Lyman Cutler tells his grandson Joe a story about his days as a young cowboy when he came across a cliff dwelling containing abandoned pottery and an Indian mummy. When Joe and his friend Denny search for the pottery and mummy, they discover old relics including documents, photographs, and the skull of a man. This story of archaeology and preservation of natural places will thrill young explorers as they follow Joe and Denny's adventure throughout southern Colorado. The recurrent themes of the books in the Wilderness Mystery Series are natural phenomena-caves, canyons, mountains, sand dunes, and forests-and a sense of the past as seen through archaeology. In many of the narratives, events of long ago are seen to have left traces of their passing. Notwithstanding the fact that the books were written in the 1950s, the progressive Franklin Folsom (alias Troy Nesbit) had refreshing views of women, Native Americans, and the environment, and he was prescient in having his characters often oppose corporate and government efforts to develop wilderness areas.

Chapter 1: Ghost Town Chapter 2: The Stolen Mummy Chapter 3: A Real Find Chapter 4: Difficulties Chapter 5: "Tell the Superintendent" Chapter 6: "It Won't Bite" Chapter 7: The Hidden Cave Chapter 8: Work for a Human Fly Chapter 9: In a Canyon Chapter 10: The Branding Iron Chapter 11: Jalopy for Sale Chapter 12: Hardware-and Some Cash Chapter 13: Loot? Chapter 14: Mormon Gold Chapter 15: The Huffmobile Chapter 16: Lion Skin Game Chapter 17: A Box of Insurance Chapter 18: High and Dry Chapter 19: Denny's Half Dollar Chapter 20: Over the Top Chapter 21: Ordeal on the Ledge Chapter 22: Something to be Proud Of