of an hour or two at the cross- 
 roads grocery, or an unbending of dignity w^ould have 
 put them right in the eyes of the property owiiers. 
 Except in Ross County, Ohio, I have been refused 
 permission to explore but eight mounds or village 
 sites, and I have asked and received consent of more 
 than four hundred landowners. 
 
 It was toward the end of March, 1901, that a let- 
 ter came from Mr. George A. Dorsey, then an assist- 
 ant under Professor Putnam of the Peabody 
 Museum. This letter, as the diary entry truly re- 
 marks, made a change in my life. Dorsey had been 
 a college chum and each of us had a high regard for 
 the other. 
 
 He asked me to come to Cambridge anid see Pro- 
 fessor Putnam; he said tha;t the World's Columbian 
 Exposition at Chicago had been recently organized 
 and that the Professor wished me to undertake field 
 work for the Department of Anthropology. Imme- 
 diately I started for Cambridge, went to Harvard 
 University and consulted with Dorsey. The follow- 
 ing morning we called upon Professor Putnam. A 
 most pleasant conversation ensued, lasting some three 
 hours, and resulted In my employment as a field as- 
 slstanit. 
 
 Three days later the following welcome telegram 
 was delivered at my rooms: 
 
 "Start at once for Fort Ancient. — F. W. P." 
 
 I had asked Fowke to join the survey, but he had 
 accepted a position with Professor Holmes and could 
 not do so, so I employed Messi-s. George Little and 
 John Munger, of Xenja, both compeitent surveyors. 
 A force of workmen was employed and continued at 
 the task of excavation until July 1, when I was or- 
 dered to report at Cambridge. Mr. Little had made 
 
The Field Diaey op an Akchaeologicai, Oollectoe. 
 
 29 
 
 a careful survey, laid off cross sections, etc., and in- 
 vestigated one or two' points omitted in the 1889 sur- 
 vey. These measurements would enable Professor 
 Putnam to make a papier-mache model of the vcork. 
 
 Shortly after locating at Port Ancient, April 8, 
 visitors began to flock in. In the previous years the 
 explorations had not attracted general attention, but 
 during April, May and .Tune of our stay frequent ex- 
 cursions came. May 8 the State Archaeological So- 
 ciety Committee came down and held a conference 
 with our party. They permitted us to carry on ex- 
 plorations upon their land. 
 
 During May what we called "opening days" were 
 inaugurated. We saved the stone graves until we 
 had some 18 to 25 ready and on certain stated dates 
 we opened these graves. One opening day there 
 were 550 persons present and on our largest day the 
 crowd was estimated at over 1,000, for 800 were 
 counted present at noon by one of the men. Two 
 trains beaa-ing excursionists were run from Cincin- 
 nati. 
 
 A total of seventy skeletons were found during the 
 eleven weeks' digging. The whole of the bottoms 
 lying between the railway and the river (above Foi-t 
 Ancient station) were dug over and not a little work 
 was done in the South Fort. 
 
 Our stay at Fort Ancient was extremely pleasant. 
 Many friends visited us, bass fishing was good and 
 the weather could not have been more perfect. The 
 entire force regretted the termination of the survey. 
 
 Some amusing experiences should not be omitted. 
 An elderly and worthy gentleman was much dis- 
 turbed because we were permitted tOi exhume these 
 ancient people. He wrote frequent letters to th« 
 county papers, one of which I give herewith: 
 "Editor of the : 
 
 "Is there any law against grave robbery? If there 
 Is, why is it that our officers and citizens permit 
 grave robbeiy at Fort Ancient? 
 
 "Is it any less a crime to rob graves in large num- 
 ber than it is to rob a single grave? 
 
 "If there is a law of Ohio which makes It an of- 
 fense to rob the grave of a human being why is 
 not the law enforced? 
 
 "Are we acting on the principal of the golden rule — 
 'Do unto oi:hers as you would have others do unto 
 you' — and let this work be carried on as it is now 
 done at Fort Ancient? 
 
 "While I am in favor of the human family gaining 
 all the Information possible respecting the history of 
 our country and the races of people that have in- 
 habited it, certainly it does seem to be going too far 
 to tear from these old graves the bones of 
 mothers, fathers and children, who lived and loved 
 and buried their dead in sorrow as we bury ours. 
 
 ■'Let us protest against this work. Let us speak 
 out against it, and if it is a violation of law, let the 
 law be enforced. W. H." 
 
 Other papers took up the question on my side and 
 a men-y comic-opera war ran through the press. The 
 Washington Star sent a reporter over to Dr. WU- 
 son and this is what was printed: 
 
 •'Mr. Moorehead is a well known antiquary and for 
 some time past has been spending his money and 
 time in a fruitful study of that grand relic of pre- 
 historic times on the Little Miami River which they 
 call Fort Ancient. A few weeks ago he made 
 a remarkable and valuable discovery— a tomb 
 with a dozen or more skeletons. And now some 
 Jealous rivals have sprung upon him the Ohio statute 
 which makes it a penitentiary offense for one, who, 
 'without lawful authority, wilfully opens a grave or 
 tomb where any corpse has been deposited.' 
 
 "When the fact was called to the attention of Col. 
 Wilson, curator of prehistoric anthropology at the 
 Smithsonian, he said to the Star reporter that he did 
 not think there were any grounds for the case. 'If 
 there were,' said he, the coroner of the District of 
 Columbia must have been wholly derelict in his duty 
 in acft holding an inquest over the body of the 
 Egyptian mummy in the museum. And we have a 
 number of section® of prehistoric humanity that 
 ought never to have been allowed to come into the 
 city without the proper death certificate made out 
 by the attending physician.' " 
 
 Through July I worked over the bones and imple- 
 ments found at Fort Ancient. It was cool in the 
 Peabody Museum basement and I mianaged to work 
 from early until late. Instead of requiring three 
 months to complete the washing and arranging of 
 the collection, the time spent was about five weeks. 
 I asked permission to take the field again and was 
 sent at once to Oregonia, Warren County, Ohio, to 
 the Taylor farm near the mouth of Caesar's Creek. 
 This is about five miles above Fort Ancient. 
 
 Here we found a large mound, a village site and 
 cemetery and exhumed nearly a hundred adults and 
 children. There was a knife, or flint object of un- 
 known use, fourteen inches long buried by the side 
 of one skeleton. 
 
 Thursdiay, August 27, the camp at Oregonia was 
 broken and we hired wagons to carry our outfit and 
 men across country to the Hopewell Group. I rode 
 over on a bicycle as far as Washington C. H., where 
 I awaited the wagons. The men reached camp at 
 8 o'clock Friday night, hastily put up a tent and 
 turned in well tired after nearly eighty miles over- 
 land through great heat. 
 
 Next morning camp was put iu permanent order 
 near a fine spring on the terrace overlooking Mr. 
 
30 
 
 The Field Diary op an Aechaeoloqical Oolleotoh. 
 
 Hopewell's farm. The owner we found to be a kind 
 and courteous gentleman who gave us full and com- 
 plete permission to explore on his estate. 
 
 The exploi'atlons marked an epoch in American 
 archaeology, for it is no exaggeration to say that 
 such a diversity of copper and other material had 
 not previously been found. A full description has 
 been published in the Antiquarian and American 
 Archaeologist of '97-8. 
 
 For six months the expedition labored at Hope- 
 well's. Five teams and scrapers, and a dozen shovel- 
 ers were employed almost continuously. In Febru- 
 ary the work was brought to an end and I reported 
 at Cambridge ag'ain. En route there I stopped in 
 New York and called upon Mr. Minton, of The Il- 
 lustrated American. He informed me that the Pine 
 Ridge ghost dance articles had met with success and 
 that he wished me to conduct an expedition into the 
 ellfC-dweller country of Utah, New Mexico and 
 Arizona. He made a very liberal proposition and I 
 laid the matter before Professor Putnam. He agreed 
 to recognize the expedition and to help us in return 
 for all specimens found. Returning to New York I 
 interviewed Minton. 
 
 While in New York preparing for the expedition 
 Mr. Minton went away for some days, but left me 
 orders to proceed with the purchase of supplies and 
 equipment. When he returned he found some fault 
 with my arrangements, but after we had talked it 
 over he agreed in most particulars. Minton was 
 an abrupt and quick tempered man. I spent some 
 six days in getting ready. The diary entry on the 
 night of departure states: He has placed a great 
 deal of confidence in me and I shall try to make the 
 expedition a success in every particular. 
 
 Minton sent me down to see Mr. George Gould 
 regarding passes for our party. Mr. Gold gave me 
 two passes from New Y^ork to Durango and four 
 passes from Cincinnati to Durango and return. I 
 had a most pleasant chat with him. Upon return to 
 The Illustrated American office, Minton said: "Why 
 didn't you get sleeper transportation too?" I replied 
 that I thought Mr. Gould had done enough already. 
 
 "Always get all you can; now do you go right back 
 there and ask for sleepers." So back I went. Mr. 
 Gould was surprised to hear the request. "Why," 
 said he, "we have already given your people the 
 equivalent of four hundred dollars. Next Mr. Minton 
 will want us to furnish meals en route." I explained 
 my position and Mr. Gould laughed and said: "Tell 
 Mr. Minton that he has his nerve." 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 OPE POR THE SOUTHWEST. 
 
 Ovir outfit weighed some four thousand pounds. 
 The equipment was complete. A partial list is as 
 follows: 
 
 Surveying and photographic outfits, drawing ma- 
 terials; 1,000 pounds of canned beef, bacon and 
 hams; 500 pounds canned goods, dried fruits, etc.; 
 500 pounds miscellaneous supplies; 1,000 feet best 
 rope; guns and ammunition; special packing cases; 
 250 small sacks of tobacco for Navajos and other 
 Indians, etc., etc. 
 
 We were now ready. Anxious to get a glimpse of 
 the Hopewell Group, I took the Baltimore & Ohio 
 and asked the porter to awaken me at Chillicothe. It 
 was past midnight when the train puUed out along 
 the well-known track toward Anderson Station. I 
 raised the curtain and peered out. Presently we 
 were alongside the familiar field. A light snow cov- 
 ered the remains of our efflgy — whose ancient dead 
 we had removed even from their last resting place— 
 and made the outlines of that truly great monument 
 barely discernible. A moment later as the train 
 sped on, the darkness had it, and the famous Hope- 
 well Group, where we had toiled so long, raniished 
 in the night. 
 
 On arrival at Durango we found that the trunks 
 and boxes had not come. Our checked baggage in- 
 cluded a tent and blankets, etc. We purchased a 
 small lot of provisions and moved three miles up 
 Wild Cat canyon from Durango and went into camp 
 for three days. In the East it had been warm; It 
 was quite cold here and I wished to see how the 
 men got on under adverse conditions. Two of them 
 had never roughed it and suffered somewhat. In 
 fact, snow water agreed with none of us and we 
 were glad when the boxes and trunks arrived and 
 we could get the outfit together. Several western- 
 ers were employed. Matthews, -who was formerly 
 a government packer, to take charge of our nine 
 burros; Cox, a Mexican-American, to cook (he also 
 furnished a wagon); and Olinger, an old time team- 
 ster with a pair of fine horses and good wagon. In 
 starting we had no little trouble with the burros and 
 it was some days before Matthews got them licked 
 into good form. 
 
 From New York a Mr. Rowley accompanied us as 
 naturalist. He was sent to collect desert animals, 
 birds and reptiles. His baggage added nearly three 
 thousand pounds to the expedition and soon I was 
 compelled to cut it down one-half, and later to re- 
 duce it still further. Mr. Maurice Longnecker from 
 Cincinnati came on with the boys— I had joined the 
 party at S-t. Louis— and he became one of our most 
 valuable men. He was not in the original "cast,"' 
 but was extremely anxious to see the country; so 
 
The Field Diary of an Auciiaeolouical roLLEt'Tni!. 
 
 31 
 
 M'r. Moorehead'j Headquarters at Vine 'Rid^e. 
 
 Cowen and Gunckel brought him along. As to the 
 right-liand men of the expedition Mr. Minton said; 
 
 "Mr. Clinton Cowen, of Cincimiati, is the surveyor 
 and topographical artist. Sir. Cowen is in his thirty- 
 first year. He has served at Fort Ancient with Mr. 
 Moorehead in 1889, and at the Hopewell Group dur- 
 ing the past season. He has also surveyed Fort Hill 
 and the Serpent Mound with a relief model. He is 
 probably the only man in the country— with the ex- 
 ception of the Mindeleff brothers at Washington— 
 who devotes his entire time and mathematical knowl- 
 edge to the reproducing on paper and plaster of 
 Paris of aboriginal earthworks and stone runs. His 
 labors in this direction have naturally made him a 
 good archaeologist. 
 
 "Mr. Lewis AV. Gunckel, a son of Ex-Congressman 
 Gunckel, of Dayton, O., is a geologist. He gradu- 
 afed at Yale from the scientific class of '91. He will 
 make observations upon the geology and natural his- 
 tory of the region through which the survey will 
 pass. He will examine the old Spanish missions, 
 and look into some of the Mormon settlements, such 
 as are in. Southern Utah. 
 
 "Mr. William W. Ralston, of Cincinnati, accompa- 
 nies the expedition as one of the assistants. He was 
 with Mr. Moorehead at Fort Ancient in 18S9, and 
 at the Hopewell Group last year. He has had sev- 
 
 eral years' experience in the field, and is a valuable 
 man in many particulars. 
 
 "Mr. Remington Lane, of Cincinnati, is the artist 
 and photographer. Mr. Lane studied in Germany 
 and Jlunich, and has been an instructor at the Cin- 
 cinnati Art School. Llis paintings and sketches are 
 well known through the Central States. He has 
 non a number of diplomas." 
 
 Camp was established in an old cabin overlook- 
 ing the river. A few exact copies of the diary notes 
 will give an idea as to how our time was spent. 
 
 THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1892. 
 
 From our cabin the scenery is typical of the re- 
 gion—the ban-en foot-hills and mesas stretching as 
 far as eye can reach down each side of the valley, 
 and the more fertile alluvial bottom lands, on each 
 side of the river, extend southward fifteen miles, 
 where the Animas empties into the picturesque Rio 
 San Juan. It is also an interesting region for the 
 sportsman, for almost at any time one can see ducks 
 and plover along the river, and one hundred yards 
 from our cabin can be found plenty of rabbits, and 
 prairie dogs by the thousand, while some ten or fif- 
 teen miles distant the sturdy Nimrod can find deer, 
 coj'otes, and an occasional mountain lion. 
 
 We worked around the ruins all the morning. 
 Yesterday it snowed and hailed .so that it prevented 
 
32 
 
 The Field Diaby of ah Abchaeological Oollectob. 
 
 much -work being done. As it was clear to-day we 
 took several photograplis of the ruins. 
 
 FRIDAY, MARCH 18. 
 Gunckel and Ralston helped Cowen survey in the 
 morning. Rowley worked on his mice and birds. 
 We Avorked on the first article for The Illustrated 
 American. Some men from Aztec said there was 
 a graveyard on the mesa and we went up with them 
 and prospected a little. We found al>out twenty or 
 thirty stone piles or burying places, but did not 
 think they were worth digging. In the evening Lane 
 went up to the ruins, crawled into the inner rooms 
 and took flash light photographs. 
 
 SATURDAY, MARCH 19. 
 Finished our first article for The Illustrated Ameri- 
 can and sent it in together with the photographs and 
 sketches. The teamster returned about 4 o'clock in 
 the afternoon with the five trunks and some more 
 provisions. The trunks being cheap ones were in 
 bad condition and some of the chemicals were brok- 
 en and scattered about. The Winchester rifles and 
 Colt revolvers' were in good condition. 
 
 SUNDAY, MARCH 20. 
 
 The day was spent in writing letters home, walk- 
 ing about the plain examining the ruins, and gath- 
 ering up pieces of pottery, which lay in countless 
 numbers all over the plain. We put up the two new 
 tents, one for our provisions, and in the other we 
 eat. 
 
 The ruins at Aztec are owned by Mr. John Koontz. 
 He permitted us to survey them, but would allow no 
 extensive excavations. These ruins form a most 
 imposing pile of masonry, standing as they do in 
 majestic prominence, the principal landmark of the 
 valley of the Rio del las Animas, for miles around. 
 From its top, looking toward the west, can be seen 
 the beautiful snow-clad peaks of the range of La 
 Plata, seventy miles distant, while to the east ex- 
 tend the lowlands with the barren mesa for a back- 
 ground, and toward the north and south the winding 
 Animas River. Our work on these ruins consisted 
 in making a careful survey. 
 
 Scattered at uneven intervals about the valley, near 
 the ruins, are accumualtions of earth and stone re- 
 sembling, to a very great extent, natural mounds or 
 heaps of stone; but close scrutiny refers their origin 
 to human hands. 
 
 Between the east and west divisions of the pueblo, 
 about half-way from each other, are the ruins of an 
 estufa, surrounded on all sides by a series of small 
 rooms. This estufa was of the same measurement 
 and diameter as several noted within the pueblos, 
 and its isolated position, between the two ruins, gave 
 it great importance. Perhaps within its aged walls 
 the great councils of the head men, meetings of secret 
 
 orders, etc., of both pueblos were held, and matters 
 of importance to the tribes were discussed. 
 
 The top walls of the ruins are in a poor state of 
 preservation, and lean to such an extent that we 
 were afraid that they would fall at almost any mo- 
 ment. In all probability, when next they are visited 
 they will be found mingled with the mass of debris 
 that surrounds them on all sides. As they stand 
 now, it is easy to see that they formed the third 
 story of the pueblo, and, judging from the pile of 
 fallen stone, the building must have originally been 
 about four stories in height. While most of the up- 
 per walls have crumbled and fallen, the heavy ma- 
 sonry and solid floors of the first and second stories 
 remain intact. The piles of stone and earth, accu- 
 mulated above them to a height of many feet, con- 
 vert these stories into what are practieally series of 
 underground rooms. Communication from one to the 
 other is afforded only by means of small holes just 
 large enough for a person to creep through. 
 
 The western or large pueblo covers an area of 
 about sixty thousand square feet, and has an aver- 
 age height on the main front of eighteen feet, mak- 
 ing in all about sixteen thousand perches, or four 
 hundred thousand cubic feet of masonry. The east- 
 ern pueblo will average a little less than this, but 
 its dilapidated condition and fallen walls make it 
 imposs'ible to give exact measurements without 
 spending more time on the work than we could af- 
 ford. The only rooms that can be made out at all 
 are the seven estufas, which resemble to a great ex- 
 tent those of the western pueblo. This peublo is 
 either considerably the older of the two, or it was 
 built in a less substantial manner, for at present 
 writing it is little more than a large uneven heap of 
 stones and debris. 
 
 Exploring these underground rooms was the most 
 exciting and interesting part of our work at Aztec. 
 It is difficult for one who has never been in under- 
 ground and deserted rooms to realize the weird and 
 awful silence which reigns in these long-deserted 
 chambers. The flickering light disappearing in the 
 distance as the explorer advances, the sense inspired 
 by the solid masonry, the stained and aged rafters 
 in the ceiling, the mystery of the forgotten builders 
 combined to thrill the imagination with romantic 
 visions of the past. Our time was limited and we 
 were compelled to make these chambers serve not as 
 places to induce sentiment, but as dark rooms for 
 our photographer. For this purpose they proved ad- 
 mirable. On one occasion Mr. Lane crawled through 
 narrow passageways until he had reached a remote 
 chamber from the entrance and then prepared to 
 take a flash light. Placing his camera in position and 
 getting everything ready, he blew out his candle, 
 felt in his pocket for matches to touch off the flash 
 
The Field Diary op an Akohaeological Collector. 
 
 33 
 
 light. To his horror he discovered that he had 
 brought none with him. He had forgotten the most 
 important item needed in his work. He carefully 
 packed his camera and after what seemed to him a 
 number of hours found his way out. He had been 
 in the ruin less than forty minutes. 
 
 West of these ruins, ranging from 200 to 300 feet 
 in height, extends an Imposing mesa, upon which 
 there are unmistakable signs of a burying ground. 
 Small heaps of debris are found at intervals all 
 along the ridge, while surrounding every prairie dog 
 hole are found fragments of pottery which the ani- 
 mals have brought to the surface in burrowing their 
 holes. Conspicuous among the small mounds, which 
 are found all along the mesa, is a large circle rudely 
 constructed and imperfect in its outlines, having a 
 diameter of about 125 feet. One morning two mem- 
 bers of the party were walking along this mesa about 
 half a mile from the circle. Selecting a likely spot 
 they uncovered a fragmentary skeleton and some 
 decorated pottery. 
 
 One of the most interesting features connected 
 with this remarkable group is that the quarries from 
 which the soft stone utilized In the walls Tvas ob- 
 tained are found at a short distance (something like 
 two miles). A broad trail or road leads from the 
 ruins over the hills and the valley back to the mesa, 
 where the quarries were. Numerous broken axes of 
 rude form, stone hammers and others quarry tools 
 have been found on the site. The road does no<t seek 
 the easy grades, but goes up direct over a high and 
 steep slope of the mesa (perhaps 150 feet elevation), 
 and bears every evidence of having been well 
 traveled. 
 
 The ruins themselves are in a remarkable state 
 of preservation. In places they stood, originally, four 
 stories high. Throughout most of their extent they 
 were three stories high, and with the exception of 
 the lower portions facing the river, in no place were 
 they less than two stories in height. The beams 
 or rafters of rooms were massive; the walls are com- 
 posed of stone about as large as granite paving 
 blocks used in modern times in our cities. The 
 beams separating the second story from lower rooms 
 are very heavy and splendidly preserved. It is possi- 
 ble to crawl through one of several openings into 
 these lower story rooms (or as the natives call tbem, 
 underground rooms) and pass from one room to an- 
 other until one has traversed 40 or 50 chambers 
 varying from 10 by 12 feet, and 8 feet in height, to 
 several large ones 14 by 16 feet, and 10 feet in height. 
 I have seldom seen larger rooms in any of the ruins. 
 There are two chief buildings, with a small one be- 
 tween and several others near by; the western (one 
 to the left) being the largest. The smaller ones are 
 of water-worn boulders and belong to that numerous 
 3 
 
 class known as "boulder ruins," to disitinguish them 
 from the buildings of dressed stone. 
 
 The plan, drawn by Mr. Cowen, gives a good idea 
 of the western pueblo. At a glance several kivas or 
 estufas will be seen. In making the survey (as ex- 
 cavations were not permitted) he was greatly handi- 
 capped by the fallen walls and ruined condition of 
 some parts of the buildings. In places the accumu- 
 lation of debris reached a height of twenty-three 
 feet. 
 
