Eight Mile Ruin (pl. 10) is the largest and most conspicuous of the
Hill Creek remains. It consists of a cluster of towers on a cliff
overlooking the right side of the canyon below Taylor’s ranch and from
the bottom of the canyon resembles a single large building. It is made
up of several circular towers, with passageways between which preserve
all the typical features of this style of ruins. When this cluster is
examined individually it is found to be composed of round rooms, a
semi-circular building, and a rectangular room (fig. 14). The basal
courses of the masonry are constructed of massive, almost megalithic,
rocks. The walls of the rectangular building are particularly well
made, and enclose a room filled to the top with clay mixed with fallen
rubble. The longest side of this room extends north and south. The
whole cluster is approximately 70 feet in length. The diameter of the
circular rooms varies, the outside measurement of the larger ones being
about 20 feet, while the smallest is barely large enough for a man to
stand in with comfort. The semi-circular room is 14 feet in diameter.
The axis of these rooms extends approximately in a north-south
direction. So far as could be traced each of the larger circular ruins
has on the inside an elevated banquette surrounding it, and enclosed in
a wall, reaching a height of 10 feet. There is much fallen rock within
these enclosures concealing their floors and rendering it impossible to
trace properly the course of the banquette or interpret its relation.
Another ruin of the same general plan, but smaller, is a little farther
down on the same side of the canyon. Its walls have tumbled almost to
their foundations, and are inconspicuous, resembling piles of stone.
The essential architectural feature of the Hill Canyon towers is their
circular form, modified in many instances by the addition of a straight
wall or rectangular annex. In certain cases the enclosing walls of
two towers have fused, while in the Eight Mile Ruin the towers are
accompanied by a rectangular room separated a short distance from them.
None of these towers show any evidences of past habitation and, what is
remarkable, no fragments of pottery occur on the surface of the plateau
in their neighborhood. Not far from the tower (pl. 10, _a_), there was
picked up a mealing stone similar to those used by pueblo Indians in
grinding corn, but no accompanying metate was found. No excavations
were attempted.