. Our country: West. d. Traces of these people have been discovered in NewMexico, Utah and Colorado, but in those districts the ruinsconsist mainly of crumbling walls, mounds of dust and massesof rubbish, the remains of old buildings. The most authentichistory comes from the Great Tonto Basin in Arizona, com-prising upward of ten thousand square miles. Here nearlyevery eminence bears ruins that prove the ancient existence ofa vanished race. Under the shadow of the Rocky Mountains flows a smallyellow stream called Beaver Creek, a tributary of the RioVerde, which runs into the Gila River. On the
. Our country: West. d. Traces of these people have been discovered in NewMexico, Utah and Colorado, but in those districts the ruinsconsist mainly of crumbling walls, mounds of dust and massesof rubbish, the remains of old buildings. The most authentichistory comes from the Great Tonto Basin in Arizona, com-prising upward of ten thousand square miles. Here nearlyevery eminence bears ruins that prove the ancient existence ofa vanished race. Under the shadow of the Rocky Mountains flows a smallyellow stream called Beaver Creek, a tributary of the RioVerde, which runs into the Gila River. On the creeks highbanks are located upward of sixty walled caves of varioussizes, once the homes of that prehistoric race of whom theAmerican Indian has no traditions. The caves vary from five to twenty-five feet in entrances are walled by heavy masonry of stone andcement, still in good preservation. The largest of the caves are divided into many smallapartments by partitions, or walls, of stone and cedar An Arizona Cave-Dwelling. CAVE-DWELIvERS OF ARIZONA. 169 It is asserted by many students of the race that the inhabitantslived in the smaller apartments, securely fortified from enemieswho frequently besieged their cave-towns. The dwellings consisted of an upper and lower cave. Toreach the upper cave it was necessary to ascend by outsideladders, at peril of falling to the ground, sixty to one hundredfeet below. The lower cave was reached by climbing over therugged edges of projecting rocks. To the walls of the rooms still hang small fragments ofmortar, proof that the interior of their cave-dwelling wasplastered. From discernible imprints of hands and fingers, itis surmised that the mortar must have been spread upon thewalls with bare hands. In many places can be seen theimpressions of the small, chubby hands of little children, whowere, no doubt, delighted to make their marks in the wetplaster. Many of the caves are equal in size to some of our publicbuildings, an
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