 It is no more than just to remark, in passing, that 
 Mr. Gunckel wrote most of the article treating of the 
 Aztec ruins. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ON TO THE LA PLATA. 
 
 The 24th I went to Durango to telegraph Mr. Min- 
 ton for money. Expenses of the expedition were 
 heavy and we were in need of funds. The 26th 
 Ralston made the following entry: 
 
 The night was very cold and in the morning we 
 had a snow storm accompanied by a heavy wind. 
 The second article was finished with the exception 
 Of several pictures. Mr. Cowen is nearly through 
 with the map of the ruins. We had no word from 
 Mr. Moorehead who was expected on the stage which 
 runs between Durango and Farmington. This stage 
 is a great curiosity, by the way, and Is hardly worthy 
 of the name of stage. It is nothing but a common 
 farm wagon with no top. It also carries the mail 
 and a few express packages. The passengers are 
 jolted and tumbled around as the wagon crosses the 
 rough mesas and fords streams, and every now and 
 then the driver remarks, "Keep your seat," which 
 needless to say is hard to do. They change horses 
 about every ten miles and keep up a brisk trot. 
 
 SATURDAY, MARCH 26. 
 
 Mooa-ehead came on the afternoon stage. No money 
 from headquarters, so he wired home for funds of 
 his own. Professor Putnam is expected to send the 
 permits to go onto Indian reservations in a few 
 days. 
 
 All the boys were made happy to-day by being in- 
 formed that they could go hunting in the morning 
 for deer and turkeys. So there was a great over- 
 hauling of guns and ammunition. The cook and 
 teamster vied with each other in spinning yarns 
 about "b'ar" and bucks. 
 
 Several wild ducks were noticed along the river 
 to-day. Cowen made a wager with Moorehead as 
 to marksmanship with the revolvers and beat him 
 badly. Severe winds blew part of the day; there was 
 snow and hail in the morning. 
 
34 
 
 'J'lIE FjKLD IUAHY of ax AliCHAEOLOCICAL COLLECTOE. 
 
 
 B»"' 
 
 
 E:5TUfA 
 
 
 I'LAN Ol- 1H1! WKSlKliN J'liUbl.O- IN KtriXS NEAR AZTI-J. 
 
 *t***«^-'^'^»*i U} X OV^ ■ 
 
 The men (Rowlej', Coweu, Ralston, Longnecker, 
 and the teamster) left at sunrise in the lai-ge wagon 
 for the hills. JMoorehead and Gunckel set their lines 
 Sn the river hoping to catch fish, but caught none. 
 We have graduallj' become accustomed to camp life 
 and enjoy it better. Moorehcad's arrival with eigh- 
 teen new blankets was a godsend. We suffered 
 severely at night before they came for wo had but 
 two blankets per man. 
 
 Rowley has not caught many animals of late and 
 sighs for new pastures. 
 
 The minister of Aztec called to-day — a typical 
 Western parson. Persons have called to have their 
 children photographed and went awaj- disappointed. 
 
 A cowboy held up the stage and terrorized citi- 
 zens la,st week with his guu. He has fled into the 
 Blue Mountains. 
 
 The hunting party returned in the afternoon hav- 
 ing only secured two small birds, a wild duck, and 
 a jack-rabbit. Some few deer tracks were seen. 
 
 Ralston, March 28, was given charge of (he diary. 
 
 We were up at 5 o'clock packing, preparatory to 
 moving on La Plata. One of the dreaded wind and 
 sand storms, of which we had heard, began while we 
 ate breakfast, but we kept on with the work and 
 packed up. 
 
 Considerable merriment was made in the packing 
 of the burros; Cowen and Ralston causing much 
 laughter trying to hold them. At 10:30 a. m. we were 
 all started and the outfit, consisting of ten men, six 
 horses, two wagons, and the nine burros, made quite 
 a sight. La Plata was seventeen miles away; 
 we would not have minded the distance so much, 
 but the wind blew the sand with stinging force into . 
 our faces and w© could hardly hear each other 
 speak. Besides it was verj- cold. We did not stop 
 for dinner but kept on, finally reaching La Plata at 
 4:30 p. m., the storm having then about spent itself. 
 
 iMARCH 30. 
 
 After leaving Aztec the sand storm reached the 
 lieight of its fury. It beat down upon us mercilessly. 
 Such a gale none of us had ever witnessed before. 
 1 he sand struck us fairly in the face, filling our eyes 
 and ears. The wind blew with such force that we 
 could scarcely walk. The burros staggered under 
 tlieir loads and the horses had all they could pull 
 with wagons only moderately loaded. Hour after 
 hour we toiled through the blasting storm until, at 
 last, we reached camping ground on Mr. Henderson's 
 ranch. Our tents were pitched beside the swift La 
 Plata, and we retired early utterly fagged out with 
 our wearisome journey. 
 
The Field Diary of an Archaeological Oollector. 
 
 35 
 
 Tuesday morning we set out to examine the ruins, 
 which extend tar up and down the valley. We pros- 
 pected a little and found several slceletons, two whole 
 pots, several fragmentary ones (one beautifully 
 decorated), a bone awl, and about twenty small, but 
 beautifully wrought arrow-heads. 
 
 Wednesday morning we unearthed two large pots 
 which had flat stones placed over the tops. The 
 weight of • the e'arth and boulders had partially 
 crushed them. However, we took photographs of 
 them in position in the excavation, but could not 
 take them out whole, although they can be restored. 
 Several stone axes, a nietate, and twenty-four of 
 the small arrow points wore found. We also began 
 the excavation of a room about twelve feet square. 
 The nights are very cold and twice we have found 
 tile ground covered with snow in the moraing. 
 
 "Doori^ay.f in the Aziec "Pueblo. 
 
 MARCH 31. 
 
 When we awoke in the morning we found the 
 ground covered with snow and the thermometer at 
 16 degrees above zero. It was so bitterly cold tliat 
 very little work could be done. We were glad 
 to receive the mail in the afternoon and to see what 
 
 was going on in the outside world. We got no word 
 fi-om The American. 
 
 AFRIL 1. 
 
 AVe started the third article for The American 
 In the morning and two short stories were written 
 upon the typewriter which the stenographer toolv 
 Wednesday when Navajos IMilt (Milton HoIUngs- 
 worth) visited us. Lane also sketched him. The 
 afternoon was spent at the ruins, Mr. Cowen in sur- 
 veying and the rest of us in locating and opening 
 graves. We found several skeletons, one of which 
 had several whole pots or earthen vessels with It. 
 A photograph was taken with everything in posi- 
 tion. Several more axes and arrow-heads were 
 found. 
 
 One of the above skeletons was found by noticing 
 an unusual amount of fragments of pottery around 
 a prairie dog's hole which the animal in burrowing 
 had thrown up. From this fact we decided it must 
 be an ancient burying place. In digging down into 
 the hole we soon came across the end of a bowl 
 shaped like a basin. We then took the small hand 
 trowels and worked very carefully around it, and 
 soon brought to light the whole bowl. While dig- 
 ging the dirt out of the center of it we found two 
 spoon-shaped implements evidently made from the 
 femur of the elk or deer. A small flint knife was 
 also taken out of the bowl. Then carefully removing 
 the earth to the left of this, we unearthed a skull. 
 The skeleton was that of an adult in a fair state of 
 preservation and laid about one and a half feet be- 
 lojv the surface of the mesa. At the right of the 
 skeleton we found three more bowls. The first one 
 we took out had red decorations on the inside, and 
 measured nine inches in width and five in depth. 
 Inside of this bowl was a smaller one shaped like a 
 sugar-bowl about four inches in diameter. Lying 
 next to this, a small cup-shaped bowl evidently used 
 for a drinking vessel, without decoration. Next to 
 this we found another small vessel shaped like a 
 dipper with a long handle to it. Two more flint 
 knives were taken out of the earth in this dipper. 
 This was all in the grave. 
 
 APRIL 2. 
 
 We pitched our third tent and made a workroom 
 for the photographer. Fire-wood is very scarce and 
 we have to take the wagon and go back three miles 
 into the foot-hills for it. Some fish were caught in 
 the river and Mr. Rowley found a porcupine in one 
 of his traps. Another big snow in the afternoon 
 stopped all work. 
 
 APRIL 3. 
 
 The snow fell all night and most of the day. We 
 were compelled to stay in the tents, write letters, 
 and pass the time as best we could. 
 
:=!6 
 
 The l(^iEi>D Diary of an Aechaeological Collector. 
 
 E6e "Ruins at Az^tec, J^. M. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 EUINS ON THE RIO LA PLATA. 
 
 The valley of tbe Rio La Plata is narrower than 
 the Animas and more fertile. It is a promising 
 fruit and cattle country- In ancient times it was 
 well peopled — perhaps by the same tribe that liveil 
 along the Animas. 
 
 The ruins vary from one-room to tifty-rooni 
 structures. Sandstone slabs, as near the desired 
 form as could be found, were selected to be used 
 in the walls. Many of these did not well fit and 
 were chipped or blocked into shape. The simi- 
 larity is not confined to architecture alone. Pottery, 
 axes, projectile points, etc., of the two regions are 
 identical. 
 
 Th€ natives irrigated hundreds of acres about these 
 ruins. One can trace the outlines of their ditches 
 for several miles in spite of the shifting, ever-chang- 
 ing sands. That many of the ditclies are now filled 
 or obliterated one does not doubt. 
 
 The ancient farmer ran his ditches at the foot of 
 the mesa and not high upon it as does the present 
 ranchman. Falling rapidly, as does the La Plata, 
 it Avas not necessary for him to mal<e his rude dam 
 far above the tract he wished to water. From the 
 main canal which was used, we think, in common 
 the people ran small ditches or laterals and from 
 these still smaller streams to the individual garden 
 beds. I say garden beds, for the surface indications 
 are that there were thousands of small beds. These, 
 to-day, lie some feet below the surface, hut occasionally 
 ifa the spring when the melting snows of the Rocky 
 Mountains swell the La Plata into a raging torrent 
 
 the sand above a given spot may be washed away. 
 It is then that they are seen to be very like the great 
 expanse of garden beds found near our modern cities. 
 
 Plants grow rapidly in this climate. The owner of 
 tlie lands on wliich we are encamped raises all his 
 garden truck in six weeks from the time of planting. 
 Without irrigation the soil is valueless; with it he 
 can produce three crops each year. The observer 
 from the East must appreciate these facts else he 
 can not understand how so large a population could 
 have existed in a desert land. He must remember 
 that the pueblo inhabitants were not roving savages, 
 but lived for long periods of time in substantially 
 built houses of stone or adobe bricks. 
 
 Farther up the La Plata, where in summer it is 
 so low and small that one can jump across it, the 
 region is interesting to the archaeologist. From a high 
 point on the mesa the view is strange and fascinat- 
 ing. Little vegetation can be seen except pinon, 
 cactus and sage-bush. As far as the vision com- 
 mands are undulating valleys, with mesas and foot- 
 hills; here and there are deep, intersecting canyons, 
 and now and then stands a high point looming ui, 
 like a sentinel watching over the dreary waste. 
 
 Along the mesas, about a quarter of a mile from 
 the Plata, are numerous and unmistakable signs of 
 a prehistoric race which once lived and evidently 
 prospered in this region. On almost every prominent 
 point are mounds of debris and rudely squared stones 
 which marlv the homes of these people, all in a state 
 of far-advanced ruin, with only a few walls remain- 
 ing intact and projecting above the mounds. 
 
 Among the most interesting of the relics found in 
 this locality are the small and delicately formed 
 
The KiKi-D Diary of an Aroiiaeological Collector. 
 
 37 
 
 'Bhe Sand Storm. 
 
 aiTOw-poiuts, equalling in minutenes.s even those of 
 Oregon. Tliey are claipped from obsidian, jasper, 
 uioss-agate, and many variegated tints and colors of 
 flint, and because of their translucent blades and 
 delicately notclied bases and unique designs, Uiey 
 are much sought after by the inhabitants of this 
 region. Some whfich we found measured but half 
 an inch in length, and were of exquisite workman- 
 ship. They are very difficult to find, and one may 
 walk over the same ground a dozen times without 
 detecting their presence. This we found by experi- 
 ence, after much wondering how the sniall boys at 
 the neighboring ranches could find them while we 
 could not. After a tiime we learned the secret. In 
 order to find the smaller and more valuable points, 
 one must pick out a good locality and closely ex- 
 amine the gi-ound, going over it on hands and knees. 
 
 At intervals along the mesa, and among the ruins, 
 are found many stone axes, resembling to a great ex- 
 tent those unearthed in the Bast, and many large 
 stone metates, which were probably used for grind- 
 ing the corn, seeds and grain for food — while the 
 ground is literally strewn with fragments of pot- 
 tery in every direction. 
 
 At one point on the mesa we noticed, around a 
 pralirie-dog's hole, multitudinous fr.agments of 
 pottery, also pieces of human bones which the ani- 
 mal had brought to the surface when burrowing. 
 From this fact we decided that it must be an ancient 
 burying place, and, returning to camp for the neces- 
 sary picks, shovels, and small hand trowels, we com- 
 
 menced excavating. Soon we noticed the side of a 
 liowl protruding from one side of the excavation. We 
 dug around it with the small hand trowels— neces- 
 sary implements in doing careful work— and soon 
 brought to light a bowl shaped like a basin, rather 
 poorly decorated, and broken at the edges. While 
 taking the dirt out of the center of it we found 
 two large bone spoons, evidently made from the 
 femur of the elk or bear, of unusual form and inter- 
 est; and one flint knife, about two Inches in length 
 and quite sharp. Then carefully removing the earth 
 to the left of this, we unearthed a skull, lying face 
 upward, in a good state of preservation. The head 
 lay facing the rising sun, but the limbs had been 
 doubled so that the knees nearly reached the che.st. 
 The body had presumably been interred in a sit- 
 ting posture. The skull showed a narrow forehead. 
 This skeleton was that of an adult and was in a fair 
 state of preservation, and lay about a foot and a 
 half below the surface. From our experience in the 
 matter of finds we felt confident that there would 
 be more pottery near the right hand, and this sup- 
 position was verifled, for with the hand-trowels we 
 uncovered the edge of a bowl nine inches wide and 
 five inches deep, with decorations in red inside. In- 
 side the bowl was a smaller one. and .iust beyond lay 
 a smaller cup two by four inches. In it w^as a flint 
 knife. Some inches beyond was a dipper, or ladle 
 shaped vessel. Most of the large bowls found were 
 covered by thin, round stone slabs. These are sel- 
 dom found upon the smaller pottery. More objects 
 
38 
 
 The Field Diary of an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 "Ghe Ejcpedilion en Tioule. 
 
 were found in this tomb than with any single inter- 
 ment on the La Plata. 
 
 Of other skeletons found much might be written. 
 With one, buried extended and not on the side as 
 ■were some of them, had been placed four decorated 
 bowls. The paint used in decorating the pottery 
 was in no way inferior to some of our modern dyes. 
 Centuries may have elapsed since the graves were 
 dug, sands have shifted and animals made burrows. 
 Yet the designs are fresh and clear, and an ob.server 
 who did not know the circumstances would be par- 
 doned if he thought the work quite modern. Clay 
 for the vessels was selected with care and the 
 burning done to a nicety. 
 
 All the skulls appear to be brachycephalic in char- 
 acter. 
 
 Upon the west bank of the river, on Mr. Hender- 
 son's land, are numerous small stone mounds. These 
 may mark the site of boulder ruins. Some observers 
 are inclined to make a distinction between the 
 boulder ruins and those larger ones of selected, or 
 partially dressed stone. We excavated one of the 
 mounds, finding in the course of work two large 
 black jars. Both were covered by the usual 
 thin, flat stones. The jars were in fragments, but 
 they were saved and can be restored. No skeleton 
 was found in the mound. It may have been a habi- 
 tation site. 
 
 The nights now are bright, moonlight ones and 
 warmer than a week ago. The thermometer seldom 
 drops below fifty at night. We love to sit 
 about our bright camp-fire, tell stories and sing. The 
 old timers told us many tales about the Navajos 
 Indians. The more striking of these have been 
 taken down in shorthand by Ralston. 
 
 We shall leave for Bluff City as soon as our money 
 comes from the East. 
 
 APRIL 6. 
 
 It was a beautiful day and the boys were early to 
 work. The weather has grown warmer now and 
 we can work to a better advantage. A calf was 
 brought from a neighboring ranch and killed for camj^ 
 use. After so much bacon and corned beef, we pro- 
 nounced it delicious. The teamster also caught 
 twenty-one fish. Photographs were made of the pot- 
 tery and the skull. 
 
 One skeleton found doubled up, two jars and one 
 broken bowl with it, fifteen inches from surface, head 
 west. 
 
 One skeleton badly decayed. Two pots were found 
 on the pelvis, one foot from surface. Many arrow- 
 heads in the course of investigations have been found 
 upon the surface. The cook went over to Aztec to 
 see his family until to-morrow. 
 
 Chas. Smith, another old-timer, began work to-day. 
 Beautiful weather. More arrow-heads found. Smith 
 told us interesting stories. Moorehead unwell, back 
 troubling him. In the afternoon work was begun on 
 a large conical mound near the river. A trench was 
 started on the east side and as we neared the center 
 a stone wall was struck which had partially fallen 
 in. Inside of the wall were many pieces of beauti- 
 fully decorated pottery, a fine stone axe. and a pol- 
 isher or rubber. It looked as though it had been an 
 aboriginal workshop. The floor of Inside of the wall 
 was covered with a fine dust. 
 
 APRIL 7. 
 
 Another beautiful day. Three skeletons were un- 
 earthed upon this mesa. They lay 6n Weir siil^s with 
 legs doubled up as has been described before. This 
 seems to be a favorite form of burial with the inhabi- 
 tants of the La Plata Valley. Eight bowls and dishes 
 were found with the remains. 
 
The Field Diary of an Akciiaeological Collectoi;. 
 
 39 
 
 « 
 
 COi/txty Roii4 '>*^,^% « 
 
 
 **^% 
 
 ^,. 
 
 ,^ ^. i 
 
 
 
 
 
 One Mite of "Ruins on the La Tlala. 
 
 No word from tbe East to-day. The third arlicle 
 was completed and sent to New York. Rowley has 
 made a large collection of small animals ami birds. 
 
 APKir. n. 
 
 In the morning we took the cook's wagon and went 
 np the La Plata River about five miles to examine 
 the ruins wliicb Gunckel and Cowen bad noted on 
 Saturday. The first skeleton we found had been 
 buried on his face and was in a badly decayed condi- 
 tion. Near his head was a small bowl with a spiral 
 decoration. The second skeleton was in a better state 
 of preservation, being saved by large flat stone slabs 
 which were placed above him. Almost all of the 
 graves here contain tliese slabs. Such methods of 
 burial we did not encounter in the lower ruins. Some 
 arrow-heads were also picked up, they being some- 
 what longer than those found below. One bone awl 
 was found. We stopped to get a load of alfalfa hay 
 coming back and were all sitting on top of it, when 
 the wagon went into a ditch, throwing off the cook, 
 who was driving, and Ralston, who was holding the 
 two l)Owls. Luckily the cook, although thrown 
 under the front wheels, held on to the reins, stop- 
 ping the horses. Ralston was thrown on his hands 
 and knees, breaking one of the bowls, but it can 
 easily be restored. It was fortunate the wagon did 
 not turn over, as some of us would have been severely 
 hurt. The specimens were pafked this evening. They 
 filled five large boxes. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 nUIKS ON THE LA PLATA. 
 
 On Monday, Ajiril 11, we left our camp on the 
 Itid Lii I'lata and set out in one of the wagons, with 
 surveying instruments, piclvs and shovels, to exauune 
 a series of ruins situated some five miles north. 
 After a very rough ride over boulders and washouts 
 through the picturesque valley of the Plata, we ar- 
 rived at our destination and prepared for a diiy'p 
 work. 
 
 These ruins are situated on one of the most ImiJos- 
 ing and i)ronnnent points along the river, and are 
 so placed that they command the entire horizon. 
 Away to the north extends the valley of the ever- 
 winding Rio La Plata, far into the Ute Reservation, 
 with its snowclad mountains, where not a sign of 
 civilization can be seen, and sage-brush, pinons, and 
 grease- wood reign supreme. To the south the view 
 is through a more fertile and cultivated valley. The 
 ruins arc situated five miles north of the town of 
 La Plata, and three-quarters of a mile south of the 
 Colorado State line, whicli is also the line of the Uto 
 Reservation. 
 
 Tli'-'V extend over half a mile of sandy, sage-covered 
 plateau or bluff one hundred and twenty-five feet 
 al.iove the Rio La Plata, and are situated upon land 
 I'.elonging to ilr. Fireliangh, who lives near by. The 
 ruins are evidently those of a small pueblo village or 
 communistic town, surrounded on all sides by smaller 
 ruins and kivas, while near by are many burial sites. 
 The altitude of the ruins is six thousand one hundred 
 
40 
 
 The Field Diaey op an Archaeological Collectoh. 
 
 feet above the level of the sea, and at present the only 
 things of life to be seen on the ruins are hundreds of 
 rabbits and lizards, and here and there a tarantula. 
 
 It speaks well for the ancient builders of this com- 
 munistic town to have chosen such a favorable site 
 for their village, near good water and high above the 
 surrounding valley, where the scenery is magnificent, 
 and where a handful of men could easily repulse an 
 enemy. With all these advantages, they took the 
 precaution to build a watch-tower upon a neighbor- 
 ing promontory, one hundred feet higher than the 
 ruin, thus doubly insuring the safety of the town 
 in case of attack, while in times of peace it must 
 have made an imposing landmark. 
 
 The largest ruin on the mesa contains, at a rough 
 estimate, about one hundred rooms, and was origi- 
 nally about three stories high; but at the present 
 writing it is but a story and a half high and is choked 
 with accumulation of dirt and debris, thus makin.sj 
 it difficult to locate the walls and corners. 
 
 One noticeable fact in this ruin is a passageway 
 formed by two walls running parallel with each other, 
 two feet apart. One room on the west end was at 
 some time set on fire, for the walls have evidently 
 been heated to a high degree. On the south side of 
 the ruin is a large kiva, measuring thirty-six feet 
 across and of considerable depth with several lessor 
 ones on the south side. On all sides surrounding this 
 central pueblo are similar ones extending along 
 the mesa, each in ruins to such a degree 
 that it is Impossible to ascertain their exact dimen- 
 sions; yet at a rough estimate they contain in all 
 at least one hundred rooms, which, with those in the 
 central ruin, would make a total of about two hun- 
 dred rooms on the mesa. Among these are some 
 poorly defined kivns or circular depressions. 
 
