1923] EDWARDS, SECOND SEASON AT GRAND CANYON 57 



rounded by scenery unrivalled in its magnificence and totally unre- 

 corded either with the brush or pencil or on the photographic plate. 



After a journey of four or five hours up this narrow canyon, we 

 come to the mouth of a smaller stream entering Bright Angel from the 

 west. This is Ribbon creek and it has built up about its mouth a con- 

 siderable tract of more or less level land which supports a growth of 

 mesquite trees and affords a suitable camping site. A short distance 

 up stream is a very beautiful waterfall known as Altar Falls, which we 

 made haste to visit. It is said to be a little higher than Niagara Falls 

 and has a width of perhaps six feet. However, its chief interest lies 

 not in its dimensions, but because of a mound of travertine which has 

 been built up to a height of perhaps seventy-five feet at the base of the 

 falls by deposition from the waters of the stream, seen in figure 28. 

 This mound is at the bottom of the falls, and, being somewhat flat 

 upon its upper surface, resembles an altar, draped with a most beauti- 

 ful altar cloth where the central portion of the mound is covered with 

 a very brilliant growth of moss, which touch of emerald contrasts 

 favorably with the grays and reds of the rocks in that vicinity. The 

 presence of this moss leads one to conclude that no additional deposits 

 are now being made at this place. Above the falls is a very delightful 

 meadow, enclosed on all sides by abrupt precipices of rock, on the 

 face of which are the remains of numerous cliff dwellings, elsewhere 

 described in these pages.® 



This meadow is perhaps a mile in length. At its upper end, the 

 stream descends another wall in a cataract scarcely less in height than 

 the Altar falls below and known as Upper Ribbon falls. This is not 

 distinguished by any such deposits as are the lower falls. No streams 

 enter Ribbon creek between the two cataracts, and it is an open ques- 

 tion as to the reason why travertine deposits should accumulate at the 

 base of one cataract and not at the other. 



The trail is, up to this point, always close to Bright Angel creek, 

 but above Ribbon creek it climbs to the level of the softer Cambrian 

 rock where the canyon widens out. From here on, the trail winds for 

 several miles over piles of debris which have been washed into this 

 gorge from the side canyons, and it becomes rougher and narrower. 

 These piles of debris are often of immense size, being a hundred or more 

 feet in height, and they consist of rock fragments of various sizes up 

 to several tons. We no longer crossed the creek so often, but were al- 

 ways within sight of its turbulent waters. At one point we came upon 

 a most unexpected sight for such an arid region as this part of Arizona. 



'"Cliff Dwellings and Pueblos in the Grand Canyon, Arizona," pp. 74 — 97. 



