220 GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY OF THE TEEEITORIES. 



should prove that it is possible to raise valuable crops here, there will be 

 no difficulty in bringing the land under cultivation so far as the supply 

 of water is concerned, for this is ample, and the fall sufficient to irrigate 

 all the lands which can be cultivated. It may be thought visionary to 

 speak of agriculture in this elevated, snow-bound cove, and the remarks 

 quoted imply that Dr. Hayden, with all his experience in this region, 

 looks upon it as impossible. But it is not best to conclude too hastily, 

 for if a number of rich mines should be discovered here and worked for 

 a few years, the demand for fresh vegetables might bring about, in prac- 

 tice, that which is considered impossible in theory. At least the scope 

 of my plan requires me to give an account of the arable areas, and the 

 facts in regard to the seasons, so far as known, leaving the battle with 

 climate to be determined by experiments. 



And it is possible that a record of the seasons may show that it is 

 really no colder here than in South Park, which has a greater elevation 

 than this park, and is also partially surrounded by snow-covered moun- 

 tains ; but, as remarked in the introduction, latitude and elevation do 

 not always determine the climate in the Eocky Mountain regions. Be 

 this as it may, there is here a fine grazing field for cattle and sheep, but . 

 these would require some feeding and occasional sheltering during the 

 winter months. Nature has provided amply the means to meet every 

 necessity in this direction ; from the grassy valleys, at a nominal cost, 

 all the hay necessary could be cut ; the mountain sides are bristling with 

 sturdy pines, and the rapid streams as they rush down from their foun- 

 tains afford all the jjower necessary to drive mills to saw the lumber. 

 Of course, places requiring this trouble and expense will not be selected 

 while others equally good, which do not require it, can be easily found. 



The North Platte, from its point of exit from the park to where it 

 reaches the border of Laramie Plains, passes through a rugged, moun- 

 tainous region. Along the upper portion of its course its valley is very 

 narrow, sometimes amounting to nothing but a gorge. But as it de- 

 scends toward the northwest it is joined by several small tributaries, and 

 its valley widens, affording occasionally bottoms of moderate breadth, 

 especially near the entrance of Sage Creek, where there is a considera- 

 ble stretch of fine wooded bottoms. 



LARAMIE PLAINS. 



This section is bounded on the east and northeast by the Black Hills, 

 on the west by the West Rattlesnake Hills, and on the southwest by 

 Medicine Bow Mountains. It is somewhat quadrangular in shape, its 

 average length from southeast to northwest being about ninety miles, and 

 average width from northeast to southwest about seventy-five miles, 

 containing (exclusive of the surrounding mountains) a surface area of 

 about six thousand seven hundred and fifty square miles, or nearly four 

 million five hundred thousand acres. It is drained chiefly by the 

 Medicine Bow and Laramie Rivers and their tributaries, both affluents 

 of the North Platte, which also traverses the extreme western border. 

 The Laramie, rising in the mountains at the southwest angle, flows along 

 the eastern border to the northeast angle of the section, where it breaks 

 through the Black Hills and joins the North Platte in the plains beyond. 

 The Medicine Bow, receiving affluents from each side, but principally 

 from the south, flows through the western part of the section and joins 

 the North Platte on the western border ; which latter stream makes its 

 exit at the northwest angle. 



The surface varies considerably in character and elevation, some of it 



