“ At the observation point a self-guiding trail begins which will take you down and around the “Island” in the Canyon. There is a drop of 185 feet by ramp and stairway to the “Saddle.” From there the trail is comparatively flat, and completely encircles the “Island” at the level of the ruins. You will visit several, and be able to see more than 100 of the 400 small cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon. ”

“ It is doubtful that the cliff dwellers perished, but rather that their blood flows in the veins of some of the living Pueblo Indians. The Hopis are said to have legends which indicate their ancestors once lived in cliff caves. Hopi Indian visitors sometimes comment on the cliff dwellings being the homes of their ancestors, and there is some evidence to support this. Hopi Indians are of the same basic type which inhabited Walnut Canyon. Studies made on the cliff dwellers’ physical remains reveal they were a short, stocky people much like the Hopi of today. ”

“ An understanding of the cliff dweller’s farming activities may be approached by studying the Hopi Indians who live on a reservation about 70 miles north of Winslow, Arizona. Most families have a farm or garden plot where corn, beans, and squash are still the principal crops. ”

“ The wood is harder, stronger, and more durable than Pine. Douglas Firs are the conspicuous trees on the slopes facing north, while Pinyon and Juniper are dominant on those facing south.
The boughs of this tree are used by many Pueblo Indians today in their ceremonies and dances, particularly by the Hopi who travel long distances to collect the branches for their “Kachina” dances. They believe that the color of the needles in the early spring will foretell growing conditions for the coming year. It probably had similar uses among the cliff dwellers. ”

“ Once the Indian family had selected a cave, they did very little to enlarge it. Most of the cliff cavities are rather shallow and extend back 12 into the cliff no more than 10 to 12 feet. The cliff dwellers closed these cavities with masonry walls and partitioned off the rooms. Walls were constructed from rough chunks of limestone gathered wherever found. Apparently there were no quarries. The stones were laid up to form a double wall with the straight faces turned to the outside and the center filled with rubble. Mud was used for both mortar and plaster ”

“ Present day visitors are often delighted to see Deer or Antelope along the approach roads to Walnut Canyon and occasionally Turkeys are seen. These are native Wild Turkeys, which in some parts of Arizona are found in sufficient numbers to permit a limited hunting season.
Animals considered good food by living Indians include Coyote, Wolf, Fox, Dog, Wild Cat, Porcupine, Beaver, Badger, Squirrel, Gopher, Kangaroo Rat and Pack Rat. From the available evidence, it appears that the prehistoric cliff dwellers ate the same animals. ”

“ What a struggle it must have been to raise crops without benefit of steel tools, fences, insecticides, and other advantages now considered necessary.
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The Indians farmed at the upper limit of elevations where corn, beans, and squash may be expected to mature, because of the short growing season, which is usually not more than 115 days. Since they had no Weather Bureau, they may have observed the vegetation like certain eastern Indians who watched the oaks until the first leaves were as large as a Red Squirrel’s foot, when they knew it was time to plant their corn. ”

“ Some restoration has been done around the doorways, using a dark mud to distinguish it from the original. The black soot deposit on the ceilings is the result of using pitch Pine for fuel. If you look closely at the inside walls of this room you will see the handprints of the women who plastered it—prints placed here long before America was discovered. Since so many people wish to see them, we ask that you do not touch the wall; otherwise in a few years the handprints would be completely obliterated.
Women Doing Masonry
Note the smoke-blackened rocks inside the wall itself. ”

“ The recesses were formed by a process called differential weathering or exfoliation. Moisture seeps into the cracks behind the surface of the softer layers of limestone. When the water freezes it expands, cracking off thin layers of rock. ”

“ This plant was most important in the economy of the early cliff dwellers. It furnished all of the necessities of life, namely food, shelter, and clothing. The Yucca is pollinated by a small moth whose larvæ feed on the seeds. The Indians prized the fruit, buds, flowers, and stalks for food. ”

“ Construction tools included stone axes, hammers, and picks. In those tools that were hafted, a groove was made three-fourths of the way around the stone to retain a stick bent in the shape of the letter “J” and lashed to form a handle. ”

“ Descriptions and illustrations of plants and trees of the southern Rocky Mountains and other Southwestern ranges above 7,000 feet elevation. 112 pp., color cover, paper $1.00 ***64. POISONOUS DWELLERS OF THE DESERT. Dodge. Invaluable handbook for any person living in the desert. Tells the facts about dangerous insects, snakes, etc., giving treatment for bites and stings, and dispels myths about harmless creatures mistakenly believed poisonous. ”