936 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



to 3,000 feet above the plateaus. The southern portion is a plain with 

 a slight elevation above the sea, amounting to only 200 feet at the 

 mouth of the Gila Eiver. The mountain ranges, of which there are 

 many, have generally a northwest and southeast course, with the ex- 

 ception of the Mogollon range in the east, which runs nearly east and 

 west, joining the Sierra Blanca. The Sierra Prieta and the Aztec 

 range in central Arizona are flanked by foothills which sink gradually 

 to the level of the table-land on the north, and by the mesas sloping 

 toward the Colorado Eiver in the southwest. Thehighest mountainis the 

 San Francisco, a volcanic cone whose summit is about 12,000 feet above 

 the sea. The great table-lands of the north are covered nearly their 

 entire extent with nutritious grasses, and in places are diversified by 

 gorges which, in most cases, widen into beautiful and productive val- 

 leys. The canyons formed by the passage of the Colorado Eiver through 

 the lofty table-lands of the northwest are unequaled in grandeur, being 

 the celebrated " Grand Canyon of the Colorado." The stream flows be- 

 tween massive walls that rise to a perpendicular height of nearly 7,000 

 feet above the water. The southern, central and southwestern por- 

 tions of the Territory are well watered and contain the largest body of 

 agricultural land, comprising the valleys of the Gila, Salt, and Colo- 

 rado Eiver s. The rivers and smaller streams occupy an area of 51,200 

 acres, and the lakes and ponds 12,800 acres. 



First among the rivers of Arizona is the Colorado of the West. It 

 rises in the Wind Eiver chain of the Eocky Mountains, some 12,000 

 feet above the level of the sea. It flows southeasterly in its upper 

 course, and is known as the Green. In southeastern Utah it is joined by 

 the Grand. These streams united form the Colorado proper, and from 

 the point of the junction to the Gulf of California, being in its course 

 the western boundary of the Territory, it is known by that name. The 

 length of the Colorado is about 1,500 miles, and is navigable 600 miles. 

 The Little Colorado takes its rise in the Sierra Blanca range. A short 

 distance to the northwest it is joined by the Eio Puerco, which like- 

 wise has its source in New Mexico. From thence the river flows in a 

 northwesterly direction, joining the Colorado of the West at the Grand 

 Canyon. The Little Colorado is nearly 200 miles in length, and has 

 some large and fertile valleys along its upjier course. Next to the 

 Colorado the Gila is the largest river of Arizona. Its source is in the 

 Mogollon Mountains. It crosses the Territory from the line of New 

 Mexico to the Colorado Eiver at Yuma. The valley of the Gila em- 

 braces a large portion of the arable lands of Arizona. The Salt 

 Eiver, which joins the Gila below Phoenix, is formed by the Black and 

 White Creeks. These streams have their sources in the Sierra Blanca ; 

 length nearly 200 miles. Other rivers worthy of mention are the 

 Santa Cruz, San Pedro, Eio Verde, Agua Fria, and the Hassayampa, 

 each being from 150 to 200 miles in length. 



Northern Arizona is the best watered portion of the Territory. The 



