132 



GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 



Fig. 35- 



phyry of a lii^ht- violet color containing crystals of sanidine. As we pro- 

 ceed down the river we iind that tbis rock is replaced by an argillo- 

 tractbyte-porphyry, tbe white color of which contrasts strongly witli 

 the other colors seen on the sides of the caiion. The unequal hardness 

 of the dilierent rocks has allowed it to weather into curious and fan- 

 tastic shapes, si)ires, towers, and minarets standing out on either side, 

 adding to the picturesqueness of the scenery. There have once been 

 many hot springs throughout this region, and it is to them that the 

 greater i)ortion of the coloring seen in the caiion is due, the iron deposits 

 giving the reds and the sulphur the yellows. There still are a number 

 of springs along the river's edge, although from the top of the caiion 

 they cannot be distinguished. The center of attraction, however, is the 

 lower fall, (Fig. 34). The river suddenly narrows to a width of only 

 TOO feet and rushes over a ledge of trachyte, falling 397 feet to the bot- 

 tom of the canon. The water at the edge of the fall is very deep and 

 of a deep-green color. Huge bowlders thrown in are carried by the force 

 of the current far out from the edge of tlie fall. When we approach 

 the brink and look over into the abyss we begin to realize the littleness 

 of man when in the presence of nature's grand masterpieces. Down, 

 down goes the -whirling mass, battling and writhing as the water dashes 

 against the rocks with a noise like the discharge of artillery. Here and 

 there a resisting rock is met with and the watei rebounds, broken into 

 myriads of drops, which throw back to us the sunlight resolved into its 



primitive colors. The 

 bottom of the caQou 

 reached, the immense 

 mass of water seems 

 1 o dissolve itself into 

 ^pi ay, and then recov- 

 (!ing, it flows down 

 the gorge an emerald- 

 gieeu stream, dashed 

 \\ ith patches of white, 

 beating with furious 

 ^\ aves the rocky walls 

 t hat imprison it. 

 T<iken in connection 

 ^\lth the varied tints 

 of the canon itself, 

 led, yellow, orange, 

 w hite, the dark-green 

 )ines fringing the toj), 

 ,ind the bright green 

 ot the spray-nour- 

 ished moss on the 

 sides of the fall, we 

 have a picture of al- 

 most unequaled mag- 

 niticence and gran- 

 deur. It is a 

 of which one 

 we 



scene 

 never 

 stand 



UPPER FALL OF YELLOWSTONE RIVER, I40 FEET 



tires and in the description of which language fails. As 

 above the lower fall and look toward the south we have a fine view 

 of the upper fall, (Fig. 35,) which is distant about half a mile. This fall 

 differs altogether from the lower one and does not so soon impress one 

 with its height, which is 140 feet. The water i)ouring over the edge 



