p 



39 



Triassic beds furnish unlimited quantities of lime, gypsum, and build- 

 ing stone, and their brick-red sandstones and other colored layers give 

 a singular appearance to the landscape, especially remarkable to one 

 coming from east of the Mississippi, where the series of rocky strata 

 ends with the Carboniferous and these red beds do not appear. 



At .Bed Canon and other places there are bluffs, 300 feet in height, 

 of dark red rock, which form conspicuous objects at various points over 

 the plain, particularly striking when viewed from the eastern spurs of 



W: 



lignite 



common enough, is not yet appreciated, owing to its somewhat inferior 

 quality and the abundance of wood. 



A prominent feature of this region, and one which is destined to be 

 of great importance in the future, is the Hot Spring, a few miles below 

 Fort Washakie, described by Dr. Heitzmann (Jones's Rep., 1873, p. 

 294). It is situated on the river terrace in an* open plain about a mile 

 from Little Wind River. The saucer-shaped basin is 1*50 to 315 feet in 

 diameter, and from the center the clear water rises at a temperature of 

 105° to 110° Fab., accompanied by a free escape of carbonic acid gas. 

 The smooth bottom, covered with white deposit from the water, slopes 

 gradually outward to a depth of 10 feet or more. Our camp being near 

 this wonderful pool we had ample opportunity to indulge in the luxury 

 of its baths. Its benefits as a therapeutic agent in the cure of disease 

 and as an invigorating, healthful resort for the unatfiieted have been 

 fairly tested by the troops at the neighboring garrison, and with the 

 best results. 



* 



The productiveness of the Wind Biver Valley is dependent upon 

 natural and artificial irrigation, without which it would be uninhabitable. 

 The rainfall is limited by peculiar conditions. In order to enter this 

 region rain-clouds must either pass over a range of high mountains, 

 where their moisture is precipitated, or over dry plains, where it is 

 absorbed. Light showers, therefore, from the edge of mountain storms 

 are, as a rule, all that is to be expected. Irrigation, by means of ditches, 

 is, however, practical over all the river bottoms. The surface is every- 

 where rich in plant food, and needs only water to make it productive. 

 We found flue wheat, oats, barley, and garden vegetables growing on 

 a surface of brick-red earth, the debris of Triassic sandstone fallen down 

 from the bluffs. The general elevation is high, averaging 5,601) feet on 

 the line of march between Red Canon and Crow Heart Butte, but this 

 is counterbalanced in a measure bv a sheltered situation and favorable 



* 



southern exposure, so that the winters are mild and the summers suf- 

 ficiently long for most crops. The principal danger in this and similar 

 mountain valleys is the sudden occurrence of frost from cold-descending 

 currents of air, in late spring and early fall, which inay happen in a 

 single night and be followed by fine weather for weeks. All the creek 

 and river bottoms on the south side of Wind River up to Bull Lake 

 Fork will, eventually, be irrigated and farmed, but beyond that point 