 The map i-epresented with this article is on the 
 scale of one hundred feet to the inch, and necessarily 
 does not show the minute details in the ruins, bat 
 gives a perfect idea of their locations. 
 
 Directly across the river is a sandstone ledge with 
 a dip of eighteen degrees to the south, which was so 
 easily quarried that the ancient builders were en- 
 abled to obtain slabs of good building stone with lit- 
 tle trouble, and over the graves at this point are 
 invariably found large slabs averaging about three 
 feet in length, two feet in width, and from one to 
 three inches in thickness. While the surveyor was 
 mapping the ruins, and also upon the day follow- 
 ing, we examined many of these graves. We found 
 the sandstone slabs just over the skeleton and that 
 they had protected the vessels. We took out 
 perfect pieces of decorated pottery, slightly different 
 from those obtained at Aztec and La Plata; yet 
 the skeletons obtained here were in such a state of 
 decay we were unable to preserve them. 
 
 While excavating, about thirty-six feet to the south 
 of the central ruin we found a neatly walled shaft, 
 the aperture of which was fourteen by fourteen 
 inches. This aroused our curiosity, for chimneys were 
 never used in the pueblos, and we could not explain 
 the presence of this shaft running straight down from 
 the surface of the earth. It was very hard digging, 
 as we were compelled to take out many large sand- 
 stone slabs. At the depth of eight feet and five 
 inches we reached the bottom of the shaft, which 
 was paved with flat sandstone slabs. At this point 
 the shaft turned at right angles toward the north, 
 in which direction was the central ruin. The roof of 
 the shaft, beyond the angle, was composed of oak 
 logs, with here and there an occasional slab. It was 
 two feet four inches in height and fourteen inche.'? 
 wide, neatly walled up, and entirely filled with earth 
 and stones. The digging at this point was so difficult 
 that we were compelled to hoist up the dirt in water 
 buckets, using the horses' halters for ropes. 
 
 After following this shaft some four feet further 
 we were compelled to abandon the work, but 
 it is interesting to speculate upon its probable 
 use by the ancients. It could not have been 
 a chimney, for the stones showed no sign 
 of smoke or heat,, and the oak timbers over the 
 lower shaft were not charred, although fragments of 
 charcoal were occasionally found while excavating 
 the place. Its probable use was for an air flue, or 
 passageway for ventilation, but the latter supposi- 
 tion is rather doubtful on account of the narrowness 
 of the main shaft (fourteen inches). We estimated 
 that it would take three days' hard digging for four 
 or five men to thoroughly excavate and investigate 
 this curious place, and to determine without a doubt 
 whether it was an air flue or passageway. 
 If it was a passageway the people must have been 
 exceedingly small in size, for none of our party was 
 able to crawl through it, or turn the sharp corner at 
 the bottom of the shaft. 
 
 At the depth of four feet in the shaft we found un- 
 der one of the stones a tarantula, which we captured 
 in a shovel and safely secured in a tin can. We 
 wished to preserve it for our naturalist's alcohol tank. 
 All went well until we arrived at our camp in the 
 evening when some one accidentally upset the can 
 and the tarantula escaped in the direction of the 
 beds. One can easily imagine our feelings that even- 
 ing as we rolled up in our blankets, not knowing 
 when our escaped tarantula would appear and ob- 
 tain his revenge, but, luckily, we saw no more of 
 him. 
 
 It is a curious fact that coal was never used by 
 these ancient people, as far as we can ascertain, yet 
 not fewer than three outcroppings of good "peacock" 
 coal can be seen from the ruins, the farthest not being 
 
The Field Diary oe an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 41 
 
 Sfieleton and T'oHery in a Cra-Ve. 
 
 more than a quarter of a mile away — while directly 
 under the ruin the owner of the land has run a 
 shaft in, about forty-six feet, from the side of the 
 bluff, and by this means obtains all the coal that 
 he can use or dispose of. 
 
 Beyond question it would pay some great institu- 
 tion lilie the Smithsonian or the Peabody Museum, 
 for instance, to send a well-equipped survey to 
 the Plata Valley. They would make connections 
 and observations which would forever settle 
 the questions regarding the origin of pueblo-buildin,^ 
 tribes. Brief as must necessarily be our stay in one 
 place, we are ascertaining facts day by day which 
 shall greatly aid the La Plata archaeologist in the 
 future. We remain long enough to get a glimpse of 
 the promised land, archaeologically speaking, to catch 
 a ray of light now and then, but the great detailed 
 work must be done by an expedition of several years' 
 location in this valley. Our observations warrant us 
 in venturing several suggestions concerning these 
 people. 
 
 First; there is no similarity between these people 
 and the Mississippi Valley mound-building tribes, as 
 some have claimed. Their houses are substantial, 
 while the Eastern tribes had no permanent homes. 
 Their pottery is finer — it evinces art; the Mississippi 
 Valley pottery is Inferior. The Ohio Valley tribes 
 worked stone implements better, but were inferior in 
 other ways. When a race becomes sufficiently intel- 
 ligent to construct a seven hundred roomed apart- 
 ment house, with courts and assembly places, roofs 
 and floors, with dressed stone and broken joints, they 
 have passed from savagery into barbarism. 
 
 Second; their dwellings and burials are similar to 
 those now in use among the Zuni and Pueblo Indians 
 farther south. 
 
 Third; irrigating ditches, garden beds, the numer- 
 ous mortars and pestles, are proof of an agricultural 
 Iieople. Agriculture, permanent homes, and peace go 
 hand in hand. 
 
 The Spaniards, who found some of the pueblo 
 houses during their march in search of the Seven 
 Cities of Cebola, over three hundred years ago, re- 
 [iort the inhabitants as peaceful farmers. 
 
 Fourth; they shunned the roaming Plains Indians, 
 the liei-ce Utes, Navajos, and cruel Apaches. 
 
 As such people, they were a blessing to the South- 
 west; not a curse, as were the later Indians. We find 
 them interesting because they were so different from 
 the nomadic tribes surrounding them on all sides. 
 We find them more human than their neighbors. 
 When we consider the vast amount of labor expend- 
 ed upon their substantial homes, irrigation ditches, 
 and garden beds, we accord them a higher place than 
 that occupied by other American tribes of pre-Colum- 
 bian times, north of Mexico. 
 
 When the builders wished to join two buildings 
 or run a partition wall through a building and divide 
 it into rooms, they did not "tie" the wall as wo do, 
 but simply built a straight-edged wall against the 
 wall of the originally constructed house. That was 
 their great error, and that is why so many of their 
 buildings have fallen down. A straight-edged wall 
 would naturally shrink from the main wall. Had 
 they dovetailed or tied the wall, additional strength 
 would have been given to the building. We have 
 observed walls which were eight or ten inches apart 
 at the top and barely came together at the bottom. 
 
 One point X would again emphasize; the ground 
 here has been scratched over. Some well-appointed 
 survey should undertake a thorough exploration. 
 
42 
 
 The Field Dijuiy of an Abchaeological Collector. 
 
 APRIL 21. 
 
 Oh the 14tli, Moorebead, Cowen and Guide Smith 
 went over to Aztec with a ranchman. They intended 
 to construct a boat and float down the Animas and 
 then do\yn tlie San Juan to Nolan's trading store 
 where they would meet the rest of the party. 
 
 They reached Aztec in good time and hired a car- 
 penter to help build the boat. It was 16x5 feet and 
 made of two inch stuff, braced with scantlings. They 
 launched it the morning of the ICth in the presence 
 
 ^:f'*'4,>' 
 
 
 -..^■''' ■■ v,^-^' 
 
 Af^ 
 
 
 •■-"^^'- i 
 
 /I 
 
 /< l> 
 
 X, 
 
 :-,x ■ W y: /•«»=- -^^f 
 
 ¥ 
 
 • Sj;' » 
 
 /fii 
 
 "Piciographj on the San Juan, 
 
 of nearly the whole population. For two or three 
 miles they proceeded in safety, with the exception of 
 one or two halts on sandbars. 
 
 Then they entered very rough water and were put 
 to no little trouble in avoiding trees and rocks. As 
 was narrated in the article upon our trip sent In to 
 The Avnerican, the three men nearly lost their lives 
 during the passage, and could not be induced to make 
 tbe trip again. They got as far as Farinington in 
 the boat, and then setting it on fire, abandoned it. 
 
 Now, there is a story concerning the burning of 
 the boat and it may be breviated as follows: 
 
 They had no ferry at Farmington. In 1802 the 
 town was small and poor. Now it is large and pros- 
 
 perous. When we reached the settlement, tired, 
 bruised and hungry — for we had lost nearly all our 
 baggage — we thought to sell the boat for some $20. 
 It would cost the town double that sum to haul lum- 
 ber from Durango and build one and our boat, cov- 
 ered by a deck, would make a serviceable ferry craft. 
 Tlie people came down to the river and laughed at 
 us. I offered to take $15 for the boat. Said one man, 
 "I'll give you $5 for it." Said another, "Take her with 
 you overland." 
 
 By dint of labor, for it weighed about 2,000 pounds, 
 we got stones under one end and then jacked up the 
 other end until she was clear of the water. "Will 
 you fellows buy her for $15?" They would not and 
 we filled the boat with dry wood and set her on fire. 
 In 1S07 when passing through Farmington I was told 
 that the natives thought we were "bluffing" and 
 afterwards regretted that they had lost so good a bar- 
 gain. To return to Ralston's narrative. 
 
 Troubles were not over, however. The party hired 
 a fool blacksmith to take them to Nolan's. He 
 drove as far as Olio and backed out — was afraid of 
 road agents, he said. At Olio they were delayed 
 Tuesday by snowy weather and stopped at Stevens', 
 a Mormon family. They treated the men very kind- 
 ly, furnishing food and shelter. 
 
 ^^'ednesday morning, the 20tli, they sot out with a 
 Mr. P.illupps, who owned a good team. He talked 
 at length about the Mormons. Moorehead's outfit 
 reached the Maucos that night after a hard drive of 
 thirty-five miles. Next morning, the 21st, they set 
 out for Nolan's. Indians at the mouth of the Maucos 
 were grinding corn , with a stone roller and stone 
 mortar such as are found about pueblo houses. 
 
 It was thirty miles to Nolan's and they reached 
 there at 5:30. The boys were rejoiced to see them 
 and tired a salute in honor of a safe return. They 
 were worried as the days passed and Moorehead 
 did not appear. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII: 
 
 LA PLATA TO NOLAN S. 
 
 The party— with the exception of Moorehead, 
 Cowen, and Guide Smith-left Camp Alfalfa on the 
 Plata Friday, April 15, with the outfit, and set out 
 for Little Navajo Springs, New Mexico, about fifteen 
 miles distant. We traveled for about five miles down 
 the Plata before striking the trail across the mesas. 
 It was a surprise to us to note the ruins down the 
 valley. AVe counted some forty in number in this 
 short distance, but they were all of the same variety 
 as those we had worked upon, although much smaller 
 ;in(l in a more demolished condition. The trip across 
 tlie mesas and foot-hills was interesting, and the 
 scenery was beyond our expectations, the only dis- 
 
The Field Diaky of an Akchaeological Collector. 
 
 43 
 
 advantage being the absence of water during the 
 whole trip. We had leai'ned by experience to supply 
 ourselves with water, however, and had taken the 
 precaution of filling our canteens and kegs. 
 
 We arrived at Ijittle Navajo Springs in the middle 
 of the afternoon and made our camp for the even- 
 ing near the spring, which measures two feet in 
 diameter, and is the only watering-place within thirty 
 miles. The sole inhabitants found were half a dozen 
 cowboys, a wild-looking set, all with heavy six- 
 shooters strapped about their waists. 
 
 All around the Springs within a radius of two miles 
 are ruins of small pueblos, but almost all of them 
 have been dug into by the cowboys for the treasures 
 they contained. The best preserved ruin is ninety 
 feet long and ninety feet wide, but even of this little 
 remains standing. We found near this ruin an an- 
 cient skull impaled upon a sharp post and in a good 
 state of preservation. Later we learned that the 
 skulls which the cowboys dug up in their search for 
 relics were often put on fence-posts to keep away the 
 Navajo Indians, who, from superstition, were afraid 
 to approach them. 
 
 No tents were put up, and we slept around the 
 camp-fire between our Navajo blankets, with the 
 starry sky for a ceiling. While eating breakfast, a 
 renegade Navajo chief, Costianno, visited our camp, 
 and when the artist asked him if he could make a 
 photograph of him, replied that he would not allow 
 it unless he was dressed up with all his parapherna- 
 lia, two pistols in his belt, and his rifle. 
 
 Shortly after breakfast the start was made for the 
 Jlancos River, thirty miles distant. And the trip was 
 a hard one — over rolling mesas, sand arroyos, deep 
 wa.shouts, canyons, with not a drop of water through- 
 out the whole distance. It was a hard and long pull 
 for the horses with the heavily-loaded wagons. We 
 arrived at the Mancos River about half past eight 
 o'clock in tlie evening, horses and men being thor- 
 oughly tired out. While encamped there we were 
 visited by many Navajo Indians, although it was on 
 the Uto Reservation. 
 
 During the night our nine burros disappeared. 
 After riding under the hot sun for many 
 liours, looking in vain for them, we found their 
 tracks in the sand. In the midst of the trail were 
 the prints of a moccasin, proving they had not wan- 
 dered away of themselves, but had been driven off 
 by the Indians, with the Intention either of stealing 
 them or of keeping them until we offered a reward. 
 Just as we were about to give up the search we 
 found them twenty miles from camp, with the bell 
 missing from the leader. Glad of the recovery we 
 drove them back to camp, tired and worn out, vow- 
 ing to avenge ourselves if the chance ever offered 
 itself. One Indian had lounged around the camp sus- 
 piciously during the day, and we obtained a photo- 
 
 graph of him. When the burros returned he could 
 not be found, so we concluded that he had had 
 something to do with tlie. theft. 
 
 Bright and early the next morning we were on the 
 road to Nolan's Trading Post on tlie San .Tuan River, 
 
 "Suitdin^j in 'Ruin Canyon. 
 
 and after a long and hard drive we arrived there 
 and made our camp. Mr. Moorehead, Mr. Cowen, 
 and the guide rejoined us, fatigued and hungry, and 
 in such tattered garments that we hardly recognized 
 them. 
 
 Here Ralston's entry ends and I pass to Mr. 
 (Junckel's observations on the interesting geological 
 formation about Nolan's and adjacent territory. 
 
 The scenery along the Rio San Juan is both pic- 
 turesque and imposing. Tlie river runs lietween high, 
 
44 
 
 The Fiei.d Diaky of an Archaeological Collectok. 
 
 overliaugiug clifl's, or iu dark and winding gorges 
 hundreds of fpet deep. In tlie distance are clusters 
 of snow-crested niountaiii peaks looming up far 
 above tlie surrounding cliffs and canyons. Our first 
 camp on tins river was two and a half miles west of 
 the corner-stone of Colorado, New INIexico, Utah, and 
 Arizona, and even at this point \vc were surrounded 
 on three sides by cliffs almost a thousand feet iu 
 height, with the overlying gypsiferous red sandstone 
 (probably Triassic or Jurassic) giving a banded and 
 picturesque coloring to the whole. 
 
 About half a mile from our camp at this point, 
 high up on one of the promontories, among the yel- 
 lowish and whitish cretaceous sandstones and clays 
 of the Dakota group, are hundreds of fossils exposed 
 upon the surface. They are the most characteristic 
 genera of the Lamelllbranch, being of the oyster 
 family, Bxogyra, Ostrea, Gryphaea, and Inocermus 
 species of which occurred in the Jurassic period, but 
 were more common and larger in the cretaceous. 
 Some of these shells resemble the modern oyster- 
 shell to such an extent that one could hardly dis- 
 tinguish them apart. 
 
 From this point, all along the San Juan until it 
 empties into the Colorado, the geological features are 
 the most interesting and instructive. The cliffs are 
 so high that in general no undermining can set back 
 the walls far enough to allow large alluvial plains 
 along the bottom, even when the water is not too 
 rapid; and when a channel is cut in granite, lateral 
 water is always very small. The scenery as a whole 
 resembles that of the canyon of the Colorado, which 
 begins near where the San Juan empties into the 
 Colorado River. This wonderful canyon between the 
 meridians of 111° and 115° west has for the greater 
 part of two hundred miles (as described by New- 
 berry, and later by Major Powell and others) nearly 
 vertical walls from two thousand to six thousand 
 feet in height, made of carboniferous limestone and 
 other peleozoic roclis, with, in some places, the bot- 
 tom and the sides for the lower five hundred to 
 one tliousand feet of granite, and all the tributaries 
 flow in similar profound gorges or chasms. 
 
 The Rio San Juan, however, has in general a fall 
 of about fourteen feet to the mile, although in some 
 places it seems to have double that amount. It is 
 interesting to note how these cap-shaped peaks and 
 cliffs are formed. In this the nature of the rocks and 
 the positions of the strata play an important part in 
 ihe erosion. The nature of the rocks causes modifioa- 
 tions in the results of erosion, and if there are harder 
 beds at intervals in the course of the stream, or any 
 other obstacle to even wear, those, by thus resisting 
 the erosion, become heads of precipices and water- 
 tails, while the height increases rapidly from the 
 force of the falling waters, until some similar Im- 
 pediment below limits the furtlier erosion. In this 
 
 8 '^«et- 5 mcHts 
 In. d.« pT+L 
 
 'She Shaft at La TIata. 
 
 way many water-falls and rapids are formed, and 
 the stream is set back for some distance above a water- 
 fall, and has in this part more or less extensive flood 
 plains. 
 
 The positions of the strata have also a great in- 
 fluence, especially when they are horizontal. In this 
 way the lateral wear in these gorges intersecting the 
 horizontal beds, such as take place during the 
 periods of floods, tends to remove the exposed lower 
 layere, and in this way undermine those above, caus- 
 ing the latter from time to time to fall, and making 
 a vertical or overhanging precipice on either side of 
 the stream. The debris made by the fall is in many 
 cases removed by the violence of the torrent. 
 
 These isolated tables, columns, needles, and tow- 
 ers, with the greater part of the formation being 
 swept off liy the erosion, tower up in majestic splen- 
 dor far above the surrounding cliffs, and give to the 
 scenery a weird and wondrous effect, which can be 
 equalled in few places in the world. It Is, in truth. 
 Nature's AVonderland, with its cliffs, gorges, canyons, 
 and crested peaks, with the river winding its way 
 far below; and the view alone would amply repay 
 any traveler who would journey to see it. 
 
 Tiie curious carving along the cluster or line of 
 crested mountain heights, with the summits thou- 
 sands of feet above the plain around, is first formed 
 
The Field Diaky of an Archaeological Oolleotoe. 
 
 45 
 
 by the subterranean movements making plateaus of 
 sufficient extent and elevation, and these, left exposed 
 to the rains, in the course of time cause the curious 
 crested tops. Mountains thus cut into shaiic by wa- 
 ter are often called by geologists mountains of cir- 
 cunidenudation. This was first noticed by Huntou, 
 who obtained his ideas from the Scotch valleys and 
 mountains. He says: "When strata of lilce dura- 
 bility have considerable dip, erosion commonly re- 
 sults in sloping surfaces, unless the rocks are so 
 hard as to keep themselves in protecting ledges. But 
 if there is a stratum of easy removal alternating 
 with others harder, as, for example, a stratum of 
 limestone among other kinds of metamorpliic rocks, 
 it is apt to determine erosion and nialvc a valley along 
 its course which will be the course of the strike, and 
 also to make, through consequent undermining, a 
 high, precipitous, and often rocky slope on tlie side 
 toward which the rocks pitch, and a gradual slope 
 on the other; that is, if the dip is westward, the west 
 side will commonly be the high, steep side." 
 
 This ps-inciple is illustrated in many parts through 
 the canyons and gorges along tlie San Juan. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 RUINS AND nCTtlEE-WRITINGS IN THE CANYONS OF TUE 
 m'elmo and HOVENWEEP. 
 
 That Strange, weird river, the San Juan, dashes 
 madly past our camp. Where it runs through the 
 rapids its roar can be heard at a distance of two 
 or three miles. Full of quicksands and large rocks, 
 one scarcely ventures near its brink, save when sure 
 of one's footing. On either side of the river are great 
 cliffs of sandstone, worn into fantastic shapes by the 
 combined action of the water, sand and wind. The 
 Indians well named it "The River of Demons." 
 
 The expedition arrived at Camp McBlmo, situated 
 at the junction of McElmo Creek and the San Juna, 
 Saturday night, April 23. No little difficulty was 
 experienced in getting our heavy baggage through 
 the intervening canyons. We are now past the point 
 where roads exist and have nothing to follow 
 but Mormon or Indian trails. In these trails are 
 washes anywhere from three to fifty feet in depth, 
 with rocks varying from a few pounds in weight to 
 several tons. The washes are full of sage bushes 
 and cactus. It is comparatively easy for Indian 
 ponies to pick their way over such trails, but It is 
 next to impossible for horses to draw wagons, even 
 moderately loaded. Our two teams strained every 
 muscle in their attempts to pull the heavy wagons 
 over the rough roads and washouts, but they over- 
 taxed their strength and we were compelled to en- 
 gage a third team at one of the trading stores to 
 help us through to McElmo. The roads were so 
 
 Moulder Cajtte. 
 
 heavy that time and again the members of the ex- 
 pedition had to put their shoulders to the wlieels 
 and help the wagons out of some deep hole. The 
 tough and wiry burros trotted over such ground with 
 ease. An Easterner would be surprised at the 
 strength these diminutive beings possess. The packer 
 places about 175 pounds on each beast and they are 
 capable of traveling all day over any kind of ground. 
 Whenever we stopped for dinner the burros would 
 lie down for a short time and then go to grazing. 
 
 Just opposite our camp is a small cliff ruin of some 
 five or six rooms. Straight across the river and the 
 intervening flat tlie distance to the ruin is about six- 
 hundred yards. At this season of the year the river 
 is very high and swift and there is no boat to be had 
 within twenty miles, so we were compelled to look at 
 it from a distance without being able to examine it. 
 
 Early on the morning of April 20, six of our party, 
 including the guide, with our pack burros carrying 
 our instruments, cameras, and provisions, started up 
 McElmo creek from our camp on the San Juan, 
 The canyon at its mouth is about three-quarters of 
 a mile wide, with its weathered sandstone cliffs 
 slanting up on each side to the height of 250 feet. 
 The view is wild and picturesque, not a sign of life 
 being visible except an occasional Ute or Navajo In- 
 dian, a few birds and rattlesnakes, and countless 
 lizards of various sizes and colors. 
 
