Hiking Middle Fork, Gila River, cliff dwelling, New Mexico

	Middle Fork, Gila River
	If you ever hike up the Middle Fork of the Gila River you’ll find it worth your while to take a short jaunt off the trail to see the remains of a Mogollon cliff dwelling that most people miss. The original site had 11 rooms, and today several of them remain somewhat intact. There are also pictographs in and around this site, although not all of them are Mogollon.
	The larger stone has a shallow mortar in it. The smaller stone appears to be a pestle, but it's impossible to say if it originally went with this particular mortar or if some hiker placed it there. This pictograph is on an interior wall of the cliff dwelling. It looks like it may be a turtle, but photos taken by an archaeologist decades ago show additional parts of the animal that make it look more like a possum. This red pictograph is a short distance downriver from the cliff dwelling. It's not of Mogollon origin. At least one researcher has suggested it may be Apache, which would of course mean it isn't nearly as old as the nearby cliff dwelling. *The book Ruins Seldom Seen* is available from** www.GlobePequot.com