THE IREIGATION AGE. 199 



very fine, and disclosed a worthy gathering ground for the waters of 

 one of the most noted streams of the west. It is a stream, however, 

 which I fear will be of less use than almost any other in the agricul- 

 tural development of the west. At its headwaters the land is so ele- 

 vated that but few crops can be raised while further down it sinks in- 

 to those deep gorges, of which the Grand Canon of the Colorado is 

 one, while its diversion to the uplands seems physicially impossible. 

 Perhaps near the end of its course in the Gulf of California, it will 

 yet be used in the tropical climes of Arizona or California. 



While we were yet on Union Pass we saw for the first time what 

 every traveler in that region always looks for, the lofty peak of the 

 Grand Teton Mountains Wherever seen it is an impressive sight, 

 but it was especially so at this great distance, from which it looked 

 like a thin spire piercing the sky, scarcely visible except for the 

 patches of snow that covered it. Two days elapsed before we reached 

 .ts base, but it was in view at intervals in the meanwhile, and we 

 could well appreciate how important it must have been to wanderers 

 in the early days when no roads crossed the country. In approach- 

 ing it we were at a loss to see why this peak and its immediate 

 neighbors came to be called The Three Tetons, for there seemed to be 

 several of the lesser peaks of equal prominence. But two days later, 

 when I found myself on the other side of the range and looked at it 

 from the west, the explanation was obvious enough. From that point 

 of view, there are three distinct peaks which stand out prominently 

 above all others. 



This wonderful range of mountains and the no less wonderful 

 valley at its eastern base have received the enthusiastic encomiums of 

 every traveler who has seen them. This continent affords not their 

 equal, and it is a great pity that the tour of the Yellowstone Park, 

 which lies to the north, cannot be made to embrace them. To the 

 lover of sublime and beautiful scenery they are beyond praise. 



Mr Mead has spoken of the agricultural possibilities of this fa- 

 vored valley and I will say nothing upon that point. It was here that 

 I left the rest of the party, who turned north into the Yellowstone 

 Park, while I made my way to the nearest railroad station, Market 

 Lake, Idaho. Our hospitable host in Jackson Hole Valley, Mr. R. E. 

 Miller, treated us very shabbily in the matter of weather. We were 

 received at his place by the only rain of any consequence which we 

 encountered on the entire trip, and a rain which was long and vigor- 

 ous enough to make up for previous deficiences. In fact I have seen 

 few more severe downpourings than that which prevailed nearly the 

 entire day following our arrival. Mr. Miller, however, atoned as far 

 as possible for this inhospitable reception by accompanying me on my 

 first day's journey, which I found it impossible to postpone for better 

 weather. On horseback we made our way for seven hours in a 

 drenching rain, across the summit of the Teton Range and into the 