46 
 
 The Field Diaby op an Akchaeological Collectob. 
 
 For the first three miles we traveled without ob- 
 serving ruins, and then we came upon a §mall 
 valley ruin about a quarter of a mile from the river, 
 but it was demolished to such an extent that little 
 could be made out of the fallen stones, except that 
 it contained three small rooms. From this point for 
 eight and one-half miles we did not observe any 
 ruins. Then we saw a little dwelling placed 
 high up on the side of a cliff. It was over 100 feet 
 from the bottom of the canyon and contained only 
 one small room, four feet high, ten feet wide, and 
 seven and one-half feet deep. On the right hand 
 side of the cliff house we found some picture-writ- 
 ings. They were in the shape of crow's feet and 
 seemed very old. The crow's foot has been 
 noted quite frequently among pictographs. When 
 about nine miles up the canyon we noticed many 
 rock shelters; queer little places for human be- 
 ings to live in, but yet very good shelters from the 
 rain and snow. These occur at Intervals of a 
 half a mile or so all along the creek, some of them 
 being very interesting on account of the picture-writ- 
 ings on the sides of the sandstone boulders under 
 which they were constructed. The most remarkable 
 of these is about one mile east of the junction of 
 Hovenweep and McElmo creeks. It is a large 
 cave-shelter with the remains of a tower on top of 
 the boulder. One side of the rock was literally cov- 
 ered with picture-writings and signs. The human 
 form, deer, goats, lizards, snakes, bears, turkeys, and 
 many other birds and animals are plainly distinguish- 
 able, while intermingled with the figures are many 
 pictographs. Although it seems impossible to read 
 these rock inscriptions, or even to conjecture to any 
 extent their significance, yet they certainly have a 
 meaning and represent some idea or event in the 
 past history of the writers. They are valuable, never- 
 theless, if only as showing the stage of culture 
 which was reached by these unknown tribes. That 
 they were of the same age as the cliff-dwellers is 
 very probable, for we have found them In many cliff 
 dwellings and cave-shelters, having sketched as 
 mauj' as thirty different sets in this neighborhood. 
 
 The most important of the symbols cut In these 
 rocks is a Swastika cross, measuring seven inches 
 in height and six inches in breadth. Around it are 
 many curiously shaped figures, some In the shape of 
 figure eights, some shaped like dumb-bells, and sev- 
 eral representing the human hand. The occurrence 
 of the Swastika cross in this section of the country 
 is a most important and significant fact. Swastika 
 crosses of beaten copper have been discovered in an 
 Ohio mound. Their occurrence should not be con- 
 sidered accidental. If other Mexican and Central 
 American designs are found, we will incline to the 
 belief that the cliff inhabitants were familiar with 
 
 the customs and religion of the more cultivated na- 
 tions further south. Yet we would not venture the 
 assertion that they were a part, or even connected 
 with them. It is more probable that as the cliff folks 
 were great travelers they may have brought back 
 the Swastika symbol from excursions into Mexico. 
 The Messrs. Wetherill informed us of the existence 
 of the Swastika on several pieces of pottery found 
 in the Mancos Canyon ruins. The cliff upon the face 
 of which the crosses are carved is sixty feet from 
 the bottom of the canyon. 
 
 The exact location of the cave-shelter containing 
 this group of picture-writings is as follows: About 
 100 yards west of the McElmo Creek, and about one 
 mile east of the junction of the Hovenweep and Mc- 
 Elmo creeks, the elevation being about seventy-five 
 feet above the river. The shelter is almost ten feet 
 wide; eleven feet deep. The figures were impossi- 
 ble to photograph on account of their high position 
 between the sloping rocks. In every case the fig- 
 ures were cut into the sandstone rock on the under 
 side, where they would be protected from the 
 weather. 
 
 About the mouth of the Hovenweep the sides of 
 the mesa are covered with large boulders, and the 
 smooth flat surfaces of these huge blocks offered a 
 tempting tablet to the primitive artist. This region 
 we also found very rich in ruins, although for the 
 most part in bad condition. The most important Is 
 a double walled tower standing at present about six 
 feet high, and having an outer diameter of thirty- 
 five feet. The inner diameter is twenty-four feet, 
 thus making the walls of the tower five and one- 
 half feet apart. Between these two walls the space 
 is divided into many small rooms. 
 
 Immediately to the north and west of this tower 
 is a series of walls and ruined buildings, the whole 
 covering at least two acr§s, but the walls and build- 
 ings have fallen down to such an extent that it is 
 Impossible to present a map of them. One Im- 
 portant feature is a deep cave which was originally 
 protected by a series of walls. This cave goes down 
 slantingly to the river which is fully 150 feet dis- 
 tant, and seventy-five feet below the mouth of the 
 cave. The cave was probably made originally by 
 the water washing down through the cracks in the 
 sandstone ledge from the top of the mesa to the 
 river, but was afterward utilized by the ancient pieo- 
 ple as a passageway to water. 
 
 Certainly it was used in times of warfare with 
 other tribes, for the entrance at the mouth of the 
 cave is so hidden by the ruined walls, which had 
 protected it, that one passing by would hardly 
 notice it. 
 
 It is seldom, indeed, that one finds a cave of such 
 depth in the midst of ruins in this locality. It 
 
1'llE Klia.D IMAI'.V (JF A,\ AKCIIAKIlLOdll'AL COLLIX TOK. 
 
 47 
 
 "Pictography in yettobu JacKci Canyon. 
 
 "Ghe i^tuin ^obtters. 
 
 was the only one we found or ever heard of, and 
 for this reason we were especiallj' interested In it. 
 After some trouV)le and risk we were able to de- 
 scend almost to its end. Fragments of pottery were 
 found at different points in the cave. Over the cave 
 is a ruin containing eight or nine rooms. 
 
 Our camp was pitched near the mouth of Hoven- 
 weep Cre:_'k, near tlie boundary line between Colorado 
 and Utah, and from this point we worked toward 
 the northeast. A half mile from the junction to- 
 ward the nortli we found an interesting valley ruin, 
 like those we have described In New Jlexico. It 
 was rectangular In shape, 100 feet long and seventy- 
 five feet wide. At present it is nothing but a huge 
 pile of fallen stones. About 200 yards west of this 
 ruin we found a circular tower in a good state of 
 preservation. It was built of heavy masonry stand- 
 ing six feet in height, with a diameter of seventeen 
 and one-half feet. It had evidently been several 
 stories In height, and from its position would have 
 served as an excellent signal or watch tower. 
 
 Directly west of this tower rises the high perpen- 
 dicular mesa, the top of which is difficult of ac- 
 cess and contains some very interesting remains. 
 From the scarp of the sandstone mesa large bould- 
 ers have fallen and rolled in every direction. Un- 
 der many of them can be found the rock and cave- 
 shelters before spoken of, and almost invariably ac- 
 companied with the strange-looking picture-writings. 
 Upon gaining access to the top of the mesa we found 
 it perfectly level and measuring about 320 feet in 
 width. At a distance of 050 feet from the south end 
 a wall four feet in height runs across it. The wall 
 is of peculiar shape, being divided into seven parts, 
 each running at an angle of fifty degrees from each 
 
 other, thus forming a veritable fortification, and 
 looking like some of the rail fences of the present 
 day. From this wall toward the south end of the 
 mesa the ground is in many places divided into 
 squares and rectangles, in appearance not unlike 
 graves, the sides being formed of flat slabs placed 
 on the ground edgewise. In tlie center of the mesa 
 is a circle formed in this manner, with the slabs all 
 pointing toward the center, the diameter being thirty- 
 seven and seven-tenths feet. In the center of tlie 
 circle is a circular depression about a foot in depth 
 with a diameter of nineteen feet. A short distance 
 west of this circle is a smaller one, greatly resem- 
 bling the other, measuring fourteen feet In diameter. 
 
 At the first glance the top of the mesa greatly 
 resembles a modern graveyard— with its squares, 
 rectangles, and circles— but In excavating no bones 
 are found; In fact, nothing but some pieces of char- 
 coal. On this sandstone ledge we discovered immense 
 water-holes of clear, cool water and hailed the dis- 
 covery with joy, for the water we had been com- 
 pelled to drink for the previous month was so laden 
 with a solution of mud and alkali that one had to 
 be very thirsty to drink it at all. 
 
 Three-quarters of a mile east of the mesa and 
 about two miles from the junction of the Hovenweep 
 and McElmo, situated in a weird and picturesque 
 locality among the large rocks, stands an interesting 
 ruin which we have named Boulder Castle. Looking 
 at it from the south It has an imposing appearam-e^ 
 The boulder itself is about fifty feet high. On Its 
 summit lie the remains of a large tower, while built 
 around the bottom are several well preserved rooms. 
 The boulder lias three weathered holes in its side 
 giving it the appearance of a human face, two of the 
 
48 
 
 The Field Diary of an Abohaeologioal Collectok. 
 
 holes forming the eyes and the other the nose. After 
 chiseling some holes in the rock we climbed to the 
 top and measured the tower. It had been divided 
 into two rooms, the wall now standing about six 
 feet high. It is sixteen and one-half feet long and 
 thirteen and one-half feet in width. 
 
 The small houses underneath the boulder are neat- 
 ly walled up. The one on the western side measures 
 seven feet in length and seven feet six inches in 
 breadth, three feet three inches being the height. 
 
 A glance at almost any ruin in this immediate lo 
 cality shows plainly that the main object of the 
 building was the idea of protection. But we must 
 confess that they showed almost unerring judgment 
 and quick perception in choosing almost inaccessible 
 locations for their dwellings, and high promontories 
 for their signal and watch towers. 
 
 Ralston's entry in the log-book is worthy of preser- 
 vation. The dance was of no ethnological signifi- 
 cance, and was given, I suppose, to "work us" for 
 provisions. 
 
 Monday, the 25th, it took all day to find the burros. 
 The Indians held a dance at the store and we went 
 down. The chief objected to the use of the cameras 
 and Lane and Gunckel took them inside. 
 
 Upon nearing the traders we saw the XJtes all 
 grouped about the store and as we came up we ob- 
 served four or five dancing, while five or six others 
 sat cross-legged on the ground beating upon an empty 
 drygoods box with sticks, all the while keeping up 
 a monotonous chant. Lane and Gunckel immediately 
 made ready to take a photograph with their cameras. 
 In a second a tall and finely proportioned brave, 
 whom we afterward found out was the chief, leaped 
 toward us, motioning that the cameras be taken 
 away and at the same time stopping the dance. The 
 cameras were taken inside of the store, and there 
 with the aid of the traders as interpreters, we held 
 a long argument with the Indians, trying to induce 
 them to go on with the dance. They claimed they 
 would all die if their pictures were taken and seemed 
 to be very superstitious about it. Moorehead finally 
 offered them two sacks of fiour if they would 
 continue and allow photographs to be taken. They 
 said they would talk it over. Meanwhile we stepped 
 outside. Some bucks had an iron bar weighing about 
 2.5 pounds and were seeing who could throw it the 
 farthest. Cowen took the bar and threw it about 
 two feet farther than any of them. Some of the boys 
 would hold it out at arm's length and then the In- 
 dians tried to do likewise. In other athletic feats 
 did we contest with them. In jumping Ralston out- 
 did them all. 
 
 By this time the Utes had agreed to continue the 
 dance. They donned their finery, put bright feathers 
 in their hair, and each carried one In his hand. They 
 
 also bought some yellow and green paint inside the 
 store and smeared it all over their faces and bodies. 
 As the musicians struck up, they jumped into the 
 ring, led by the tall chief. They darted hither and 
 thither, now bending low, now straightening up, hop- 
 ping first on one foot and then on the other, every 
 little while holding aloft the feather in their hands, 
 and yelling at the top of their voices. Their antics 
 made us laugh heartily. Several good photographs 
 were secured and we left about 5 o'clock greatly 
 pleased with what we had seen. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE GEEAT RUINS OF UPPEK M'ELMO CBEEK. 
 
 After having examined the ruins and hieroglyphics 
 of Yellow Jacket and Ilovenweep canyons, the sur- 
 vey moved up the famous Ruin Canyon for a dis- 
 tance of ten miles. This canyon is one of several 
 which branch from Upper McElmo Creek, and have 
 been known only to wandering cowboys and In- 
 dians. The Weatherills, a family of several brothers, 
 were recently through the canyon with Mr. H. Jay 
 Smith. But our survey was the first to attempt to 
 examine the extensive ruins thoroughly. 
 
 The gorge containing the ruins forks at Its upper 
 end, and the ruins themselves occupy the northwest 
 branch and a few hundred yards of the main canyon 
 just below the forks. There Is only one large ruin 
 In the northeast fork, which is at the head of the 
 canyon. Mr. Cowen's map, made from a careful 
 survey, gives the exact location of each one of the 
 towers, dwellings, and cave-shelters. 
 
 The canyon containing the ruins does not average 
 more than seventy feet in depth from the mesa on 
 either side. It is not very wide, yet a wilder place 
 could scarcely be Imagined. Great crags of sand- 
 stone jut out on either side, masses of rock have de- 
 tached themselves from the walls and tumbled into 
 the gorge below, a dense growth of sage-brush cov- 
 ers the bottom, while the topmost ledges hang out 
 for many yards, thus forming natural caves. The 
 inhabitants of the canyon took advantage of the in- 
 accessible nature of the gorge and constructed three 
 kinds of buildings therein. First, large towers with 
 very thick walls; these were placed upon command- 
 ing positions. Second, compartment houses, or small 
 pueblos, which were built so as to be protected by 
 the towers. Third, cave dwellings and cave-shelters. 
 The former were well constructed and consisted of 
 one or more walls, inclosing a natural cavern in the 
 rock. The latter were very primitive indeed. It 
 seems that many of the inhabitants of the valley 
 had lived in natural caves or in the great hollows 
 formed by one large flat rock resting upon another. 
 Occasionally small walls were built on the most ex- 
 
Tmc Fuel. I) DiAKV i)]'' .\\ Aniii AEdr.ddicAi. CoLi.ioiTor., 
 
 49 
 
 Map of 'Ruin Canyon. 
 
 posed .side, but more frequently the rocks alone 
 formed the walls and roof of the habitation. 
 
 This t;roup of rnins is so Important that it neces- 
 sitates a detailed description. Beginning at the east 
 and running west, we have lettered the more imiior- 
 taut ruins on the map. The small and dilapidated 
 ones, to the number of about thirty, are not lettered. 
 I'he first ruin in sight is a large tower lettered "A." 
 As one approaches it, another tower (lettered "B"), 
 .standing alongside of "A," is observed. These two 
 towers have been named "The Twins," on aeconut 
 of their similarity. Tliey arc botli built on large 
 ol)loug sandstone boulders just below the edge of the 
 cliff. "A" is sixteen feet higli, and nineteen and 
 three-tenths feet across at the base. Tlie rock upon 
 which it stands is twenty-four feet high and forty- 
 eight feet in length. The tower has no windows, and 
 the only entrance to it is a small door, two feet in 
 height and one and one-half feet in width, at the bot- 
 tom of the tower on the eastern side. As in the case of 
 nearly all the tower.s of this group, one side is square 
 and the other rounded. It is really a combination of 
 a sipnire and a circle. The masonry is excellent, 
 sandstone blocks, averaging fourteen by five by four 
 inches, having been used in its construction. The 
 several towers similar to "A" and "B" were mani- 
 festly designed for defense, for on all sides are small 
 loopholes about three or four inches in diameter. 
 Those in the lower story point directly outward, 
 those in the second slightly downward. All the looi>- 
 holes are smoothly plastered with adobe, so that an 
 arrow or spear could be discharged easily. 
 
 Tower "A" consists of four rooms upon the ground 
 
 4 
 
 Uoor. Toward the east, the room in the sijuare end 
 Avas four by four by two and seven-tenths feet. The 
 central chamber was seven and one-half by six by 
 four and three-tenths feet. The two rooms in the 
 \\ est of circular end were seven and six-tenths by 
 six and three-tenths feet. A fissure separates the 
 rock upon which "A" stands from the main cliff. 
 
 Tower "B" is now two stories in height, the third, 
 or upper storj', having fallen down. It is twenty-one 
 feet In height at present, its walls fourteen inches 
 in thickness, and its diameter at the base is twenty- 
 one and four-tenths feet. A fissure, eight feet in 
 width, separates it from the main clitf. It was origi- 
 nally divided into six rooms upon the ground floor. 
 The rock upon which the tower was built stood 
 thirty-four feet in height. .Just underneath the base 
 of the tower, atmospheric agencies in past ages cut 
 out a small cavern some fourteen feet in width and 
 five feet high. Primitive man took advantage of this 
 and constructed two small cave dwellings. Num- 
 erous looiiholes were observed in tower "B." 
 
 Stronger habitations could scarcely have been con- 
 structed by these people, even had they more im- 
 proved implements with which to work. When one 
 considers that all these thousands of sandstone 
 blocks were hewn out with stOTie tools, and fashioned 
 into buildings by primitive masons; that doorways 
 and windows and loopholes were accurately and 
 neatly and substantially constructed, one .iustly ac- 
 cords the builders a degree of architectural skill ex- 
 celled only by races of other lands who had the use 
 of metal and the communication of thought by writ- 
 ten characters. In these towers there is but one en- 
 
50 
 
 The Field Diaby op an Aechaeological Oollectoh. 
 
 trance to each room. The entrances are usually to- 
 ward the canyon or, as in the case of towers "A" and 
 "B," toward the edges of the boulder highest from , 
 the ledge below. This would necessitate the use of 
 small ladders, which the builders could draw in and 
 thus prevent their enemies from entering rapidly. 
 That is, entrance could be forced to many of tlie 
 towers without ladders (as we climbed in), but some 
 time and care would be required to scale the cliff, 
 and the occupants would have abundant opportunity 
 to repel a number of invaders who were without lad- 
 ders. The rafters in all the towers are in the last 
 stages of decay. Scarcely half a dozen in the entire 
 series of buildings extend across the rooms. 
 
 Hollow boulder "O" stands opposite the junction 
 of the two upper canyons, and is thirty-nine feet 
 long and twenty feet high. The rock leans somewhat, 
 about eight degrees. Within the boulder is a hollow 
 eighteen by seven and eight-tenths feet. The cave is 
 w:alled and divided into two rooms. The outer wall 
 has fallen down and the inner room alone remains 
 standing. This cave dwelling is in a bad state of 
 preservation, and the original shape of the entire 
 dwelling can not be determined at present. There are 
 the remains of a tower on top of the boulder. 
 
 Square Tower "D" stands upon the topmost ledge 
 .directly opposite the point, the dividing ridge be- 
 tween the canyon forks. The entrance faces the can- 
 yon, and the building stands twelve feet in height, 
 twenty-one and three-tenths feet east and west, and 
 ten and eight-tenths feet north and south. There are 
 no windows, but numerous loopholes.. The masonry 
 
 Pinner. 
 
 is only fair. As the entrance is three or four feet 
 from the edge of the canyon, an enemy could easily 
 gain access; so the builders constructed two walls, 
 several feet in height, at each corner of the building 
 nearest the canyon. The building commands the un- 
 protected boulder dwelling below. There are at least 
 twenty loopholes in the walls. 
 
 Ruins "E" and "F" are half-way between the top 
 and the bottom of the northwest canyon. Both of 
 these are dilapidated and are not of special interest. 
 
 Square Tower "G" is the tallest tower standing. 
 It was built upon a boulder ten feet high, sixteen 
 feet wide, and twenty feet long. It originally had 
 four stories, three of which are now standing. The 
 tower tapers at the top. There are no loopholes in 
 the lower story, quite a number in the second, and 
 very many, indeed, in the third. We are convinced 
 that it was the most important position for defense 
 in the entire group. The fourth story would com- 
 mand the plan above. Even should the enemy suc- 
 ceed in eluding the other towers, they would be un- 
 able to pass this one in safety. Should any of the 
 defenders become wounded, they could descend into 
 the lower story and be perfectly safe. The doorway 
 is T-shaped. Many of the entrances to the building 
 are of this peculiar pattern. A similar preference in 
 constructing doorways has been noted in the ruins 
 of Mexico and Yucatan. Possibly it has some sym- 
 bolic significance. The masonry in the tower is 
 second only to that of "L" and "N." 
 
 As will be seen from the map, ruins "G" to "N," 
 inclusive, are all bunched together in the head of the 
 canyon. It seems to have been a preferred spot for 
 dwellings and, consequently, a very vital point to be 
 defended. The water has washed out a great cave, 
 marked on the map "K," in the north side of the 
 canyon, and a smaller one in the northwest end of 
 the canyon, marked "J." Tower "G" splendidly com- 
 mands both of these. Upon the mesa, extending 
 hack for twenty or thirty yards from the edge and 
 following the curvature of the head of the canyon, is 
 a good-sized pueblo ruin at present almost entirely 
 destroyed. Buildings, marked "H" and "I" upon the 
 plan, protected the two sides of the pueblo next to 
 the mesa. "H" stands fifteen feet high and thirty 
 feet at the base. "I" stands eleven feet high and 
 fourteen feet at the base. Both of them have num- 
 erous loopholes. Great piles of debris surround the 
 base and follow the curvature of the canyon tor 130 
 yards. Where .the walls have fallen one can trace 
 circular and square rooms to the number of forty or 
 fifty. Rectangular rooms are also discerniWe. 
 
 Descending to the bottom of thfe .canyon, we find 
 cliff house "J." The boulder outcrops ten or twelve 
 feet. A wall has been built across the mouth of the 
 opening, and a small but secure dwelling thus 
 
The Field Diary of an Aisciiaeolouical Collector. 
 
 Into the Dejert. 
 
 formed. The doorway is about the smallest we en- 
 countered. An examination of the interior of this 
 dwelling resulted in the finding of ashes, pottery 
 fragments, and bones, covering the floor. Most of 
 the cliff houses have been occupied until fully eigh- 
 teen inches of debris covered the stone floors be- 
 neath. One of the men was set to work excavating 
 in several of these chambers. He found nothing of 
 importance. Roving bands of Utes and Navajos In- 
 dians have gutted nearly all these ruins. The post 
 traders pay the Indians for such pottery, axes and 
 arrow-heads as thej' bring in, hence the vandalism 
 is encouraged. 
 
