Show remains of cave dwellings written for the mining review by J F gibbs Mety eteh 11 N I 1 about four hundred feet north of deer creek and perhaps 1000 feet west of the sevier river in the northern pa part rt of piute diute county utah exist the remains of several cave dwellings only a few years since the locality was one of the most isolated in utah but the shriek of the iron horse now echoes among the picturesque crags and cliffs of sevier canyon i and the once sequestered qu estered homes 0 of f those now extinct cave dwellers may be seen from the denver and rio i grande G r an d e railway hallwa y which traverses the east bank of the sevier river at the point where inhere the mou mountain n forming the north boundary of deer areek turns I 1 sharply to the he north I 1 and nd forms the west rain rampart part of the sevier gorge within we the sinuous depths of which the D and i R G in graceful 1 curves wends bends its the bottom land along deer creek up to and covers about one third of the cliff the west nest boundary of the slide is marked by a spur of basalt which projects out towards the south and with almost vertical sides ends in a precipice from the east side of the cliff another spur reaches out towards atiles standing within the lower cave situated at the top of the slide one looks out on a landscape of unusual loveliness loveIl ness a mingling of creek and river of bottom land covered with cottonwoods cotton woods birch oak and willows the monotony of which is relieved by the dark fronds A i ak 0 4 V N 4 N y V d tj q t ak X st A 14 17 4 f no IL 1 view blew of entrance to cliff dwelling looking northwesterly bourse course to the sunny southland southia nd of utah there abruptly rises a basaltic cliff to a h eighth of several hundred feet ages of weathering have disintegrated the basalt nd id formed a slide which extends from the southeast and terminates in a low butte extending easterly from the northeast side of this spur is a low ridge of alluvium alu vium in which those mysterious cave dwellers interred the remains of their rel 38 of an occasional pine rising on ev ery side are precipitous mountains the fantastic fa coloring of which varies from almost black to brilliant red and yel low ow and in which the interested tourist may read the history of a bygone I 1 age when mother earth stricken with convulsions was rent to profound depths when the sevier gorge was opened t through h r 0 u 9 miles of partially congealed lava where fierce volcanic fires glowed through clouds of gases and vapors and from the depths of which arose the thunders of warring forces and the groans of a world in travail at an unknown period the rem remoteness otene 5 S of which extends backwards hundreds perhaps thousands of years there existed a large colony of cave dwellers in southeastern utah they were small of stature and were the embodiment of industry maize and other food products were cultivated while the coarse wool of native sheep fur direction opposite to that from which the thear ar destroyers had come resting by day within the friendly defiles of the box canyons leading down to the colorado river they pursued their journey by night until they V N av K r L A ar 4 NA A no IVO 8 2 view of cliff in which cave dwelling is found looking westerly dished the raw material for clothing and blankets they were adepts in the manufacture of pottery ware in which their embryo aesthetic taste was displayed in the grace ful forms of the vases and in their artistic designs and coloring stone axes knives and hammers bone needles etc were the rude implements of domestic use and bows and arrows the principal pr in weapons of defense and for securing game whence came that mysterious colony is a question that will never be correctly answered that they did not willingly migrate is proved by the fact that their domestic utensils and other useful articles representing months an and Y years of industry were left behind to say nothing of the years of toll toil involved in the improvement of their natural habitations their simple wants were abundantly supplied and there existed no apparent cause for voluntary removal the only tenable theory for the solitude that now reigns over their vacant homes is that they were almost exterminated by some stronger and more warlike tribe the foregoing reference to the san juan cave dwellers is made to answer the question as to whence came the small colony that made its home at the mouth of deer creek it is more than probable that the ancestors of the deer creek colony from some inaccessible recess looked down upon the slaughter of the san juan cave dwell ers and when the carnival of blood was ended and within t the he merciful shadow of the night they fled from the scene of awful carnage and desolated homes 1 it were natural that they betre retreated abed in a reached the headwaters of the sevier river the river was followed in its northerly course until they came to the mouth of deer creek which has already been described bed no spot in central utah could be more with chubs and suckers while further nn in deer creek canyon deer flat presented an admirable place for the easy stalking of venison the rich bottom land could have been easily utilized for the production of maize and there were no greedy greed sevier valley ites in those days to dispute their right to the use of the water of deer creek if molested there were three ave are of escape and a few steps would take them into the shelter of dense thickets of birch and willows this ideal mount mountain allire retreat is now owned under a soldiers homestead by george evv W vogel a four years veteran of the civil war and one of the jolliest jol liest and most companionable hermits in utah mr vogel combines the fascinating vocation of prospecting