OUTLINES OF THE CCEUR D'ALENE SYSTEM. 7 



The southern base of the triangle is formed by a high, nearly due 

 east and west ridge, which divides the waters of the Xorth Fork of the 

 Clearwater, from the Canir d'Alene drainage system. This is about 160 

 kilometers (09 miles) in length. The western termination of this ridge 

 is a heavily forested, quite conspicuous mountain, to which the name 

 "Mount Carey" is sometimes applied. It forms the central knob of an 

 extensive group of radiating ridges, among which lie the headwaters of 

 the Potlatch and those of one of the principal tributaries of the Palouse. 

 Its elevation is about 1,520 meters (5,000 feet). 



The western side of the triangle, commencing at this mountain, 

 extends northward a distance of 105 kilometers (05 miles), where a gap 

 or break occurs. In this gap is situated a part of Lake Cceur d'Alene, 

 a great natural reservoir, into which flows all the water discharged by 

 the streams of the interior drainage basins of the Cceur d'Alenes. 

 Commencing directly to the north of this lake, the western mountain 

 rim resumes its extension northward, passing a few kilometers to the 

 east of Lake Tend Oreille and joining the Bitter Boots at Cabinet, to 

 form the apex of the Cceur d'Alene triangle, a distance of about 95 kilo- 

 meters (50 miles). 



The mountain rims which form the sides and base of this triangle are 

 not to be regarded as straight and regular lines. On the contrary, they 

 are extremely serpentine in their course, swinging often from east to 

 west and from north to south, and vice versa, many kilometers from 

 a straight line. 



Tins twisting and turning of the divides with the numerous deep 

 saddles and corresponding rises render the heavily timbered portion of 

 the crest line of these ridges very difficult to follow. 



From every rise or peak an extensive system of laterals is sure to 

 radiate, and in every saddle a stream heads on each side of the ridge, 

 so that unless the traveler knows the way, or is exceedingly careful, he 

 is constantly in danger of being led off on these lateral ridges or into 

 the side ravines from the main divide which he may be endeavoring to 

 follow. 



The region inclosed by the three mountain rims just described, is 

 exceedingly rough and broken. It is a mass of long, steep, tortuous 

 ridges, inclosing a multitude of deep, narrow canyons. The elevation 

 of the ridges varies from 1,350 to 2,160 meters (1,400 to 7,000 feet), the 

 average being about 1,500 meters (5,000 feet). 



It is a remarkable fact that the highest elevations in the Cceur 

 d'Alenes are not found in the main range of the Bitter Boots, but lie 

 about 65 kilometers (41) miles) to the west in the divide which separates 

 the waters of the Cceur d'Alene River from those of the St. Joseph. 

 Here the ridge rises in a few localities to a height of 2,175 meters (about 

 7,100 feet). 



There is also situated on the western mountain rim of the triangle, 

 about 32 kilometers (20 miles) south from Cabinet, a mountain locally 

 known as Pack Saddle. This has an elevation of about 2,100 meters 