 At the point marlved "K" the cavern in the canyon 
 is 150 feet in length and twenty feet in height. The 
 wall above hangs over at least twenty feet. The 
 cliff-dwellers constructed within the friendly shelter 
 thus afforded a large compartment dwelling of nine 
 rooms. Each room was small, but taken together 
 they covered an extent of about sixty feet, fourteen 
 feet in height, and sixteen to eighteen feet in depth. 
 The walls dividing one room from another, and also 
 the front walls have nearly all fallen down. There 
 is a trace of one T-shaped door. The stones used in 
 constructing the room are much smaller than those 
 found in the towers. The base of the cliff rooms are 
 fifteen feet from the bottom of the canyon. Quite 
 long ladders were required in gaining access to them. 
 
 Dwellings "L." "M," and "N" are three of the larg- 
 est and the most important ruins in the entire can- 
 yon. "Jj," in particular, is splendidly preserved, and 
 comprises the best architectural skill displayed in 
 any of the buildings which we have attempted to 
 describe and illustrate. The stones in it are all 
 neatly trimmed and well laid. The three ruins stand 
 directly upon the edge of the cliff. On the canyon 
 side "L" is thirty-nine feet long and is divided into 
 five rooms. On the side of the mesa there are four 
 rooms. Two and a half stories are standing, and 
 
 aliout one and a half have fallen, making its original 
 height four stories or twenty-six feet. There is but 
 one doorway, and that faces the canyon. It is twenty 
 feet from the steps, cut in the face of the rock, to 
 the canyon below. As in the case of the building 
 previously mentioned, a very long ladder must have 
 been used to gain access. The circular end is toward 
 the east. There are loopholes pointing so directly 
 downward that a man standing at the base could be 
 sliot by those within. The walls are a trifle over 
 fourteen inches in thickness. "M" and "N" are forti- 
 fied compartment houses, comprising a total of 
 twenty-six rooms. They were once connected. A 
 high semicircular tower stands on the east side or 
 toward the mesa. One of the larger rooms in this 
 was cleaned out and examined. It had been used 
 for many years, and the bed-rock was worn smooth 
 by the long occupation. Bushels of ashes, pottery 
 fragments, several mortars and pestles, and a large 
 stone axe were found in the debris. The walls of 
 "Jj," "M" and "N" are three feet thick at the base 
 I'ut taper toward the top. In a certain portion of 
 "D" it appears that the wall was broken through, 
 either by an enemy or for some unknown purpose, 
 and afterwards repaired. 
 
 Tower "P" is on the point where the canyon di 
 vides. It is circular and only one story in height, al- 
 though it commands a very important position, and 
 stands on a high boulder. It Is in a badly decayed 
 condition. The loopholes command the whole can- 
 yon. Tower "0" stands upon a high boulder about 
 half-way down the side of the canyon. It Is thir- 
 teen feet in height, or fifty feet from its top to the 
 bottom of the canyon. But one side is standing. In 
 order to get the altitude it was necessary to climb to 
 the top of this frail, tottering wall. This feat was 
 accomplished not without considerable risk, for one 
 could look straight down the side of the boulder to 
 the canyon below. The wind was blowing a gale. 
 
52 
 
 The Field Diary of an Akchaeological Collectok. 
 
 ■^^-^ 
 
 
 r'* "** 
 
 Square XSobuer " C" 
 
 and that, together with the weight of the man, made 
 the old wall vibrate perceptibly. 
 
 "S," "T" and "V" are small niius in a bad condi- 
 tion. "R" is a good-sized compartment house stand- 
 ing originally two stories in height, on the edge of 
 the cliff, and having six rooms upon the ground 
 floor. It is thirty-three feet in length and nineteen 
 feet in width. There is one small separate room 
 joined to it, nine and two-tenths by eight and four- 
 tenths feet. As in the case of "S," ''T" and "V," it 
 is upon the north side of the main canyon below the 
 fork. 
 
 "U" is a verj' strong compartment house, or castle, 
 built upon a huge boulder, slightly below the main 
 cliff on the north side. It is separated from the 
 cliff by a fissure thirty feet in width and twenty-flve 
 feet deep. The rock has a slope or dip toward the 
 south, of eight degrees, and toward the east of about 
 the same. The house upon it is thirty-nine feet long, 
 nine feet wide, and fifteen feet high. It was divided 
 into four rooms and was about as inaccessible as any 
 one of the ruins. This castle, standing so high upon 
 its foundation, caught the first rays of the morning 
 sun. It formed a beautiful background for our camp, 
 which we pitched near it, alongside of a small spring. 
 
 Some important facts concerning the ancient 
 dwellers in the San Juan Valley, properly known as 
 the cliff-dwellers, are deduced from this group of 
 
 ruins. First, the ruins are miles from any other 
 group. Second, the soil about them is not tillable. 
 Third, there is no indication from the Lower McElmo 
 that such a body of ruins exists at its head. Fourth, 
 the character of the buildings indicate that they were 
 constructed for defensive purposes. Fifth, we were 
 unable to find a cemetery or burying-ground accom- 
 panying the ruins. Sixth, so far as we are able to 
 judge, the ruins do not mark the existence of a peo- 
 ple greatly different from the pueblo dwellers the 
 Spaniards found living in this very region In the 
 sixteenth century. 
 
 With reference to the ruins themselves, they mark 
 the existence of a considerable village. When that 
 village was inhabited we are unable to say. We are 
 inclined to the opinion that it was abandoned several 
 centuries ago. In support of this theory, we would 
 offer the following facts: Many of the ruins are 
 tumbled down, some of which scarcely a vestige re- 
 mains. A great many of the stones used in the walls 
 have been taken from other buildings, because they 
 are covered with mortar on the outside or show re- 
 dressing. The wind has shifted great banks of sand 
 about the base of many of them. The stones show 
 great weathering and many of the steps, cut in the 
 sides of the canyon to lead to the cliff houses above, 
 have been almost entirely worn away by the action 
 of wind and sand. 
 
 The ground In the canyon and upon the surround- 
 ing mesa Is strewn with arrow-heads, pottery frag- 
 ments, and implements and utensils used both for 
 hunting and domestic purjjoses. The total number of 
 rooms in the entire series is not far from three hun- 
 dred and twenty. It will, therefore, be seen that a 
 considerable population was supported at this place. 
 
 Upon coming up the valley the ruins present a 
 very striking appearance. High up upon the cliffs 
 or upon isolated boulders, they stand out in strong 
 relief against the sky. They seem all the more im- 
 portant because of their division into two groups. 
 Each ruin Is a fortress in itself. 
 
 The pueblo dwellings are scattered broadcast 
 throughout all the fertile valleys of the San Juan. 
 The mound builder villages and enclosures of the 
 Ohio Valley are also scattered over a great territory. 
 The cliff inhabitants' dwellings are located in vil- 
 lages at the head of narrow, deep, and barren gorges. 
 One naturally asks why the builders did not follow 
 the customs of other aboriginal tribes. It is appar- 
 ent that they were pursued and hunted to the death 
 by savages from a distance, and were, therefore, 
 compelled to seek out these inaccessible homes. It 
 may be asked, "If the canyons were barren, 
 upon what did the inhabitants subsist?" Mr. 
 Gunckel's article upon the hieroglyphics will 
 answer this question. When a barbarian makes 
 pictures he naturally portrays those things, or 
 
The Field Diaby of an Archaeological CoLLECTon. 
 
 53 
 
 animals, oi" other forms of life with which he is 
 familiar; in fact, it would be impossible for him to 
 do otherwise. So that when we see hundreds of 
 figures of Rocliy Mountain sheep, turkeys, etc., in 
 the groups of picture-writings, we naturally conclude 
 that he captured these and others. The Messrs. 
 Wetherill have found great deposits of turkey dung 
 and bones in the clifiC houses, and they firmly believe 
 the Inhabitants domesticated the turkey. In Ruin 
 Canyon, at present, nothing could be raised, but at 
 one time the stream may have been large, or there 
 was a continuous spring — or there may have been 
 other conditions obtaining then of which we are not 
 aware in these modern days. 
 
 Beans, corn, squashes, melons, etc., could be had 
 by barter from the larger villages of the same people 
 in the Mancos Canyon, forty miles away. 
 
 It is very strange that no cemetery was found 
 near the ruins. Possibly continued trenches in va- 
 rious directions might reveal it. Our stay in the can- 
 yon was necessarily of brief duration, and excavat- 
 ing on a large scale was entirely out of the question. 
 When some of the members of the present survey 
 were at Fort Ancient in Ohio, a few years ago, the 
 burial ground of the people who constructed the 
 earthworks was not discovered until after weeks of 
 patient digging. If the same measures were observed 
 in Ruin Canyon we are confident that the archaeol- 
 ogist would reap a large reward. 
 
 The pueblo builder and the cliff-house builder stood 
 on an equality as regards architecture and pottery- 
 making. The pueblo inhabitant was a superior tiller 
 of the soil, the cliff-house resident a superior warrior, 
 possessed of some idea of the principles of fortifica- 
 tion and of the best means for defense. The inscrip- 
 tions upon the rocks can not properly be called hiero- 
 glyphics, but partake more of the nature of pictures 
 such as the Indians of the plains were wont to make 
 upon buffalo hides, giving an account of the exploits 
 and history of the heads of certain clans. If we mis- 
 take not, the Bureau of Ethnology has advanced sim- 
 ilar conclusions, based upon the careful studies of 
 its various representatives in the field. 
 
 Our conclusions do not necessarily imply that the 
 cliff houses are of recent date. Many of the pueblos 
 are modern, but the cliff dwellings themselves have 
 every appearance of age. 
 
 There is a great opportunity for the student of 
 archaeology in the McElmo Canyon, but he should 
 not fall into the error of a romancer, and attribute 
 virtues and abilities to the aborigines above those 
 which they really possessed. 
 
 Following in the footsteps of this survey, some in- 
 stitutions should send a party of competent archaeol- 
 ogists to open cemeteries, collect implements and 
 utensils, and follow out in detail the plan we have' 
 already outlined. 
 
 Then will the life of the ancient dweller in the 
 San Juan Valley be fully appreciated and under- 
 stood. Hasty travelers and relic hunters have al- 
 ready done an immense amount of damage in con- 
 necting these people with the Aztecs on one hand or 
 the mound builders on the other. 
 
 A few side-lights from the log-book here follow: 
 
 APRIL 29. 
 
 Moorehead and the cook with more provisions ar- 
 rived in the afternoon. They also brought the mail 
 from Bluff City. It was fortunate they arrived when 
 they did as we had nothing to eat except bacon and 
 coffee, not expecting to be out so long. A nest of 
 rattlesnakes was found in one of the ruins. Ralston 
 shot one and the others were stoned to death. 
 
 APRIL 30. 
 
 We were early to work. Moorehead and Gunckel 
 taking notes, Cowen surveying with the help of 
 Ralston and Longnecker, Lane photographing and 
 Matthews and Smith digging out one of the 
 buildings. It was no easy task to measure the ruins. 
 They were generally situated so we had to climb to 
 them, edge along the side of the cliff, or climb the 
 shaky walls to get at the height. Several more rat- 
 tlesnakes were seen to-day. It seems to be their 
 favorite haunt about these fallen ruins. Mr. 
 Wetherill says he has found mountain lion tracks in 
 the ruins of the Mancos Canyon. 
 
 MAY 1. 
 
 We got through sooner than we expected and pull- 
 ed out for Camp McBlmo on the San Juan, 25 miles 
 away. There were only four horses and they were 
 needed to drive the burros, so Moorehead, Cowen, 
 Gunckel, Lane and Ralston were compelled to walk 
 the distance. The way is very rough down the can- 
 yons and the only path or road is a faint Indian trail. 
 We finally reached camp late in the afternoon, tired, 
 hungry, and generally worn out. 
 
 MAY 2. 
 
 We set to work on our notes, Cowen on the map 
 and Moorehead, Gunckel and Ralston on the article. 
 
 The Indians are always thick about our camp, both 
 Utes and Navajos. They come into the tents with- 
 out any invitation whatever, sit down, pull out some 
 cigarette paper, and ask for tobacco. They will also 
 gather around the fire, spread out a blanket, pull out 
 a deck of greasy Spanish cards, and gamble for Win- 
 chester and Colt cartridges by the hour. The type- 
 writer is another great curiosity with them. They 
 will get down on their knees to see the type work, 
 and every time the bell rings, grunt and look at one 
 another. They say it is "Heap bad medicine, heap 
 talk!" 
 
54 
 
 'The Field Diaky of an AnciiAfioLOGlCAL Collectob. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ACROSS THE DESERT. 
 
 We were preparing to leave for Bluff City, aud 
 had packed mosit of our outfit, expecting to start 
 early in tbe morning. 
 
 The San Juan River was unusually high, and its 
 tawny waves dashed against the bank scarcely 
 forty feet beyond our tent. In the early morning we 
 had noticed that the river was within two feet of 
 the top of the bank, but did not suppose that it would 
 rise sufficiently to compel us to move. 
 
 About supper time the cook went to the stream for 
 water, and upon his return informed us that four 
 inches more rise would bring the water on a level 
 with the ground occupied by our tents. 
 
 We had built a large flre, and were sitting about 
 it, smoking and telling stories. The guide had been 
 relating one of his bear stories. We were not in- 
 clined to take much stuck in the guide's stories. 
 He had told us a great many, in fact, too many 
 for the region, as very few bears had been seen 
 by the hunters in the last five years. 
 
 The tent occupied by the teamster, cook, guides, 
 camp-boy, and Mr. Rowley, was pitched much nearer 
 the river bank than the supply tent and the one in 
 which dwelt the remainder of the parity. 
 
 The camp-boy had withdrawn from the fire some 
 time before. As we were having an uproarious time, 
 joking the guide about his experiences with the 
 grizzlies and the silver tips, we were suddenly con- 
 fronted by the camp-boy, scantily attired; he was 
 greatly excited, and as he ran toward us he cried: 
 "The bank is caving in just back of the tent!" 
 
 We all ran to the scene of the accident and found 
 the water dashing over the ground so near the bick 
 of the tent that unless something was done quickly 
 Rowley would lose his birds ami animal skins and 
 his bedding. We jerked down the tent as quickly as 
 possible, and carried canvas aud contents to a place 
 of safety, some two hundred yards away. The men 
 were ordered to tln-ow up a bank around the other 
 two tents. This engaged the entire force for some- 
 thing more than an hour. We rolled the cook's 
 wagon on to a knoll four feet in height, and then all 
 hands turned in with the expectation of rising about 
 five o'clock. 
 
 The San Juan was not content with making us 
 move one tent. The day had been very hot, and 
 the melting snows in the mountains swelled the 
 stream higher and higher. It crept up, inch by 
 inch, and about midnight the waves covered a piece 
 of low ground alongside our tent. As the San Juan 
 rises, the waves get higher. The river carries more 
 sand and mud than any other stream in the country. 
 
 It has nevei- been satisfactorily explained how the 
 "sand rollers" start in this singular stream, but we 
 
 know, from personal experience, that sometimes they 
 reach a height of three or four feet. Whether the 
 wind blows or not seems to make no difference. 
 
 It was about midnight when a wave about two 
 feet high got under full headway and swept inland, 
 drenched the bottom of our tent, and flooded the 
 ground outside the embankment. Some of the water 
 dashed over the little levee we had thrown up, and 
 found its way inside. Of course, everyone woke up 
 
 "Difficult WorK- 
 
 instantly, and rushed outside. The first man out, 
 upon stepping over the embankment, found himself 
 in about a foot of water. 
 
 Then there was a commotion! We carried our 
 clothes, valises, and blankets to the cook's wagou, 
 and, retiu-ning, pulled down the tent and stored it 
 on top of a deserted Indian clay lodge near at hand. 
 The supply tent was not safe either, and we had 
 
The Field Diaey op an Archaeological Collectok. 
 
 55 
 
 to take that down and carry all the heavy boxes ot 
 canned goods, specimens, trunks, ropes, etc., two 
 hundred yards back to a hill. 
 
 There was no more Sleep for us that night and 
 we passed a very cheerless time waiting for day- 
 light. The cook said he would warm us up and pre- 
 pared one of his famous camp stews. Two or three 
 spoonfuls of extract of beef are supposed to be put 
 in a large kettle of hot water, but this dilution was 
 never sufficient 'for the men of the survey. No mat- 
 ter how strong the extract might be, they preferred 
 solid matter to liquid. So the cook was in the habit 
 of pouring a can of corn, one of tomatoes, and fifteen 
 or twenty peeled potatoes into a pot along with the 
 extract, and such other odds and ends as he had in 
 the larder. To a man out of camp this would hardly 
 be palatable, but it suited iis first rate. 
 
 After such a stew had vanished down the throats 
 of eleven hungry men, the wagons were loaded and 
 the burros packed and we set out over the sand 
 desert separating Gillett's trading store from Bluff 
 City. This was the w6rst trip we had in the course 
 of the expedition. We disabled two horses, came 
 near losing our camp-boy, and suffered greatly from 
 thirst. The distance was only twenty-two miles, yet 
 we were two days in making It. I can give no 
 better idea of the great difficulties experienced in 
 traversing the San Juan country than by describing 
 our journey mile by mile. 
 
 The men in charge of the trading store have to 
 haul their freight from Mancos. Tlie road lies 
 near our camp, and Is frequently traveled by the 
 traders. Therefore we had an easy road of It for 
 a mile and a half. From the store to Bluff City there 
 is a trail which the Mormons occasionally use when 
 it becomes necessary for them to visit Durango. But 
 as they raise nearly all their own commodities, and 
 make their own clothes, they seldom have inter- 
 course Avith the outside world. 
 
 One mile beyond Gillett's store the trail crosses a 
 small creek. The creek is filled with quicksand. 
 You can stand on a fiat, tablelike surface of 
 grey compact sand, and if you .lump up and down 
 a little, the whole mass will shake and quiver like 
 an enormous bowl of jelly. If you keep on jumping, 
 the soft, pliable crust covering the sand beneatli 
 will suddenly break as does "rubber ice," and let 
 you down up to your knees. Once in that far. It will 
 be difficult for you to get out unless there is some 
 one near at hand to throw you a rope. The trail ap- 
 proaches on a perfectly level mesa until It reaches thj 
 edge of the creek; then there is a steep descent of 
 about thirty degrees for some distance. Across the 
 creek is about one hundred feet, and then comes 
 another steep incline on the opposite side; We saw 
 there was going to be trouble, and so, unhitching 
 
 one of the teams, we put four horses on one wagon 
 and started them slowly down the bank with all of 
 the wheels chained so that they could not revolve. 
 Even with such a powerful drag, the wagon ran on 
 to the horses and came near being upset. When the 
 wagon reached the quicksand we had to stop for a 
 moment to unlock the wheels. While this was being 
 done, the wheels settled about eight Inches, and it 
 was just all the horses could do to start the wagon 
 and cross the trembling, shalcing, treacherous level. 
 Our four horses could not pull the wagon up on the 
 other side, and Smith and Matthews, the guides, 
 untied their lariats and fastened them to the wagon- 
 tongue. Then they dismounted and gave their two 
 splendid horses the lash; the six animals were barely 
 able to drag the wagon on to the mesa beyond. 
 Our second wagon, being lighter, was taken across 
 with less difficulty. 
 
 Mr. Cowen, the surveyor, trudging through th>j 
 sand, stepped into one of the ruts made 'by the wagon 
 and went down to his knees. Several of us rushed 
 back and seized him by the arms, dragging him 
 through sand and water to the other bank. Those who 
 had hold of him, in a spirit of fun, pretended to 
 have continual fears for his safety, and instead of 
 releasing him immediately upon getting him out of 
 the rut, pulled him clear across the creek upon his 
 knees. 
 
 We rested upon the mesa, and as we started up 
 our burros spied several strange burros. When burro 
 meets buri'o tliere is invariably a stampede. Despite 
 the efforts of our horsemen, our nine burros pur- 
 sued the three strangers, scattering pots, pans, canned 
 beef, and other articles all along the road. They 
 ran for two miles before they could be held in check. 
 This second trouble caused a delay of an hour. When 
 the burros were at last brought into the trail, the 
 teamsters stopped and tl:e boys who had been rid- 
 ing dismounted. The sand was about ankle deep, 
 and as far as the eye could discern it was covered 
 with sage-brush. Along the San Juan River was a. 
 fringe of trees, small, stunted, and hardly worthy 
 of the not)le name. For ten miles we trudged 
 through the sand. For my part, I would rather walk 
 five miles on an Ohio pike than one mile on any of 
 the "roads" in southern Utah or northern New Mex- 
 ico. Those who have not tried it can scarcely imagine 
 the feeling of fatigue which speedily overcomes trav- 
 elers on such paths. One may be a good pedestrian. 
 but the continual exertion of pulling the feet out of 
 the soft, yielding sand, setting them forward to 
 take a good stride — only to find that your step falls 
 considerably shorter than you intended — will wear 
 out the average walker speedily. You cast your eyes 
 about you to see something of beauty, but you see 
 nothing save great frowning sandstone cliffs, an oc- 
 
5(3 
 
 The Field Diary of. an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 Caja del E,cbo. 
 
 Ciision.'il coyote, or a sand crane. Yon si^li 
 for the green fields and shady woods of the East. 
 You would give all the relics and clifC houses yon have 
 seen in three months for a drink of good limestoiie 
 water. You must keep your eyes on the ground for 
 rattlesnakes and tarantulas; at the same time you 
 must watch the cliffs afar off on your right for cliff 
 houses and towers. You tliink you see a dwell- 
 ing, and just as you raise the glass to 
 your eyes you hear a buzz in a bush from which, 
 perchance, you might have familiarly plucked a twig 
 but a moment later. Y'ou jump, draw your revolver, 
 and as you cover the bush you see a flat- 
 headed rattler just in the act of striking. With 
 great pleasure you put a bullet through his head. 
 
 On this particular day of which I write, about ten 
 miles of that sand was all we could make by out 
 o'clock, when we halted for dinner. We beat about 
 the sage-brush, and having scared out tlie reptiles 
 broke off a sufficient quantity of twigs to make a 
 small fire; we boiled coffee, fried some bacon, and 
 laid ourselves down upon the hot sand to rest. 
 
