STAKE NO. 7.
Elderberry (Sambucus corulea neomexicana). The blueblack berries of this plant are eagerly consumed as food by birds and small animals. Berries are put to present-day use in making jams, jellies and pie.
STAKE NO. 8.
This site once contained five rooms, of which only a few walls are left. You will notice that the vegetation here is different. You are on the northwest side of the “Island,” which receives little sun, is colder, and has vegetation found in the great forests of the northern United States.
Woman Plastering
STAKE NO. 9.
These are the best preserved ruins on the trail. 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