EXCERPT FROM AN ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR DETERMINING THE HEIRS OF DECEASED INDIANS, FOR THE DISPOSITION AND SALE OF ALLOTMENTS OF DECEASED INDIANS, FOR THE LEASING OF ALLOTMENTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," APPROVED JUNE 25, 1910 (36 STAT., 857), PROVIDING PUNISHMENT FOR DEPREDATIONS AND FOR NOT EXTINGUISHING FIRES ON PUBLIC LANDS, ETC. SEC. 6. That section 50 of the act entitled "An act to codify, revise, and amend the penal laws of the United States," approved March 4, 1909 (Thirty-fifth United States Statutes at Large, page one thousand and ninety-eight), is hereby amended so as to read: "SEC. 50. Whoever shall unlawfully cut, or aid in unlawfully cutting, or shall wantonly injure or destroy, or procure to be wantonly injured or destroyed, any tree, growing, standing, or being upon any land of the United States which, in pursuance of law, has been reserved or purchased by the United States for any public use, or upon any Indian reservation, or lands belonging to or occupied by any tribe of Indians under the authority of the United States, or any Indian allotment while the title to the same shall be held in trust by the Government, or while the same shall remain inalienable by the allottee without the consent of the United States, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisonment not more than one year, or both." That section 53 of said act is hereby amended so as to read: "SEC. 53. Whoever shall build a fire in or near any forest, timber, or other inflammable material upon the public domain, or upon any Indian reservation, or lands belonging to or occupied by any tribe of Indians under the authority of the United States, or upon any Indian allotment while the title to the same shall be held in trust by the Government, or while the same shall remain inalienable by the allottee without the consent of the United States, shall, before leaving said fire, totally extinguish the same; and whoever shall fail to do so shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both." REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK. MANCOS, COLO., September 20, 1915. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report on the management of the Mesa Verde National Park for the year ending June 30, 1915: GENERAL STATEMENT. The park was established by the act of June 29, 1906 (34 Stat., 616). It is situated in the extreme southwestern portion of Colorado, in Montezuma County, and embraces an area of 66.2 square miles, or 42,376 acres, but by the act of Congress approved June 30, 1913, the boundaries of the park were so changed as to include an aggregate area of 76.51 square miles, or 48,956.4 acres. The park is under the direct control of the Secretary of the Interior, who is empowered by law to prescribe rules and regulations for its government. CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY. Mesa Verde is a high table-land, dividing the Mancos and Montezuma Valleys. This mesa is elevated above the valleys some 2,000 feet, and rises abruptly from their floors, with precipitous sides, like the walls of a canyon. The northern extremity of this great mesa terminates in Point Lookout, which juts out between the two valleys, a landmark for miles in all directions. The surface of this table-land is broken by innumerable canyons, which start from the very edge of the mesa on the northern and western sides, and, growing deeper and more rugged as they descend, finally open out into the Mancos Canyon. These canyons have many great caverns in their side walls, with the overhanging rock for roofs, and in these caverns are found the ruins of the cliff dwellings. The principal ruins are found in Navajo, Cliff, Soda, Long, and Rock Canyons, though there are hundreds of lesser ruins in all the canyons in the park. Spruce Tree House is in Spruce Canyon, a branch of Navajo; Cliff Palace is in Cliff Canyon; Balcony House is in Soda; Peabody House and Inaccessible are in Navajo; Long House is in Rock Canyon; and a recently discovered ruin is in Long. These ruined houses, or villages, are found in the recesses of the canyon walls and, protected from the weather, are remarkably well preserved. Some of them are small, with only a few rooms, while others are large and must have accommodated a large population. The ruins found on the mesas, without the protection of the overhanging cliffs, have not withstood the ravages of time and are now but mounds of stone and earth. Park Point, near the northern boundary of the park, is the highest point, with an altitude of 8,574 feet. CUSTODIANSHIP. The custody of the park is delegated by the Secretary of the Interior to a superintendent, whose office is maintained at Mancos, Colo., the nearest railroad point to the park. The superintendent is assisted by a limited number of rangers, whose duty it is to act as guides through the ruins and to police the park. The best of order has been maintained within the park, and the ruins have been protected from vandalism; in fact, no attempts have been made to evade the rules and regulations. STOCK. It has been the custom for the department to lease the grazing lands to owners of patented lands within the park, and at present there are three leases or permits for the grazing of 1,335 head of cattle. The lessees are required to assist in maintaining order and to guard against fires within the park. ROADS AND TRAILS. All the roads in the park have been worked, and in most cases widened and improved. A short section of the old road, known as the Decker Road, has been abandoned, on account of the steep grade and rocky roadbed, and a new piece of road constructed which maintains an easy grade and a smooth roadbed. The road from Spruce Tree Camp to Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Peabody House, heretofore only cleaned of brush and trees, has been widened, plowed, and graded. WATER SUPPLY. The water in all the wells has held out, and two new reservoirs have been constructed for stock_use by the lessees of the grazing lands. The supply at Spruce Tree Camp never varies, and the engine and pump furnish an abundant supply of pure water at the camp and for the camping parties. The spring at Balcony House is always the same, a pool of clear, cold water, with no visible inlet or outlet, but always there to refresh the thirsty traveler. BUILDINGS. No new buildings have been erected, although the department has authorized the building of a ranger station at Spruce Tree Camp, where a man has to be stationed all the time. This building will be erected some time during the present season. GAME. Deer are more and more numerous each year now that they are unmolested. Small game is plentiful, and the rabbit is everywhere. Coyotes, too, are numerous. |