F. GEOGRAPHY. 249 



cretaceous beds. Wherever noticed, it was in thin seams 

 and of little economic importance. 



Tlie White River Division was directed by G. B. Chit- 

 tenden as topographer, accompanied by F. M. Endlich as 

 o-eoIoQ-ist. 



The district assigned to this party as their field for explo- 

 ration during the season of 1876 commenced from the east- 

 ward at longitude 107 30', joining on to the work previous- 

 ly done, and extended westward 30 miles into Utah Terri- 

 tory. Its southern boundary was north latitude 39 30', 

 while the White River formed the northern limit. In order 

 to take the greatest possible advantage of the short time 

 that could be allowed, it was determined to make tlie White 

 River Agency the head-quarters, and in two trips from there 

 complete the work. About 3800 square miles comprised the 

 area surveyed. 



In working np the topography of the district, the party 

 spent 48 days of absolute field-work, made 41 main topo- 

 graphical stations and 16 auxiliary ones, and traveled with- 

 in the district about 1000 miles. The party ascertained the 

 course of all the main trails, the location and quality of 

 nearly all the water which is scanty throughout and can 

 map with considerable accuracy the topographical forms 

 and all the water-courses. The area is almost entirely de- 

 void of topographical " points," and the topographer is 

 obliged to depend to a considerable degree on those far to 

 the north and south for the triangulation. The country has 

 been heretofore almost entirely unexplored, and was de- 

 scribed by the nearest settlers as a broken caiion country, 

 extremely dry. It was marked on the maps as a high un- 

 dulating plateau, with fresh-water lakes and timber. The 

 party saw no lakes of more than four hundred yards in diam- 

 eter, and only two or three of those. The country is nearly 

 all inhabitable both winter and summer, and considerable por- 

 tions of it valuable, and, though three quarters of it is with- 

 in the Ute Indian Reservation, the advantage of a more ac- 

 curate knowledge of its character can readily be seen. 



Altitudes were determined by the mercurial barometer, 

 with a base at the White River Indian Agency, and checked 

 by a continuous system of vertical angles. The altitude of 

 the Agency has been determined by a series of barometric 



L 2 



