need some expertise on a old structure, possible well??? INDIAN??? LOOK

[chong2]

i have been meaning to get some pictures up of this, i found this when i was about 16. now there is another one of these i also stumbled upon when i was younger, about 8 miles away. both located at the base of foothills. both eroded the same way. both located right above a ravine. they were made with natural stone from the area. the " bottom" has a red material, clay? at this particular location i browsed around and found no evidence of a foundation. im wondering what they are, probally a well. why located where they are, at base of foothills, on the hills themselves. who possible made them, ranchers? indians? early explorers? and how old are they? the erosion you can see for yourself. now these are in the desert southwest. not much rain comes by here. lets hear your opinions.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[wildrider]

Re: need some expertise on a old structure, possible well

My guess...truly speculation.

I'd say that maybe the runoff from the hill would seep into this like a cistern.

The high walls above ground level would help keep the water from evaporating.

It would probably fill up in the monsoon season and last for a little while.

Saving some water is better than having none at all.

Burt

 

[chong2]

Re: need some expertise on a old structure, possible well

thats a thought

 

[Functional]

Re: need some expertise on a old structure, possible well

Possibly a native American oven for baking? Kind of small to be a storage silo for corn, but who knows?

I had to guess something after waiting for all those pictures to load with my slow dialup.

F.

 

[Cynangyl]

Re: need some expertise on a old structure, possible well

no clues but I sure am looking forward to hearing from someone that does know what it is! Fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

 

[bill gent]

Re: need some expertise on a old structure, possible well

is there mortor or cement between the bricks

 

[chong2]

Re: need some expertise on a old structure, possible well

no, no mortar. and sorry for all the pics, must have gave ur comp a heart attack. im leaning toward native american. i did not see any smoke or heat marks .

 

[capt_t]

ancient phone (Smoke Signals...lol) Not sure but could be for smoking/curing meat....looks like new mexico area.

 

[vic910]

My first guess was some kind of storage area. Or, could it be some type of rest area, like for shade while herding sheep, goats, etc.?

vicki

 

[Dave45]

look for a mine up the ravine
mile or so radius

 

[Montana Jim]

look for a mine up the ravine
mile or so radius

Thats interesting... Why? Is there some possible significance?

 

[hauntedwesternny]

They appear to be ventilation shafts, I would look for a mine shaft within the immediate area.

 

[junkdigger]

There was a lot of heat to burn the lower part of that kiln. A kiln is what I think that is. The ones I've found here in Idaho were lime kilns. I think they collected lime from natural deposits and converted it in the kiln to a form to make cement ( I don't understand the process). Maybe ore from the mines was processed in kilns too, to extract precious metals.

 

[doublet2a]

Ah heck,, I never thought in a million years
anybody would find my Deep Pits
I,d sure be swinging My metal detector though


HH TIM

 

[generik]

I am kinda new here, but I think I have a shot at actually knowing what this is, so here is my guess. It is a hunting blind. It looks to me like the side that has collapsed was shorter than the rest.The high walls provided shade for the hunter while he waited. The opening also looks to be pointing toward a little valley, a natural funnel for game animals to run under cover. We have the same here in Pennsylvania, but without the high walls and they are definitely hunting blinds. They still work well, as I sit in one every season.

Erik

 

[chong2]

i kow its not a vent shaft, the mine thing has me wondering tho. about a mile to the right of the pic with the hills we found a "entrance" only goes back 25 or so feet. to get in you have to crawl, so im not sure its a mine. still its so far away from this thing, would make no sense. and dont forget there are 2 of these things located miles apart. about the hunting blind i dunno. notice all the bricks that fell on the hill side, there are a bunch more in the ravine, so if they were all stacked up it would be too tall to see over. good idea tho, plus there are only a small ammount of big game in the area, New Mexico

 

[Monty]

My guess would be a well. Looks like the ravine eroded out one side of it and over the years it filled with sediment. At least the top half looks like a hand dug well the way it is lined with stone. I'd check all around for any sign of a foundation or even rocks lined up in a pattern that is not natural. Monty

 

[stoney56]

I'm not thinking so much a well although it's a possibility. I'm more leaning towards a manmade watering hole. Even though the annual rainfall isn't much, doesn't it come down pretty heavy when it does rain? It could then fill up (at least to a point) with runoff and potentially refresh a weary traveler. The lack of mortar would allow water to flow in from the hillside as well as from the top.
Of course I could be wrong and have been before.

 

[wesfrye53]

I like the kiln idea

 

[watercolor]

I think junkdigger is correct in this structure being used as some type of kiln.