 Dinner over, we set out, hoping to make ten miles 
 by night, but we were doomed to disappointment. 
 We came to a place where the road ascends to the 
 second mesa. It is called Sand Hill, and it well de- 
 serves the name. 1 remember to have read, when a 
 boy, of a traveler in Egypt who was unable to travel 
 five miles in a day, on account of sand impeding his 
 progress. If I remember rightly, he had three or 
 four camels; that was all; I suppose he hadn't any 
 wagons. We were aU that afternoon in getting up 
 that quarter of a mile stretch of hill. The burros 
 went up smiling, that Is, if a burro can smile. They 
 
 can go anywhere. The horses were halted and a con- 
 sultation held. We decided to partially unload the 
 wagons, and to put sis horses upon each wagon. How 
 the poor creatures strained and tugged! They un- 
 derstood their business well. They would stretch 
 themselves out, and settle down into a steady pull, 
 so long and hard that it seemed as if you cuuld 
 almost hear their hearts beat. The two "cow" 
 horses, with long lariats connecting the pommel of 
 tlie saddles and the tongue of the wagon, were used 
 as anchors; that is, when a veiy steep part of the 
 hill was reached where there was a little sand, 
 these horses at a word from the guide would bunch 
 their feet together and lean away from the wagon 
 just as they lean when the lasso has fallen over 
 the horns of a steer. They were not so strong as 
 the team horses, but more wiry, and had greater 
 powers of endurance, so that when the team horses 
 were resting they would hold the wagon from sliding 
 down the hill. There was not a stone within a mile 
 with which the wheels could be blocked; to chain 
 them was not of much use, and this was our novel 
 method of holding our wagons stationary. 
 
 We had nearly reached the top with the first load 
 when one of the team horses gave a jump, swerved 
 to one side, and then fell in the harness. He had 
 dislocated his shoulder. AVe got him out as best 
 we could, and taking two of the more steady burros, 
 rigged up rough breast straps for them out of some 
 old leather bands, and put them ahead of the tongue 
 with the "cow" horses ; thus we reached the top of 
 the hill. The other wagon was entirely unloaded 
 and taken up empty. The horses were turned loose 
 to "graze." The delicate sarcasm in that word 
 "graze" can be appreciated only by a man who has 
 been through the San Juan country. 
 
 An old-timer of the region turns his horse out to 
 graze after a hard day's work, on the territory 
 wliere there is about as much grazing as there is 
 in the middle of Broadway, New York. The horse 
 is lucky if he can find any sage-brush tops green 
 enough for him to eat. At first glance you would 
 not think that he could find anything at all; it is 
 only by going along the edge of the river that he does 
 get any grass. The load of the second wagon was 
 carried up the hill by the burros, and then we started 
 to set up our camp. 
 
 A reader who has never made a "dry camp" can not 
 ajipreciate the inconvenience and hardship which it 
 entails. An old-timer would rather encounter the In- 
 dians, poisonous reptiles, and other things which the 
 average Easterner regards as terrible, than a "dry 
 camp." Our experience has been that the lack of three 
 necessaries — wood, water and grass — Is far more dan- 
 gerous to an expedition's health than any band of In- 
 dians that ever roamed the plains. You can keep out 
 
The Field Diary oi" an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 57 
 
 of the way of Indians, but you can not get water 
 where there Is none; you can kill a rattlesnake, but 
 you can not get wood where none grows. You can 
 avoid a tarantula, but you can't find grass in a 
 rainless region. 
 
 Some one may ask why w^e did not carry grain, 
 wood, and water, with us. Any old packer would 
 reply that horses eat so much when they depend en- 
 tirely upon the feed .from the wagon, that it is im- 
 possible to carry supplies for more than two weeks. 
 There are so many things to be carried on an expedi- 
 tion that one must make a supply depot while he is 
 in a country where roads are fair, and turn to it when 
 In need of provisions. We carried usually seven 
 hundred pounds of oats — enough for our stock six 
 days. If we had attempted to carry wood and water 
 in addition, we should not have been able to get 
 horses enough to pull the wagons, and each horse 
 added to the outfit would have necessitated more- 
 water and more grain. 
 
 There is but one way to get through the Great 
 American Desert, to go with pack horses and as little 
 baggage as possible, aAd to keep near enough to 
 BlufC City to get supplies. Men have tried to cross 
 above BlufC City, where there are no settlements or 
 runclies, and in some instances they have left 
 their bones bleaching upon the white alkali sands. 
 It is hard enough to get fiom Olio to Bluff. Just 
 consider for a moment! Olio is thirty-five miles from 
 the mouth of the Mancos. Not a white man, not a 
 ranch, and no water in the entire distance ! Mancos 
 Creek is thirty miles from Nolan's trading store. Not 
 a white man nor a ranch can you see until you get 
 to Nolan's ! The force at that store consists of three 
 white men, two women, and two children. Forty 
 miles from Nolan's to Glllett's and not a white man 
 or a house. Twenty-five miles from Gillett's to Bluff, 
 over the most forlorn looking desert that the sun 
 ever shown upon. Or, a total of one hundred and 
 thirty miles of desert, traversed by the San Juan 
 River, and but five creeks, all of which contain water 
 largely impregnated with alkali. A hundred and 
 thirty miles (which is not Indian reservation), exist- 
 ing in this fair United States, in which the traveler 
 sees but two stores, containing a total population 
 of nine white people! 
 
 We camped on that sand ridge, opened cans of 
 peaches for supper, and drank the juice in order to 
 quench our thirst. Some of the boys walked to the 
 river two miles away, and brought back a precious 
 bucket full of muddy water. We each took a tin 
 full of this, and sighed for more, but we were too 
 tired to go back to the river. The stock was turned 
 loose, and allowed to wander in search of water. 
 Nearly everyone that night slept on. wet blankets 
 as the result of the fiood the night before. We did 
 
 not rest at all well, and woke up in the morning 
 thirsty, cross, tired, and half sick. The guide in- 
 formed us that water could be had four miles ahead, 
 so we decided to get breakfast there, and trudged 
 along through the sands as best we could. 
 
 We had to abandon one wagon on the mesa for 
 lack of horses to pull it. We left one of the team- 
 sters in charge of it, and put our three good horses 
 on the lighter wagon. On the way to Bluff, we came 
 to a place where there was a sheer wall of rock on 
 one side, three hundred feet high, and a deep preci- 
 pice on the left, at the base of which roared the San 
 Juan River. A rock had slipped out of its bed and 
 fallen over the edge of the road on the river side. 
 It left barely room for the teamster to get past. As 
 he drove over, the wheels on the lower side slid down 
 a little, the wheels on the upper side tilted a moment 
 and then righted themselves. The wagon passed 
 safely, but it was a ticklish moment. 
 
 For three weeks we had been passing through a 
 region which afforded no water which Mr. Lane, our 
 photographer, could use in developing negatives. The 
 surveyor had used the end gate of the wagon on 
 which to make his maps. The artist had a small 
 board, about two by three feet, as his easel. 
 
 The roads had been so terribly rough that the 
 surveyor's level and transit and the larger camera 
 were severely injured by the rough jolting of the 
 wagons over rocks and ruts, so it was with feelings 
 of relief that we entered BlufC and established a per- 
 manent camp. From thence the wagons were not to • 
 be taken further west, but instead the pack train and 
 the horses would be sent out into the neighboring 
 canyons, which were supposed to be filled with in- 
 teresting ruins. 
 
 Our experience in crossing the desert, as narrated, 
 will give the reader an idea of the inconveniences 
 to be expected during a trip to the Southwest. One 
 of the great causes of suffering was the lack of 
 water. Frequently, upon reaching a stream about 
 sundown, the members of the expedition would be 
 so tired and thirsty that they would throw them- 
 selves on the ground, in the mud or quicksand, and, 
 without waiting to dip up water in a bucket and let 
 it settle, would drink out of a shallow, dirty stream 
 scarce two inches in depth, counting themselves 
 lucky that they could obtain even this. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CASA DEL ECHO AND EUINS ON THE SAN JUAN. 
 
 As stated before we experienced no little difficulty 
 in reaching this place. Our last camping place Tvas 
 at the mouth of McElmo Creek. Upon the comple- 
 tion of the work in Ruin Canyon, the burros and 
 wagons were started for Blufl: City, where they ar- 
 
58 
 
 The Field Diary op ai^ Akchaeological Collector. 
 
 rived after the adventures described. Several of 
 the members of the expedition followed the banl£s 
 of the San Juan on foot to Bluff, a distance of forty 
 miles. While traveling along the shores of the 
 strange river, cliff houses were observed at various 
 points. The most remarkable of these consisted of 
 a series of ten rooms, all of which were connected. 
 They occupied a ledge of rock fifteen feet in width 
 and about one hundred and fifty in length. 
 
 Hanging directly over the raging river, they consti- 
 tuted a stronghold well-high inaccessible. The only 
 way to reach them is by following a narrow shelf 
 for a considerable distance. Great boulders project 
 over the ledge, and one is compelled to imitate the 
 progress of the snake to get ai-ound them. Moreover, 
 a timid person, looking down one hundred feet to 
 the river swiftly running below, is apt to become 
 dizzy. There are no footpaths at the bottom of the 
 cliffs, and no boat near. Hence it was impossible 
 to cross the river and photograph the cliff houses. 
 Several persons had been there before us, and all 
 things within the buildings had been carried off. The 
 ruins are about half-way between Montezuma and 
 Recapture creeks. Small ruins were occasionally 
 observed between Montezuma Creek and Bluff City. 
 
 The roads leading into Bluff City are composed 
 almost entirely of sand. One of the horses was 
 disabled and the others more or less woi-n out by the 
 heavy hauling. For this reason we made permanent 
 camp a mile below Bluff City, and decided not to 
 send the wagons further, but instead, to use the bur- 
 ros and horses in transporting ourselves through the 
 canyons of Hallett's and Epsom creeks. It may be 
 noted here that the people about Bluff City call 
 Hallett's Creek the Cottonwood; so either the map- 
 makers or the inhabitants of Utah are in error. The 
 large valley known as Cone Wash, lying thirty miles 
 west of here, is not down upon the maps at all. 
 
 While preparing for the next important step in the 
 survey, the members of the expedition enjoyed the 
 comforts of a permanent camp. Camp life in these 
 regions is a very different thing from the camp life 
 known to fishermen and sportsmen in the woods. 
 It is at its worst during halts in a journey, and its 
 discomforts are only slightly mitigated when a per- 
 manent abiding station is chosen. 
 
 Tlie cook is astir at six o'clock in, the morning, 
 and frequently at five. The teamsters arise at the 
 same hour, to gather in the stock and see that it is 
 fed. Breakfast generally consists of bacon, coffee, 
 and hot bread. For dinner the cook serves dried 
 fruit, canned beef, potatoes, com, coffee, and bread. 
 Occasionally he replaces the beef with mutton, which 
 we buy of the Navajos, or fresh beef purchased at 
 the ranches along our route. This last is Indeed a 
 luxury. 
 
 Eagle' J Jiesl. 
 
 For supper we have soup, flap-jacks, bacon, fruit, 
 and coffee. In this article is given a picture of our 
 traveling cupboard and table, or "grub box," as it is 
 called, at the end of the cook's wagon. The back of 
 the cupboard is let down and supported by chains 
 when in camip, and is closed up when on the road. 
 The interior is divided into compartments and shelves 
 in which are kept the cooking utensils, pepper, salt, 
 sugar, lard, cc^ffee, etc. The more bulky provisions, 
 such as flour, canned goods, potatoes, etc., are car- 
 ried in the wagons. The hams, canned beef, etc., are 
 placed in the storage tent, or packed on the burros 
 when on the move. 
 
 After things are well under way for breakfast the 
 cook loudly calls, "Come, boys!" Up we jump, bathe 
 in the muddy San Juan, and sit down on the ground 
 with our tin plates, iron knives and forks, and 
 pewter spoons to eat our breakfast. Breakfast over, 
 orders are issued for the day, and we proceed to our 
 woriv. Every man has more or less to perform, and 
 he performs it accurately and well. 
 
 There is no interest whatever connected with camp 
 life here, excepting archaeological matters. The 
 country is wild, the scenery full of grand, strange 
 beauty, which interests the traveler for a few days, 
 but he soon tires of the same canyons, with their 
 sandstone cliffs, and the sandy plains, which stretch 
 day after day along his route. The few trees 
 that shade our camp ground are covered with cater- 
 
The Field Diaby of an Archaeological Oollectoe. 
 
 59 
 
 pillars. We have read of the locust plague, which 
 was brought upon Pharaoh when he refused to 
 permit the children of Israel to depart. We can sym- 
 pathize with the Egyptians, for all our effects are 
 covered with the nasty, crawling creatures. As for 
 hunting, the region is nearly worthless. Even when 
 one does find a camping place, the water is sure 
 to be muddy or to contain alkali. Then wood is 
 very scarce, and on the mesa there is nothing to burn 
 but sage-bush. Without wood and water, there is 
 about as much fun in camping as in duck hunting 
 where there are no ducks. 
 
 At night the members of the survey retire early. 
 There is not as much story-telling as there was 
 during the first month. Everyone comes in tired 
 and hungry. 
 
 To return to archaeology. A high cliff runs parallel 
 to the San .luan River one mile above lilufE City. 
 In this cliff are the remains of two cliff houses, built 
 upon the same ledge but separated by a great fissure. 
 They are seventy-five feet frpm the top of the cliff, 
 and one hundred and thirty-five from the base. Five 
 of the men were sent up on the mesa with three 
 hundred feet of rope. Tnis rope was lowered and 
 securely held by the five men on the top of the cliff. 
 The artist climbed up about seventy-five feet without 
 the aid of the rope, then stepped upon a great table- 
 rock; tied the rope about his waist, and climbed up- 
 ward twenty feet, where he secured another foot- 
 ing. The writer remained one hundred feet from 
 the base of the cliff, so that the foremost man above 
 could see him, and signaled to haul in or let out the 
 rope as might be necessary. There were a great 
 many crags jutting cut from the face of the cliff, 
 and a man could not be raised or lowered, but must 
 climb himself. The rope was kept taut and pres- 
 ently the artist reached a point ten feet below the 
 dwelling. Then the camera was snapped. The sur- 
 veyor reached a point nearly as high as the artist, 
 but was unable to cross the chasm. Mr. Lane did not 
 get dizzy, fortunately, although he was aware of the 
 perilous nature of his undertaking. He reached the 
 cliff house in safety and made a drawing of a blood- 
 red hand which is stamped on the wall at the rear 
 of the building. Many fragments of pottery and 
 two stone axes were found in the building. We had 
 hoped to find a mummy, or some whole pottery, but 
 were disappointed. The stenographer climbed into 
 the upper cliff house. He was able to ascend without 
 the use of a rope. One stope axe and numerous pot- 
 tery fragments were all he found. These houses 
 were similar in character, and it is our opinion that 
 they were emptied by the oocupants. 
 
 Saturday, May 7, five of the party crossed the 
 San Juan River to examine the famous Casa del 
 Echo. Messrs. Holmes and Jackson and several 
 
 other persons have described this cavern, so we will 
 speak of it only briefly. 
 
 We experienced no little difficulty in getting across 
 the river. An Indian agreed to take us over and back 
 for the sum of one dollar. Entering the boat, the 
 Indian seized the rope, laid his blanket upon the 
 shore, and, stripping almost naked, plunged into the 
 river and waded across. It was all he could do to 
 hold the boat against the current. We landed on an 
 island, crossed it, and waded a small branch of the 
 river to a second island, where we entered another 
 boat. The river here was narrow but very swift and 
 deep. Despite the efforts of the Indian to row the 
 boat across, we were carried down the stream more 
 than one hundred yards. The Indian's dog tried to 
 swim it, and was carried nearly three hundred yards 
 below before he could make a landing. 
 
 Upon our return from the great cavern, the Indian 
 was nowhere to be found. In short, we were de- 
 frauded. In vain did we plead with the Indians who 
 gathered about us, but they would not take us over 
 the river. They compelled us to give one dollar in 
 money and some cartridges before any of those pres- 
 ent would transfer us to the other side. 
 
 Casa del Echo is two hundred and fifty feet across 
 at the opening, and the arch is about two hundred 
 feet in height. The distance ai-ound the inside is three 
 hundred and sixty-five and six-tentiis feet. Of this 
 half circle, two hundred and six and six-tenths feet 
 are occupied by fifteen rooms. The formation of Casa 
 del Echo is sandstone. The stone had gradually 
 weathered out until the present form has been at- 
 tained. The roof above constitutes an arch of great 
 strength. A broad shelf or ledge, ranging from four 
 to twelve feet in width, runs around six to eight feet 
 above the base. Upon this ledge the cliff houses were ' 
 built. On either side they do not approach the ends 
 by fovty-nine and one hundred and ten feet respec- 
 tively. The smallest rooms are at the west end— the 
 largest toward the east. The rooms vary in size 
 from nine and a half by five and a fifth feet, with a 
 six-foot wall on the outside, to fifteen and two-fifths 
 by eight and four-fifths Jeet. At the extreme ends 
 are two long narrow rooms, 'the one, thirty and three- 
 fifths; the other, eleven and three-fifths feet in 
 length. The three rooms next to the long one on the 
 east were two stories in height— the others but one 
 story. 
 
 The Casa del Echo was well fitted by nature for 
 occupancy. There was not room enough in it to 
 sustain more than twelve or fifteen families. There 
 were but three doorways, and as numerous loop- 
 holes, pointing downward in every direction, guard 
 the only approach; we class it among the small forti- 
 fied cliff pueblos. In the eastern end, between the 
 last two rooms, is an open space. In this open space 
 are two round holes drilled in the ledge, four and 
 
60 
 
 The FiEi.D Diaey or an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 T)oort:e}ay at Eagle's JWejt. 
 
 one-flftli feet apart, in which are evidences of rub- 
 bing, grinding or pulling. The holes are six inches 
 in depth and three in diameter. Messrs. Jaclcson and 
 Holmes suggest that they were used for setting up 
 a loom and they may have so served. 
 
 While the Casa del Echo is interesting and, cer- 
 tainly, quite picturesque, it has not the importance 
 that some would attach to it. It is only one of those 
 compartment houses or pueblos which have been built 
 in the cliffs instead of on the plain. The same con- 
 clusions at which we arrived on the dwellings of 
 Rnin Canyon will apply in this case. 
 
 CHAPTER XXH. 
 CAVE DWELLINGS IN SUTLER'S WASH. 
 
 Here, in the triangle formed by the Colorado River, 
 the San Juan River, and the Colorado State line, is 
 a country of labyrinthine canyons and gorges com- 
 paratively uDlinown. One has only to glance at a 
 map to see how little of this region is mapped at all, 
 and very little of that has been done correctly. Lilve 
 ■ all new localities, it Is of especial interest to the 
 scientist and the student, and it seems strange that 
 no expedition visited it before ours. It is a region 
 celebrated for its precipitous cliffs and its desolate 
 scenery, and there is hardly a square mile of it which 
 does not show some evidence of its ancient inhabi- 
 tants. 
 
 The region is of sandstone formation, cut and 
 washed by erosion into deep and winding canyons 
 and gorges, under whose cliffs large caves and cav- 
 erns have been weathered out, forming excellent 
 shelters in time of storm and safe retreats in time 
 of war. 
 
 The cave and cavern ruins predominate, showing 
 tha.t the first inhabitants toolc advantage of natural 
 shelters under the cliffs In preference to erecting 
 complete buildings. There is no difference between 
 the ruins in the cliffs and those in the canyons, or 
 betweea the relics found in them; yet it is highly 
 probable that the caves were inhabited by tribes ante- 
 rior to the coming of the cliff-dwellers, and that the 
 latter, at a later date, erected their buildings directly 
 over the ruins of the cave dwellings proper. Caves 
 have been found clearly showing this fact of two dis- 
 tinct ages. They are in the deep canyons bordering 
 on the Colorado River, and are not easily accessible. 
 
 It is not improbable, therefore, that the caves bor- 
 dering on the Colorado River extend through two 
 distinct periods. Mr. W. H. Holmes spealjs of cave- 
 shelters in Colorado which he thinks so ancient that 
 the rock which formed their openings has worn en- 
 tirely away, leaving them now as mere shelters or 
 nooks in the cliffs. We noticed this fact in the ruins 
 in Utah along the San Juan. Again we noticed in 
 many of the ruins that the overhanging ledge which 
 in early days formed their shelter, had fallen, some- 
 times leaving only a few feet of wall in sight, the 
 rest being buried under the debrLs. In estimating 
 the age of these dwellings from their present stage 
 of dilapidation, we must take into consideration the 
 softness of the sandstone in which the ruins were 
 found. 
 
 Tlie survey of this region was undertaken by seven 
 members of the expedition, who left the permanent 
 camp at Bluff City with provisions for some weeks. 
 The party first made their way to Butler's AVash, 
 which empties into the San Juan River alwut four 
 miles below Bluff City, and extends northward more 
 than thirty miles. As we entered the valley (called 
 by the Mormons a "wash") we were struck with its 
 weird and desolate appearance, stretching, as it does, 
 as far as tlie eye can see, naked of all vegetation 
 except stunted sage-brush and greasewood, hemmed 
 in on the east by high precipitous cliffs of red sand- 
 stone, with curious knobs and needles jutting upward 
 and weathered into fantastic shapes and designs. 
 On the west a ledge of white sandstone gradually 
 sloijes upward until it reaches a height of two or 
 three hundred feet, when it suddenly descends in 
 high cliffs to the next valley below. In the immense 
 sandstone spur outcropping between Butler's Wash 
 and Comb Wash, about ten miles north of the San 
 Juan River, we noticed a large cave in one of the deep 
 canyons in the ledge, and, examining it with our 
 
The Field Diaky op an Abchaeological Collector. 
 
 61 
 
 field glasses, we thought we could distinguish ruins 
 near the opening. Four of us started to investigate 
 and found it a cavern of great dimensions, with the 
 whole floor under the overhanging ledge studded 
 with ruins. The canyon In which this picturesque 
 cave town is situated is wild and beautiful, shut in 
 on all sides by high sandstone cliffs, and having only 
 one narrow entrance. The foliage is almost tropical 
 in its luxuriousness. We found cactus plants of 
 gigantic size, and grass and flowering plants over 
 a foot in height, while the bare, rocky ledges were 
 studded with cedars, Cottonwood and pinons. This 
 luxurious growth of cactus and of other plants which 
 are stunted upon the mesas is probably caused by 
 the heat being retained In the bare, rocky ledges, 
 thus producing the forcing effect of a greenhouse. Wt- 
 named the place Cold Spring Cave, on account of the 
 fine spring of cold, clear water away back in the 
 interior of the cave. It flows out from under the 
 heavy sandstone ledge into a round, clear pool, and, 
 after passing through a short outlet, sinks Into the 
 ground and disappears, not half a dozen feet from 
 where it started. 
 
