It is evident that they never were a wealthy
people, nor possessed any great knowledge of the arts and sciences.
Their records of a former country speak of rich mountainous districts,
with balmy breezes, and trees covered with sweet and beautiful fruits;
but when they mention large cities, palaces, temples, and gardens, it is
always in reference to other nations, with whom they were constantly at
war; and these traditions would induce us to believe that they are
descendants of the Mancheoux Tartars.
They have in their territory on both sides of the Buona Ventura river
many magnificent remains of devastated cities; but although connected
with a former period of their history, they were not erected by the
Shoshones.
The fountains, aqueducts, the heavy domes, and the long graceful
obelisks, rising at the feet of massive pyramids, show indubitably the
long presence of a highly civilized people; and the Shoshones' accounts
of these mysterious relics may serve to philosophers as a key to the
remarkable facts of thousands of similar ruins found everywhere upon the
continent of America. The following is a description of events at a very
remote period, which was related by an old Shoshone sage, in their
evening encampment in the prairies, during the hunting season:--
"It is a long, long while! when the wild horses were unknown in the
country[7], and when the buffalo alone ranged the vast prairies then
huge and horrid monsters existed.
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