NARRATIVE. 9 



Hesperus. Our route lay over some low divides through a 

 rather uninteresting country, part of the time in oak 

 chaparral, and at times getting up into the open pine belt. 

 During the afternoon of July 10 we passed Dix P. O. 

 and reached the old mining camp of Parrott City at the 

 foot of the mountains, just at the entrance to the canon 

 of the La Plata River. Continuing a few miles further, we 

 made camp in the bottom of the canon about two miles 

 south of La Plata City. This was one of the richest spots 

 visited. The bottom of the valley is only a few hundred 

 yards wide, and it is walled in on either side by the pre- 

 cipitous slopes of the mountains. It is very moist, and is 

 filled with a luxuriant tangle of vegetation. Rubus Nutkanus 

 here grows to perfection, and the ground is fairly carpeted 

 with the showy Erigeron coulteri and Penstemon glaucus 

 stenosepalus. The gravel banks in the stream also furnished 

 conspicuous and abundant species, including Epilobium 

 latifolium and Senecio atratus. The elevation here was about 

 9,000 feet. 



On July 12 we again moved camp going toward the head 

 of the valley. Above the town of La Plata the canon grows 

 much narrower and the grade is much steeper. The road is 

 soon forced to leave the stream and is cut into the hillside. 

 For a considerable distance no suitable place for a carnp 

 could be found, but finally just below the mouth of Basin 

 Creek, at about 10,000 feet elevation, a projecting ledge of 

 rock gave us just room to put up the tent and get the wagon 

 out of the road. Stakes being out of the question tent ropes 

 were made fast to boulders, and our quarters, though re- 

 stricted, proved sufficiently comfortable. Wagon roads have 

 been constructed several miles farther to reach various 

 stamp mills, but they were so rough and steep that we 

 did not attempt to take our heavy outfit beyond this 