 The whole series of rooms and buildings have an 
 unfinished look. For instance, walls of many of the 
 dwellings have been neatly built up to a height of 
 two or three feet, when the work seems to have sud- 
 denly ceased, although piles of unhewn stone and 
 adobe mud lie near by, as If the builders intended to 
 complete the work but were Interrupted in the midst 
 of their employment. Again, we find a wall neatly 
 built, with the edges perfect and well-mortared, 
 which 'breaks ofC suddenly aad continues as a rough 
 wall of unworked sandstone blocks— unplastered and 
 piled up hastily. Everything a'bout the ruins tends 
 to prove that the builders were either interrupted 
 by the approach of an enemy, or deserted it for other 
 quarters. The former theory seems to be the more 
 likely to be correct, for we found across the front 
 of the cave a rudely constructed "wall, which was un- 
 doubtedly thrown up for defensive purposes, and in 
 the walls of the rooms back of this can be seen loop- 
 holes pointing in every direction. 
 
 The mouth of the cave faces the south, so that 
 the morning sun penetrates some distance into the 
 interior of the cave. One does not realize at a glance 
 how far back the cave really extends. The spring 
 is situated one hundred and twenty-five feet from 
 the edge of the overhanging rock at the mouth. At 
 a distance of forty-three feet from the spring the 
 cavern is protected by a strong wall, seventy feet 
 long, extending from one side of the cave to the 
 other, and thirty-three feet from this wall, toward 
 the opening, runs the second rudely constructed wall 
 of which mention has been made. 
 At the right of the entrance to the cave is an 
 
 estufa* or klva of peculiar shape. It is seventeen 
 feet six inches in diameter and, at the present, four 
 feet deep. Around the outside are six openings, 
 somewhat resembling benches, and, between these 
 are sections of the wall extending inward and form- 
 ing pillars. These sections are irregular in size and 
 shape, but are generally about one foot deep and 
 two feet above the bottom of the estufa. 
 
 On the south side of the estufa is an opening one 
 foot square, descending vertically two feet, then turn- 
 ing at right angles and leading into the estufa. 
 Part of the roof remains around the edges and shows 
 how the cave-dwellers covered their kivas. In 
 the present Instance, the root was built of small 
 beams, covered vyith four or five inches of brush and 
 small sticks, and perhaps several inches of adobe 
 mud upon the top of the brush. Directly back of 
 this estufa, built up against the stone ledge, is a 
 curious little house about five feet high, six feet 
 wide, and five feet deep, with a very small doorway. 
 Imagine living in a house with just room enough to 
 turn around in if one sat dOTvn, but not high enough 
 to stand up in, or large enough for two at the same 
 time. It was a strange little place; we could find 
 nothing to show whether it was used for a dwelling 
 or for a storeroom for grain. 
 
 About five hundred feet to the east of this is an- 
 other kiva, greatly resembling the first, except that 
 .it is smaller, having a diameter of eleven feet six 
 inches. The walls had been plastered four or five 
 different times, each layer being easily distinguished 
 in places. The last coat was painted red. Fragments 
 of the btush-covered roof remain all around the sides, 
 with charred ends, showing that Uie roof had been 
 burned. Between these two estufas are a half a 
 dozen small ruins, some merely cave-shelters, and 
 all in a poor state of preservation, with most of the 
 walls fallen down. 
 
 In a small, square room, east of the first kiva, 
 we excavated to a depth of three feet, finding some 
 fine jasper arrow-points, many corn-cobs and grains 
 of corn, fragments of decorated pottery, fragments of 
 matting, pieces of string to which feathers had been 
 attached in the shape of a head-dress, and one arrow 
 shaft of wood with the small jasper arrow-point 
 still remaining in position, and even the rattan wrap- 
 pings intact. Nothing of imporfance was found in 
 any of the other rooms. One noticeable feature of 
 these ruins was the great number of hollows in the 
 sides of the boulders, where the ancient builders 
 had sharpened their axes, and the long deep grooves- 
 where they had sharpened other stone implements. 
 
 The walls of the cavern are dotted here and there 
 
 *An estufa or kiva is a circular underground cham- 
 ber, with walls of masonry, supposed to have been 
 used as a meeting place. 
 
62 
 
 The Field I>iaky of an Archaeological Collector. 
 
 UluJi/j JWear the San Juan. 
 
 with picture-writings and representations ot tlie Im- 
 man liand. Tlie latter are painted in white, yellow, 
 brown, red and green. These markings may not 
 seem of especial importance at first glance, but when 
 one visits a great number of tliese ruins, and notes 
 the frequency of the occurrence of representations of 
 the human hand, it can not fail to impress him as 
 being of peculiar significance. Tliere are very few 
 ruins of importance in which hands can not be found. 
 This fact i.s true not only of the ruins in Utah, but 
 also of those in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado; 
 and in almost every case, especially in the larger 
 ruins, they occur not singly, but often fifty or one 
 hundred imprints or printed representations, jilaced 
 together, oftentimes in rows or groups over the houses, 
 or high up on the cliffs. 
 
 While examining the canyons near Cold Spring 
 Cave, our attention was attracted to a cave-like re- 
 cess near the top of one of the high cliffs, about a 
 mile to the northwest. We gave it the fitting name 
 of Eagle's Nest. As it looked difficult of access, we 
 took a long stout rope and started up the cliff, in- 
 tending, if possible, to obtain entrance to it by 
 means of the rope from the top of the cliff. Upon 
 reaching the top, the cliff proved very much higher 
 than we had expected. Beneath us was full four 
 hundred feet of sheer precipice, the cave being 
 situated about fifty feet from the top. We fastened 
 our rope to three sage-bushes, about fifty feet apart, 
 and then, by clinging to the rope and swinging from 
 one foothold to another, we were able to reach the 
 floor of the cave, althougli at first it seemed a diffi- 
 cult feat to swing under the overhanging ledge into 
 the cave. 
 
 It is a snug little place; situal^ed in a cave of ellip- 
 tical shape, weathered out from the perpendicular 
 side of the cliff. The opening is toward the south, 
 which is the case with many others in this locality. 
 The ancient dwellers obtained access by cutting foot- 
 holds in the side of the cliff, but these have weath- 
 
 ered out to such an extent that it is impossible to 
 use them now for the same purpose unless one is 
 supported by a rope. 
 
 Many writers have said that the cliff-dwellers wei'e 
 a timid people, yet their small' dwellings up in the 
 high clifl's, their little footholds cut in the rock over 
 the dizzy heights and many other evidences of their 
 life among these preciliitous ledges would seem to 
 show that although they may have feared an enemy 
 much move powerful than themselves, yet courage it- 
 self was not lacking, for it must have been essential 
 in scaling these dangerous and dizzy heights. The 
 entire absence of loopholes in this cave was notice- 
 able; yet, after all, the cave is so inaccessible that 
 there would have been but little use for them; and, 
 so long as provisions and water held out, the inhab- 
 itants would be safe. 
 
 One can not see the bottom of the cliff from the 
 cave, yet if a rock is hurled over the side, it can 
 be heard crashing its way down the sides of the cliff 
 to a surprisingly great depth. 
 
 The ruins consist of eight rooms, protected by a 
 rough wall extending nearly across the mouth of 
 the cave, which measures twenty-nine and a half feet 
 in length and forty-eight feet in width. In the 
 ground plan which accompanies this article, the 
 reader can obtain a good general idea of the ruins. 
 Room "A," at the left-hand side looking in, is very 
 small — five feet wide, four and seventh-tenths feet 
 deep, and five and six-tenths feet high. It has two 
 small doorways, facing east and south. Room 
 "B" is larger, being in the widest place fourteen 
 and one-fifth feet wide, eight feet deep, and about 
 five feet high, the floor being on three ledges of 
 rock, each one foot higher than the other. Room 
 "C" is seven and three-tenths feet high, eight feet 
 wide, and averages about seven feet deep, having one 
 window facing south. Room "D" is seven and three- 
 tenths feet high, eight feet wide, and six feet deep, 
 having one window facing the south. Room "B" was 
 not complete, the outside wall being only four and 
 three-tenths feet high, five feet deep, and four and 
 seven-tenths feet wide. "F" was an opening whicn 
 served as a hallway, perhaps, while room "G" is 
 three-cornered, the west wall being seven feet long 
 and three and two-fifths feet high, and the south 
 wall twelve and two-lifths feet long, and four and 
 three-fifths feet higlL The base of the rock formed 
 the third wall. 
 
 These rooms were all well built, and are in an 
 excellent state of preservation. Picture-writings are 
 conspicuous by their absence, while the floors of the 
 three rooms are strewn with fragments of pottery. 
 A few stone axes and mano stones were found in 
 excavating some of the rooms. 
 
 Directly to the east of Eagle's Nest Cave, about 
 two hundred feet distant, is a small circular room 
 
'J'UK FlKLIl 1)1 ARV OF AN A HC'II AEOI.OIilCAL OOI.LEI'TOR. 
 
 fi3 
 
 ',1 \\^'<ti:iV^t -'■' 
 
 
 K iiaX'lin/rr'J '>^'^'^- 
 
 
 Cold Spring CwOe, Sectional VietMf, Shoivin^ E.d^c o/" 'Precipice, ELdge o_f O-Verhan^in^ 
 
 Ctiff, and Eslxifa. 
 
 about eight feet In diameter aud six feet in height, 
 under an overhanging ledge. Perhaps it served as 
 a watch-tower in times of war, and, for this purpose, 
 it eould not have been better located. 
 
 Reference has been made to the pictographs. They 
 are a study in themselves. 
 
 The hand is, of all pictographs, the symbol of most 
 frequent occurrence. It is cut into the rock, or 
 painted upon it in red, yellow or black. Sometimes it 
 stands alone over the entrance to a dwelling, and 
 sometimes on the walls surrounded with numerous 
 pictographs of animate aud inanimate objects. In 
 almost all cases they are located in such inaccessible 
 places, or are so indetinite, that it is quite impossi- 
 ble to secure photographs. 
 
 The rear walls of each of the fifteen chambers of 
 the Casa del Echo Cavern are stamped with several 
 hands of ordinary size. Not one of them is cut into 
 the rock. In every case the owner or dweller seems 
 to have dipped his hand into red paint, aud then 
 firmly pressed his palm and fingers against a smooth 
 portion of the wall. Since it seems incredible that 
 so light a paint could have lasted through the thou- 
 sands of years, it is probable that the color was 
 thickened by the laying on of more paint over the 
 lines first made. It is observable that the right hand 
 predominates, and by actual count we found the 
 average to be an excess of over seventy per cent 
 
 Mr. McLloyd states that the hand along the Colo- 
 rado River dwellings is most frequent above the 
 entrance to the dwelling. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 TEOUBLES. 
 
 Of all symbols none is more ancient than the sym ■ 
 bol of the hand. Its origin is lost in the mists of 
 antiquity, hut its use as a symbol can be traced to 
 the time of the early Egyptians, Jews, Assyrians, and 
 Greeks, when the impress of the signet or seal was 
 left upon wax, with the force of the hand, to denote 
 the will of the person. To-day it is preserved in 
 our legal phraseology with precisely the same sig- 
 nificance, and when we write "witness our hand aud 
 seal" we express a thought common to men five 
 thousand and more years ago. 
 
 About May 15 the expedition separated and team- 
 ster Ollinger took Moorehead and Ralston to Durango. 
 At Bluff City they halted over night. BluflC became 
 the base of supplies of the eight men remaining and 
 they frequently returned to it for various goods and 
 provisions. 
 
 Bluff is quite a pretty little town. It is all fenced 
 in and each man has an irrigating ditch running 
 round his house and garden. The people are kind, 
 hospitable, and industrious and raise various fruits, 
 grains, and vegetables. The Jlormons at this place 
 are far removed from civilization and if they cared 
 ro practice polygamy, no one would be the wiser. 
 hut we saw no evidences to confirm the statement 
 that there were plural wives. The people seemed 
 as honest and industrious and as moral and straight- 
 forward as those of any Eastern community, and 
 while the members of the expedition did not agree 
 with the Mormons in their religious views, yet our 
 sense of justice would compel us to say that there 
 
64 
 
 The Fiei.I) DiAnr of an Arciiaeologioal Collectoi;. 
 
 are many who criticise tlieni who might do well 
 to pattern after them iu the matter of thrift and 
 morality. 
 
 At this lime tlie exiiediliou was short of funds and 
 Mr. aiinton, after many appeals, wired ^300 to the 
 National Bade at Durango and the bank notified the 
 Mormon cooperative store that that amount was 
 placed to our credit. I did not care to leave the ex- 
 pedition, but the need of funds was imperative and 
 as nothing could be accomplished by correspondence, 
 I desired to place myself in telegraphic communica- 
 tiou with personal interests iu the East. The expe- 
 dition had but fairly started and, if it failed, I would 
 be -severely censured, not only by those wlio did not 
 understand the circumstances, but also by some 
 scientists who were familiar with it and were glad 
 of an opportunity to criticise. One of two things 
 must be done, either raise money or end the expedi- 
 tion. The running expenses were sometimes under 
 $o(X> a week and all the money received up to the 
 12th had been used in the expense account and no 
 salaries had been paid, and the westerners were par- 
 ticularly anxious to have their money. I mention 
 these details because two or three .gentlemen ha\e 
 criticised me quite sevt'rely for ending the expedi- 
 tion the first of June, instead of continuing it until 
 October as was originally planned. 
 
 Gunckel was placed in charge of the eight men lef! 
 and given orders to explore for a month in the conn- 
 try lying between Bluff and the Colorado Kiver. I 
 assured him that the first money received by tele- 
 graph at Durango would be sent to Bluff City by 
 the bank to the cooperative store, that he could de- 
 pend on the funds. A meeting was held, the situa- 
 tion explained to the men and they all agreed to con- 
 tinue with us till my return, f have always felt 
 under great obligations to Gunckel, Cowen. Ralston. 
 Lane and the rest. They certainly did their pan 
 and continued to survey, photogi'aph, and take notes 
 notwithstanding diftieulties, a dearth of provisions, etc. 
 
 Ollinger drove as hard as he could and we reached 
 Kurango iu three days. The distance from below 
 Bluff to Tshere we started is estimated from 100 to 
 110 miles. 
 
 I sent telegrams to various personal interests and 
 succeeded in raising $2,000. Part of tliis money was 
 at once sent to Gunckel by Kalston and Ollinger, 
 wlio returned as soon as my hrst telegram had been 
 answered. 
 
 Business detained me several days in Durango and 
 1 made a stud.y of the McLloyd collections. Our arti- 
 cle on these called attention to the region west of 
 Bluff as a new field. Ultimately, jMcDloyd's exhibits 
 were purchased by the American Museum of Natural 
 History and the Univei'sity of Pennsylvania Museum. 
 
 As there is a better road down the valley from 
 Mancos to Bluff, and as one can see various ruins 
 
 A Vietu of P^onarch' J Ca-cfe, Uiah 
 
 in the Mancos region, I decided to go there. Leav- 
 ing word for telegrams to be brought by messenger 
 I set out. 
 
 About ilancos is a broad and fertile valley resem- 
 bling the La Plata in character. Numerous boulder 
 and other smaller ruins are scattered throughout its 
 extent and I spent a day in examining them. That 
 evening a messenger arrived at Mancos. He brought 
 a message from Minton. It was iasulting in tone 
 and peremptorily ordered me to return to New 
 York. After the personal sacrifices I had made for 
 the survey, this message was uncalled for to say 
 the least. 
 
 I hired a man to ride down to Bluff and carry 
 money and orders to Gunckel. I left the remainder 
 of the money with the proprietor of the hotel at 
 Mancos. Gunckel was to bring the party to Mancos 
 and proceed from there to Durango or disband ac 
 Mancos according to his best judgment. I told him 
 to continue work as long as he could for the amount 
 of money he had on hand. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 m'lloyd's collection. 
 
 Returning to Durango I spent a day in interview- 
 ing Mr, Charles McLloyd. This gentleman is deserv- 
 ing of credit for his work in the side canyons of the 
 Colorado. He gave me notes and a local photographer 
 took views of some score of his more important ob- 
 jects. Perhaps, in some quarters, credit for the 
 pioneer work has not been accorded to the proper 
 persons. Therefore, I give Mr. McLloyd's interview 
 (with some abridgments) herewith: 
 
 "Four winters ago, I examined the Mancos Canyon 
 and its ruins in company with several gentlemen. 
 Making a report upon my discoveries, I was assisted 
 in my work by the Colorado State Historical Society. 
 
TtTF FtELP DiAKY of an AEOnAEOLOGICAL COLLECTOR. 
 
 65 
 
 Mummy of a XjOoman. Ghe I^imbj are Enxfetoped 
 
 in F^inely-idfO-Ven Cloih\Feaiherj, Uhij 
 
 Mummy XVei^hj IG "Poundj, 
 
 The oierubers of this institution took great interest 
 in the cliff-dweller ijrobleni, and were prevented 
 onlj' by their lack of funds from sending me througli 
 tiie Colorado River Canyon and its tributaries. In 
 spealcing of the Colorado Canyon, I should say that 
 tiie inaccessible parts of the main canyon contain no 
 bouses. I have not been all the way down the 
 canyon, and can only speak for the upper part. 
 ■^A'here many side canyons enter, one can approach 
 the Colorado River, and actually descend to it in 
 places. The river occasionally becomes quite wide, 
 and where rocks have fallen from the cliffs on either 
 side, foundations have been formed for small patches 
 of ground. A few trees, bushes, and grass grow at 
 tlie base of the walls in each spot. The canyon 
 changes in appearance everj' few miles. You may 
 approach it through a side canyon, and find a small 
 fertile meadow at the mouth of the gorge. Again, 
 j-ou may approach it from a high mesa, and loolj 
 down over the brink of a precipice, at a dizzy heiglit 
 of fifteen hundred or two thousand feet. The wall 
 just opposite you may be no more than three hun- 
 dred yards away, and the water will cover every foot 
 
 of the bottom between the walls. So you see, the 
 prevailing idea that the canyon is one long, deep 
 Hume, filled with raging, roaring waters, inaccessible 
 except at its extreme head, is all nonsense. 
 
 "After exploring the JIancos Canyon I took witli 
 me jMr. Graham and a number of pacli horses. Using 
 Bluff City as headcpiarters, avc^ located camp some 
 <listanco Ijelow the mouth of the Grand River, upon 
 the Colorado. We found many side canyons, sonu^ 
 of which could be easily entered, while others hav- 
 ing perpendicular walls were inaccessibie, except in 
 one or two places. Fre(piently we would travel for 
 miles along the edge of a ])recipice before we could 
 descend Into tlie narrow valley beneath. V\'hen we 
 did get down where we could look beyond the un- 
 derliauging cliffs, we invariably found one or two 
 classes of dwellings, and sometimes both of them 
 together. I would divide the dwellings of the Colo- 
 rado River aborigines into cliff houses and cave dwell- 
 iug'S. The cliff houses need no explanation. The 
 cave dwellings are very uniiiue, and so far as I am 
 aware, bear a resi'uilil.nnce to caves discovered in 
 South America. In nearly all the canyon sides there 
 are great caves formed by the combined action of 
 sun, wind, and water. JIany of these have stone 
 floors. Tliere are also caves which have formed 
 at the base of the cliff, and have not stone floors as 
 a li.ise, but instead only the clay or loam covering 
 the bottom of the canyon. In such shelters I find 
 that primilive man dug out a number of under- 
 ground cliambers, most of which lie did not wall 
 up or divide into rooms b.v partitions. If the cave 
 was very large he freiiuently connected one room 
 witli another, but It was not his custom to subdivide 
 his underground residence. In this he did not fol- 
 low the example set him by the pueblo, or clift'- 
 dwcller. The clay forming the bottom of the caves 
 is very hard and sticky. One can undermine it for 
 some distance without danger. Tlie people were 
 aware of this, and so they made their homes beil- 
 .shaped, large at the bottom and small at the top. 
 The depth of the average dwelling is from six to 
 eight feet, and its diameter at the base varies from 
 six to seven feet. The entrance is at the top. Some 
 of the openings are no more than eighteen or twenty 
 inches across. Pole-ladders were used in egress and 
 ingress. Long continued fires in the most primitive 
 aliodes lune Ijlaclvoued and hardened the clay sides 
 of 1lie structure until they are as hard as adobe brick. 
 In se^'cral of these rooms we found sandals, arrow- 
 heads, and knives, mounted in their original handles, 
 baskets, skeletons, and a host of other things. 
 
 "It is very sin.gular to note that no pottery is found 
 in the underground eaves. In the making of textile 
 fabrics tlie inhabitants seem to have been equal in 
 skill to the cliff-dwellers. The two peoples were 
 
66 
 
 The Field DijVet of an Abchaeological Collector. 
 
 I^ummy of Woman and Child. 
 
 strangely alike in many respects; indeed, In my col- 
 lection there is a striking resemblance betTreen the 
 objects from both classes of ruins." 
 
 The illustrations of mummies and crania contained 
 in this article Trere taken from Mr. McLloyd's col- 
 lection while it was stored in Durango. The atten- 
 tion of the reader is called to the Illustration which 
 presents a flattened skull and the head of a mummy. 
 It will be seen that the head to the right Is very well 
 shaped. The lips stand out strongly, and the nose, 
 ears, and eyes are all well preserved. At the base 
 of the skull considerable hair is left upon the scalp. 
 One or two skeletons of adults buried with children 
 have been discovered. A picture of one is presented 
 herewith. The child and mother are both in a good 
 state of preservation. Many of the mummies have 
 feather cloth wrapped about the limbs and waist. 
 All the mummies were found in the Colorado Kiver 
 canyons. We can thank the dry climate of the 
 Southwest for their preservation. Mr. McLloyd in- 
 forms me that he usually found the mummies in piles 
 of dry dust. This dust is the accumulation of ages, 
 and includes refuse from cooking, together with 
 numerous broken implements. 
 
 It is singular that the burial should have been 
 
 made in piles of refuse of such nature. In this re- 
 spect, the Colorado River people were strangely like 
 the Ohio mound building tribes, who buried their 
 dead directly under the most thickly populated por- 
 tions of their towns. 
 