with the prosaic work of clearing the ground for orchard and vineyard purposes the gentle reader by a glance at thi the first picture of the series may see the vel come cave into which those cowering fugi ties from the apaches or justice as he or she may prefer first crept and found a grateful refuge the bareheaded figure on the right is brother vogel the other persons as the interested public will no nd doubt be delighted to learn are sons of the writer and were introduced into the picture for the purpose of giving the per spec tive proportion and relation rather than for ornament I 1 i caves in ba basalt salt are of frequent ocene rence and are formed no doubt by tit A 6 pa N 4 d ur avo 3 view of P monument t and deer creek looking westerly toward gold from the liff dwelling c admirably adapted to the needs of cowering fugitives As if provided by a compassionate brov providence idenie a natural recess in the face of the cliff furnished them with immediate shelter the dry scrub oak and nearby nut pine provided ample fuel deer creek swarmed with trout and the sevier weathering out of pockets of alkaloids cd 0 lecter by atomic affinity into isolated badia boate 0 within the rocks the opening oatlie of the 0 in question is about eight feet high about four feet wide at the bottom has the civilized advantage of an cup up stal el room the fugitives proceeded to make their retreat more secure by building a wall of stones and ingeniously interwoven saplings and withes from the floor up to within about two feet of the top the opening into the jhb I 1 bedchamber bed chamber was partly closed by short pieces of saplings securely fastened by withes and then plastered with clay which I 1 age has hardened into almost rock the Sim imprint print in the clay of the tiny hands and fingers of the diminutive plasterer are as fresh today as when the skillful worker finished his or her task in the upstairs room a couple of small saplings were laid about 18 inches apart on the floor across from sapling to sapling withes were interwoven and upon which small boughs were laid and thus a royal couch for those days was formed at the head of the bed which by the way was towards the west the the luxurious occupant placed a water vase iland and securely cemented it to the floor alas it at was not so securely fastened as to pre avent yent its appropriation by some modern relic seeking vandal A light but strong ladder enabled the occupants to climb in and out of their cliff home and to ascend to the upper story the second picture affords a full view of the face of the cliff at the top of the slide rock and to the right of the center can be seen the opening of the dwelling justie just described bed well up near the top and to the left of the center will be seen the opening of a larger cave small and precarious steps were beaten into the rock and led aed from the lower to the upper cave the latter was probably used only in times of danger from foes and from which the proprietors could hurl defiance and rocks upon afi the e headson heads head of their assailants steps nearly obliterated lite rated by age lead up to an insecure position to the left of the dwelling and from which the first picture was taken the third picture was also obtained from that point and is a view looking westerly up deer creek canyon towards gold mountain admirers of the silver tongued orator of nebraska will probably be delighted to learn that the great basalt chimney in the foreground and obstructs a view of the great bushor divide is the bryan monument and i is to the boy orator what the pyramids are to the pharaohs Phara the admirers may be pained to learn that the monument was not named by the cliff dwellers and also that it is not a shrine before which local republican voters now worship 11 but I 1 am wandering an old old habit the low alluvial ridge before mentioned as the probable burial burfal ground of ahe the cliff dwellers is strewn with pieces of broken pottery intermingled with flint an and d t obsidian arrow heads the obsidian wak wab obtained from great dykes dyke that cross the canyon a mile or so west of the cliff dwelling ing oi there is no data upon which any con 00 cluston can can be formed as to the probable i liu numerical merical strength bithe of the colony A few years since dr F J lyon of marysvale Marys vale secured a male skeleton of one of the cliff dwellers it was in a condition of partial decay but from anatomical signs safely guarded by the doctors the man was more than 50 years old and about five feekin feet in height the skeleton lay in the willows near the creek at a point immediately below the dwelling and was very likely the last one of that mysterious colony which no doubt perished by violence to the shame and burning disgrace of relic seekers that momento of a bygone by gone race and age is nearly ruined the wall which partly closed the entrance to the cave has been torn away and naught remains of the handiwork of the primitive occupants save the gothic shaped structure that forms the entrance to the lied bed chamber which can now only be reached by aid of the pole seen in the entrance the pieces of saplings by which the opening to the upper cave is partially closed have been whittled and the names of modern human pigmies pygmies have been scrawled on relies relics that for hundreds of years have been respected by marauding ma indians but the immeasurable vanity of those mental dwarfs who have thus sought to perpetuate their names will be snuffed by the next fool who climbs into that ancient attic because he will surely whittle the first autograph into oblivion and scrawl another name which he deems will be of infinitely more interest and importance to posterity than the other fellows specimen of wretched chirography |