| Contents | detailed description of his time in America so far; the reason for his trip to the South West is to study the history of the original inhabitants, the drawings of the nomadic warring tribes, picture calendar of the Dakotas, Cliffdwellings; mentions Mr. [Frank Hamilton] Cushing, [James] Mooney, Moki [Hopi] and Zuni Indians; in November he read himself into the topic and decided to travel; to study a 'primitive' people is a necessary corrective to the study of art; describes the buildings in the sandstone rocks, pots, mummies, implements; the Pueblo Indians still lives in their small villages around Sante Fé; mentions the ruins he saw in Mancos, calls Mesa Verda an 'American Pompeji'; in Denver he met an Indian trader, Mr. [Otto] Mears, who did not advise him to travel on in the cold time of the year; Warburg continued to Colorado Springs, General [William J.] Palmer encouraged him to continue; he travelled by narrow gauge railway to Durango from 02 to 03/12/1895; he spent the night in Strater Hotel, left for Mancos on 04/12/1895; B.K. Wetherill waited for him there, owner of a ranch; his five sons Richard, Alfred, John, Clayton and Wyam act as tour guides to the ruins; supplies map of area; Richard is the discoverer of the Cliffdwellings, but was absent; the Ute Indians like him especially well; Warburg went with John who proved a good tour guide; Mrs. Wetherill is very kind, 60 years of age, her faced wrinkled 'like a Michelangelo sibyl'; the night in Wetherill's ranch was bitter cold; on 05/12/1895 John Wetherill and Warburg started for the first trip, pointed out in red pencil on his map; they were riding for seven hours; the next day they went to 'Sandalhouse', the smallest rock dwelling; Warburg found a companion who wanted to go with him to the most interesting Cliffdwellings, A.L. Fellows who is the County School Superintendent; Fellows, John Wetherill and Warburg started on 08/12/1895, together with Jim [James Loeb], a stable lad with the pack horse; they had to take with them food, bivouac material; they wanted to arrive at the Spruce Tree House in the evening of the first day, as they had not tents, John's brothers had them all in use; the trek was wonderful, he saw far down into the Montezuma valley; at six in the evening the pack horse fell; at first they thought they had to spend the night in the summer camping ground, but then the horse got up and they carried on; Jim cooked a meal for them and they made camp, sleeping under the stars; on 09/12/1895 they reached two of the largest Cliffdwellings; encloses a picture [no longer extant]; on 10/12/1895 he arrived back at the ranch and returned to Durango and Colorado where he stayed until 13/12/1895; he then left for Santa Fé, from where he writes his letter; the next two days he will visit an Indian village, San Juan; thanks for letters; sends New Year greetings; he is fine, the families in Hamburg and New York do not need to worry; sends greetings to aunt Malchen [Amalie Goldschmidt] |