 The discoveries and observations made by Mr. 
 McLloyd can not be described at this time. They have 
 a direct bearing upon the solution of the question 
 wliich has arisen during the last few years con- 
 cerning the tribes occupying the San .luan country, 
 ilis finds indicate the existence of one tribe which 
 is peculiar to that section of the country alone. 
 His finds in the cliff houses can be classed with those 
 of Maucos, McElmo, Recapture, Chaco, Chelly, and 
 other valleys. He found both cliff and cave dwellers 
 living upon the turkey, goat, deer and game. The 
 discovery of numerous pumpkins, squashes, beans, 
 gourds and like substances. In the di-y dust of the 
 caverns gives him ground for the assertion that the 
 people were largely agriculturists. He further claims 
 that ideas of self-preservation prompted primitive 
 man to construct his home in inacessible places. 
 He holds, as do the members of our expediton, that 
 the aborigines did not seek out such retreats from 
 choice, but from necessity. He found no evidence in 
 the cliffs and caves of contact with the Spaniards, 
 Aztecs, Pacific Coast tribes, or mound builders. He 
 found no metal in any of the ruins. He places the 
 inhabitants of the San Juan Valley as distinct and 
 living apart from all other tribes surrounding them. 
 He grants them skill in their basket work, gives 
 them credit for the raising of cotton and weaving 
 of cotton cloth; he admires their feather work, and 
 thinks some of their stone work to be quite credit- 
 able. But while he admits so much, he would not 
 say that the man who made the dwellings was civil- 
 ized in any sense of the word. In all of these obser- 
 vations, we entirely agree with Mr. McLloyd. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 DISCOVEBIES IN SIDE CANYONS. 
 
 After Mr. Moorehead left us, in one of the deep 
 canyons, about two miles south of Eagle Nest Cave, 
 we discovered one of the most picturesque series of 
 ruins that we had yet seen. It is situated in a beau- 
 tiful box canyon in the rocky divide between But- 
 ler's Wash and Comb Wash, about nine miles south 
 of the Rio San Juan. The canyon is but half a 
 mile in length, but what a contrast it affords to the 
 monotonous and bare mesa and valleys outside! Here 
 instead of stunted sage-brush, we find a luxurious 
 growth of large, wide-spreading cottonwood trees, 
 giving delightful shade from the hot sun; and beau- 
 tiful shrubbery and flowering plants, and cool run- 
 ning water. One can appreciate the great difference 
 
The Field Diary of an AKCiiAEOLooirAi, Collector. 
 
 only al'lei- liavvliiiL;- all day on tlic dry and saudy 
 mesa, where not a drop of water is to be found, and 
 then entering one of these little canyons, which seem 
 like paradise on earth. One of the large Cottonwood 
 trees measured fifteen feet around the base— a won- 
 derful growth for this locality. 
 
 Directly at the west end of tlio canyon, the hi,nli 
 sandstone cliffs, with a graceful and undulating eurvo 
 on their weathered surfaces, close together abruptly, 
 forming a large cavern about oue hundred feet from 
 the bottom of the canyon. In this cave are the 
 rvlins we are about to describe. From their promi- 
 nent position they command the valley; and their 
 curved fronts, cut with dozens of loopholes, give the 
 effect of a modern fortress. We named it Monarch's 
 Cave, for it must have been monarch of all it sur- 
 veyed. 
 
 The cavern was thirty-five feet in height at the 
 front, and fifty-seven and three-fifths feet deep, form- 
 ing an excellent stronghold and a perfect shelter. 
 It is only accessible on the north, and then only by 
 using the ancient footholds which have been cut in 
 the slanting sandstone ledge. As many of these have 
 been worn away, it is with no little difficulty that 
 one gains entrance into the cave. Directly under the 
 mouth, at the bottom of the canyon, and almost hid- 
 den by the shrubbery, is a large excellent spring of 
 clear, cold water, measuring thirty feet across and 
 having a depth at the center of four feet. Such 
 a source of water was of extraordinary importance to 
 the ancient dwellers in the cavern. It not only sup- 
 plied them with water, but also irrigated the canyon 
 for the cultivation of their crops. At the back of the 
 cave water also trickles down the ledge of rock, 
 causing a thick growth of hanging ferns and creep- 
 ing vines, adding much to the beauty of the place. 
 
 .Judging from the large number of loopholes in 
 these ruins, the structure was evidently intended as 
 a fortification. In one room alone we counted twenty- 
 five loopholes. From these the defenders could send 
 their deadly arrows in every direction, up or down 
 the canyon. The front walls of the most prominent 
 rooms are all rounded, so that by means of the loop- 
 holes the whole canyon below could be commanded. 
 The entire aspect of the cave is of defense and pro- 
 tection rather than comfort. 
 
 The buildings In the north end of the cave give 
 perfect illustrations as to the methods of roofing, 
 when the building did not extend up to the roof of 
 the cave. Two heavy beams or rafters were laid 
 across the top of the building, parallel with each 
 other, as the foundation for the roof. Then over 
 these, brush and small sticks were laid crosswise to 
 a thickness of three inches, and upon this was set a 
 layer of adobe mud about three or four inches thick, 
 neatly plastered down. The roofs in Monarch's Cave 
 
 
 SkjilU of CUjy-dietellers. 
 
 still show the linger marks of the ancient builders. 
 .Some ot lliese buildings are two stories in height, 
 the upper story being in a good' state of preservation, 
 although the floors have fallen through. In one case, 
 the entrance to the upper room is by a small door in 
 the wall, which is reached by means of a cedar log 
 laid across to the next dwelling. The log is a little 
 lower than the sill of the door, and, for convenience 
 in entering, a stone protrudes from the building, serv- 
 ing as a step from the log to the door above. It is, 
 truly, a uniijuc way of entering one's residence, and 
 it is the only case which we have noticed. In this 
 building and the one next to it were originally small 
 square doors neatly built, but subsequently filled up 
 with roughly-hewn rocks, tightly plastered as if for 
 extra protection. At the other end of the series 
 of ruins, many of the walls have been made out of 
 a conglomeration of adobe mud and small stones. 
 These have the appearance of being somewhat older 
 than the stone walls, and, in some instances, the 
 latter have been placed directly over others. At this 
 end there is an estufa in a poor state of preservation, 
 being nearly filled with debris. Its diameter is four- 
 teen and three-fifths feet. 
 
 Imprints and representations of the human hand 
 were found in great numbers upon the walls of the 
 cave, in red, white, and green paint, some so high 
 up on the walls that it would have taken a long 
 ladder to reach them. Rude picture-writings were 
 also found at intervals in the cave and along the side 
 of the cliff. As a rule, they had the same general 
 characteristics as those we have described in other 
 localities. One, directly over the south end of the 
 ruins, high up on the roof of the cave, was of extra- 
 ordinary dimensions, being eighteen feet long and 
 six feet wide, and painted in red; but so roughly 
 executed and weathered that it was impossible to 
 make out wliat it represented. 
 
 By digging in some of the rooms a few neatly 
 worked stone axes and arrow-heads, pieces of mat- 
 ting, short sticks with balls of pitch on the end for 
 
G8 
 
 The Field Diaby of an Aechaeolomcal Collectoe. 
 
 torches, pieces of string, • and many corn-cobs and 
 husks were found. 
 
 The exact dimensions and general plan of the ruins 
 and cave will be seen in the ground plan which 
 accompanies this article. 
 
 Another interesting seriM of ruins was found on 
 the west side of Cottonwood Gulch (so named on ac- 
 count of its immense cottonwood trees), about twelve 
 miles north of the San Juan, on the west side of 
 Butler's Wash. They were situated on the north side 
 of the canyon, on a large ledge of sandstone fifty 
 feet above the surface. At .first we were much puz- 
 zled how to reach them. After several unsuccessful 
 attempts, we cut a sapling and used it as a ladder. 
 Upon reaching the ledge we soon discovered how the 
 ancient inhabitants performed the feat. In several 
 places along the edge the rock is worn away as if 
 lopes had been lowered. 
 
 The main ruin consists of five rooms, all one story 
 in height, and all built along the edge of the ledge. 
 Nothing of importance was found in excavating the 
 rooms. On the face of the cllfC, at a distance of 
 about fifty feet, is a striking set of picture-writings. 
 There are two target-shaped figures; one is a foot and 
 a half in diameter, and consists of seven rings, one 
 inside the other, with alternating colors of white, 
 green, and red; the other much resembles the first,, 
 and has a diameter of fourteen Inches, and five rings 
 of white, green and yellow. Between these two tar- 
 get-shaped figures is a large semicircle painted In 
 green, having a diameter of eighteen inches. Sus- 
 pended from each end of the semicircle is a small 
 circle in green, with 'a red dot in the center. These 
 can be seen some distance down the canyon, and 
 their bright colors immediately attract the eye. 
 
 Directly under the ledge is a cave extending back 
 for a considerable distance, and fortified at the en- 
 trance by a rough stone wall containing many loop- 
 holes. Along the base of the elifC, to the west of 
 the cave. Is a series of a dozen rooms and two estu- 
 fas, all in a poor state of preservation, and much 
 broken down. The first kiva has a diameter of 
 fifteen and seven-tenths feet, and Is about four feet 
 in depth; the second one is a little smaller, having a 
 diameter of fourteen and a half feet. The other 
 rooms near the estufas are not worth special men- 
 tion, being in a poor state of preservation. A few 
 picture-writings are to be seen upon the walls of the 
 cliff near the houses; aryi, also, imprints of the hand 
 in red and white paint. We dug into many of these 
 rooms, but found nothing of importance. 
 
 On the morning of May 14, while working our way 
 up the valley in Butler's Wash, about fifteen miles 
 from the San Juan River, we noticed an immense 
 cave up in the rocky ledge, fully two miles distant. 
 As we approached it seemed to grow to enormous 
 
 dimensions. Upon reaching and measuring It, we 
 found it to be three hundred feet wide, fifty feet 
 high, and one hundred and twenty-five feet deep. 
 Its mouth was two hundred feet above the bottom 
 of the gulch. All around in the entrance the early 
 inhabitants had built a strong stone wail four feet in 
 height, and running in a semicircle to a distance of 
 four hundred feet. From its enormous dimensions 
 we called it Giant's Cave, and it is, undoubtedly, the 
 largest one in this part of the country. No other 
 traces of ancient occupation were found than a few 
 picture-writings, and a few rock shelters, so we pre- 
 sumed that it was used only in time of danger, as 
 a safe retreat. A quarter of a mile to the east of this 
 cave, down the canyon, is a series of ruins which, 
 at one time, were of fine workmanship; but the ledge 
 of rock has fallen and destroyed the greater part of 
 the buildings. One of the rooms has a very Interest- 
 ing painted decoration on the walls much resembling 
 Greek workmanship. Directly above this, on the east 
 wall, Is a representation of the full moon painted in 
 red, and opposite it, on the west wall, a painting of 
 tlie new moon. 
 
 Some of these buildings were originally two stories 
 in height. Many of the walls contained loopholes. 
 The walls were in such a ruined condition that It 
 was impossible to obtain correct measurements. 
 
 On the morning of- May 16 we arrived at Allen 
 Canyon, a tributary to the Cottonwood Creek. The 
 latter flows in a southeasterly direction until it emp- 
 ties into the San Juan River near Bluff City, a dis- 
 tance of thirty-five miles. It is a wild and desolate 
 valley, bordered by weathered cliffs whose tops are 
 sparsely covered with stunted pinons and cedars. 
 
 Near our camp, on the west side of the canyon, w-e 
 found a two-story house, eight feet deep, ten feet 
 wide, and four feet high. It is Interesting, as it 
 shows the construction of the floors and roof— made 
 of beams, brush, and adobe mud. 
 
 A short distance from this house, in the end of the 
 box canyon tributary to the Allen Canyon, is an in- 
 teresting series of ruins which we have called Double 
 Cave. They are placed upon two ledges, one 
 above the other. The cliff extends one hundred 
 feet or more above it, while from below there 
 is no means of access. , Evidently, part of the 
 ledge has fallen at the point where the ancient 
 dwellers were originally able to climb to it. The 
 caves both face the south, so that the noonday sun 
 shines some distance into them. The lower cave is 
 fifty feet from the bottom of the canyon, but It can 
 be entered without difficulty. Several of the build- 
 ings are two stories in height, and protected by a 
 high wall which runs along the edge of the cave. 
 This wall was strengthened by plastering in poles 
 which touched the roof of the cave, and were mani- 
 
The E^ield Diaby of aw Abchaeoloqical Oollectob. 
 
 69 
 
 festly intended to prevent it from toppling over. 
 Ttie majority of tlie walls in the lower series were 
 about twelve feet in height, and the rooms eight feet 
 square, with the floors covered with several feet of 
 debris and dust. 
 
 Many of the beams and rafters remain intact and 
 art! wi'll preserved. Thu same method of maldng the 
 lloors and roofs, "which we have described already, 
 v.ere used here. On the wall of the cave is a paint- 
 ing in red of a snake, measuring five feet in length, 
 aiul there are also many imprints of the human hand 
 in red. 
 
 The ruins on the upper ledge we were unable to 
 get into, even by means of a long rope. Viewing 
 them from the opposite side of the canyon, we saw 
 that they consist of half a dozen small rooms, in a 
 fair state of preservation. 
 
 In one of the small tributary canyons to ^Uen 
 Canyon, about thirty-five miles northwest of Bluff 
 City, are two small but characteristic clJfC houses. 
 In cliff house "A," the dwelling is protected by a 
 I)eculiar wall, consisting of wiclter work and adobe 
 mud, supported by stout cedar posts, set in round 
 holes in the solid rock. The wall is neatly made, 
 and is the only example of this kind of work which 
 we found. It is about six feet high and eight inches 
 thick. This dwelling is situated in a hollow cavity in 
 the cliff, about thirty-five feet from the ground, and 
 we were only able to enter it by cutting down a 
 sapling and climbing up by means of it. The dwell- 
 ing is complete, with roof of adobe mud and an ex- 
 liaoidiiiarily small doorway. 
 
 About a quarter of a mile to the west of this is 
 another small cliff house much resembling it. It 
 consists of two very small rooms, with the doorways 
 facing each other. Several miles to the west of this, 
 in one of the southwest tributaries of the Cotton- 
 wood Canyon, is an interesting ruin, in a small 
 circular cave, which is accessible only by climbing 
 up the ledge, using the little steps and footholds 
 which were cut in by the ancient dwellers of the 
 cave. It is one hundred and fifty feet from the 
 bottom of the canyon, and fifty feet from the top of 
 the cliff. There are five rooms and a sort of hall- 
 way; the rooms in the middle being two stories in 
 height. Nothing of importance was found in the cave. 
 
 A few log-book entries are as follows: 
 
 MAY 19. 
 
 After dinner moved camp a couple of miles distant. 
 Cox and Smith shot three mallard ducks, so we had 
 a game supper; a welcome thing, for our provision's 
 were fast giving out. 
 
 Hawk's Nest Cave is In one of the southeast forks 
 of Cottonwood Canyon. The cave faces northwest. 
 It is 50 feet from the top of the cliff and 150 from 
 the bottom of the canyon. 
 
 MAY 20. 
 
 Sent out four parties in different directions to hunt 
 for ruins and covered a radius of twenty square 
 miles, but could find none of importance. When they 
 returned we decided to start the next day down the 
 canyon back to Bluff, for ruins were scarce and our 
 provisions nearly gone. In the afternoon Lane and 
 Gunckel went over the cliffs for miles,~i)ut could find 
 no dwellers. 
 
 From this point we proceeded dawn the Cotton- 
 wood Creek for a distance of thirty-five miles, until 
 we reached our permanent camp near Bluff City. 
 Along this creek there are very few ruins, and we 
 only saw a few unimportant shelters and cliff houses, 
 and several ruined pueblos. 
 
 As our conclusion, we would say that there is no 
 richer locality in this country for the ruins of cliff 
 dwellings than Butler's Wash, Comb Wash, and the 
 unexplored regions to the south and west. A rich 
 reward awaits the archaeologist who thoroughly ex- 
 plores the more remote canyons and gorges in this 
 desolate and unknown region. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 WE EETUBN TO THE EAST. 
 
 MAY 24. 
 
 Continuing Ralston's narrative: On May 24 our 
 camp was visited by nearly all the inhabitants of 
 Bluff City. Some of the boys attended the Mormon 
 Church, and the whole survey was invited out to 
 dinner. It is needless to say that the invitation was 
 accepted promptl.v. 
 
 MAY 26. 
 
 Our work has steadily progressed on the maps, 
 notes, and developing photographs. We bought fresh 
 beef of the Mormons. Our relations with them have 
 been cordial and thoy have been very kind to us. 
 Cox, our cook, became very insolent and stubborn 
 this morning. In fact he has been trying to run the 
 outfit the last month or so. He demanded his money 
 immediately and threatened to attack the ouflt if it 
 was not forthcoming. As Moorehead was away he 
 tliought we were out of funds, but we secured the 
 money, paid him off, and discharged him; he taking 
 his wagon and three horses. Smith also left, saying 
 lie did not want to go back to the settlement. Smith 
 is a strange character and tliere seems to be a 
 mystery about him. 
 
 JiAY 28. 
 
 I'esterdiiy the mail came and we were very glad 
 to receive letters, newspapers, etc., from the East. 
 At noon to-day a messenger from Moorehead arrived 
 with a copy of his telegram from Minton. This was 
 a great disappointment to all of us. Gunckel had 
 
70 
 
 The Field Diaut op an Aechaeologicai, OollecToe. 
 
 planned for work in tins region and. we had opened a 
 few of the boulder ruins about Bluff while waiting to 
 hear from Moorehead. We held a consultation and 
 Gunckel decided to go down to Mancos and see tlie 
 great ruins there unless we received positive orders 
 to the contrary. Our best road would be by way of 
 Mancos village and we would have gone that way 
 even if Moorehead had not left money for us theio 
 at the hotel. 
 
 MAY 29. 
 
 Ijeft early on our road to Mancos, bidding our 
 Mormon friends adieu. As we only have one wagon 
 now, part of our outfit was loaded on two freight 
 wagons, which were also bound for Mancos, Tvo 
 of the boys rode burros. Plenty of Indians on the 
 road. One came into Camp Triple Springs the other 
 night and wanted to sell us a horse. Doming after 
 nightfall as he did, we suspicioned something, and 
 told him to come to-morrow. He said, "To-morrow, 
 me go." First he wanted $25 and then he came down 
 to $5, and finally said he would trade it for a re- 
 volver. In the morning he was there before we were 
 up, wanting to sell his horse. We thought he had 
 stolen it, however, and would not take it. 
 
 Camped that night about four miles below Gil- 
 letf s trading store. 
 
 MAY 30. 
 
 We stopped at Gillett's store and picked up what 
 provisions, etc., had been stored there. Traded 
 off a lot of corned beef for canned fruit and vege- 
 tables. A heavy rain and hail-storm came up in 
 the afternoon and we got wet through. Camped 
 three miles above Marble Hill on the tJte Reserva- 
 tion for the night. It rained again during the night, 
 drenching our beds and ourselves. 
 
 JUNE 1. 
 
 We got into Mancos late this afternoon. We found 
 a telegram there which Moorehead had sent on his 
 way Bast. It again stated that Gunckel could go 
 down the Mancos if he so desired, but he must not 
 incur expense beyond the total now on hand. We 
 had got ahead of the two baggage wagons and had 
 no tents as they were with the heavier freight, and 
 having been exposed to the rain for nearly three 
 days, we had supper at the hotel and put up for the 
 night. Moorehead's orders stated that he had re- 
 ceived a telegram from Mr. Minton saying to stop 
 the expedition, pay off the men, soil the outfit, and 
 to come East as soon as possible; that the expedi- 
 tion was too expensive to rnn any longer. It was a 
 great disappointment 'to us as we had expected to 
 go down the Mancos Canyon before terminating, our 
 labors. 
 
 JUNE 2. 
 
 It was still raining, when we got up in the morn- 
 ing .and had rained all night. Had breakfast at the 
 hotel and afterward decided to move out of town 
 and go into camp as it was costing too much to stay 
 at the hotel. Although it was still raining hard at 
 10 a. m., we gathered up our things and moved out 
 of town four and a half miles, establishing camp in 
 the best place we could find. About 3 p. m. the 
 teamster went up to a ranch on a hill half a mile 
 away to see If he could not stable his horses. He 
 found a young man all alone in a big house, keeping 
 bachelor's hall. He told the teamster to bring the 
 party and they would be welcome to what he had, 
 and to put his horses in the barn. 
 
 This was- a godsend to us as we were half sick ar 
 thoroughly .disheartened from exposure to the rain, 
 and we were not slow in availing ourselves of his 
 kindness. We shall remain at this ranch until the 
 weather and roads are better. It is utterly impos- 
 sible to travel over these roads now and we would 
 only lose time by so doing. 
 
 JUNE 4. 
 
 About ten o'clock the sun came out and the outfit 
 moved over into Thompson's Park aboi^* 'our miles 
 away and camp was made until to-moirow. Gunckel 
 went by train to Durango. He will write the last 
 article, and see about selling the outfit. 
 
 JUNE 5. 
 
 Reached Durango at 10 a. m., making camp near 
 town. Pitched the tents, made inventory of all our 
 stuff, and put it in order ready for sale. Many of our 
 things are In a bad way on account of the three days' 
 heavy rain. Some of the photographer's plates are 
 spoiled. It may take two or three days to sell the 
 outfit, but we will do the best we possibly can. 
 Then most of us will go East. Mr. Rowley,- the 
 naturalist, will remain five weeks more to complete 
 his collection, and go up Pine River, where game Is 
 more abundant. 
 
 The above entry was the last made by our ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 When I reached home suit was instituted against 
 Mr. Minton's people and part of our expenses were 
 recovered. 
 
 In conclusion I may add that the untimely end of 
 our work was a great personal disappointment to 
 me. We were better equipped to do good work than 
 any survey sent to that country up to 1892 — with one 
 exception, that of Cushing's. After the difficulties, 
 etc., one may be pardoned for resenting the criti- 
 cism of two or three men, particularly so when one 
 considers that these men have never experienced dif- 
 ficulty In securing large sums for the various re- 
 
I 
 
 The Field Diaby or an Archaeoloqical 
 
 J,EC' 
 
 CCMB. 
 
 71 
 
 searches they have conducted. It Is quite easy to 
 continue a survey when some one else is paying its 
 expenses. 
 
 Had Minton kept his agreement, the larger part of 
 southern Utah would have been explored twelve 
 years ago. 
 
 And so we returned to our respective homes. 
 
 The results of our exploration (the collections) 
 were given to the Department of Anthropology, 
 World's Columbian Exposition, and subsequently to 
 the Field Columbian Museum, where they now are. 
 
 The survey notes, maps, negatives, etc., of more 
 than one hundred monuments in the Southwest were 
 handed over to The Illustrated American. Of the ruins 
 represented in our notes, eighty had never been pre- 
 viously surveyed. 
 
 Ill fortune seemed to pursue us even after the 
 survey had disbanded. When fire destroyed The 
 Illustrated American offices all the data mentioned 
 above were lost. 
 
 THE END.