THE OVERLAND EOUTE COUl^CIL BLUFFS TO OGDEIST. 49 



es 



the road. 



For a few miles north of Laramie the train follows more or less 



r 



)sely Laramie Eiver^ here a placid meandering stream. Not many 



mi 



amie 



Great Plains comitry and empties into the North Platte. A large 

 storage reservoir has been built near the mountains, and here the 

 flood waters of the river are stored to irrigate the Wlioatland tract; 

 east of the mountains. This irrigation project was put through 

 imder the Carey Act by its author, ex-Senator Carey, later governor 

 of Wyoming. Mr, Carey showed that he not only could draft a law 

 but could operate under it, for the AMi-eathmd project is said to be 

 very successful. 



Just after crossing Laramie River, before reaching Bosler, the 

 route leaves the marine Cretaceous shale and enters an area underlain 



by the sandstone of the Mesavcrde, a coal-bearing 

 Hosier. formation of Upper Cretaceous age. The Mesavcrde 



Elevation 7,077 feet, is of grcat ecouomic importance west of the Rocky 

 Omaha 592 miles. Mountains because it contains valuable beds of coal. 



This sandstone near Bosler is soft and has disinte- 



m 



many 



the train. It is well exposed, however, at 

 west. 



Near the station of Cooper Lake a small alkali lake surrounded 

 with white incrustations of sodium carbonate is visible near the 



track, but Cooper Lake itself can be seen only from a 



Cooper Lake. ^^^^^^ several miles west of the station. This lake 



Sl^haTg-'filf ^^ is about -4 miles long and 2 miles wide and occupies 



the lowest part of a broad depression. Like many 



of the smaller lakes of the Laramie Bashi it has no outlet, and the 

 considerable quantities of water entering it through the two creeks 

 that head in the Medicine Bow Mountains to the south escape only by 

 evaporation. For this reason the size of the lake is variable, depend- 

 ing on the balance between rainfall and evaporation. 



From Lookout station westward to Medicine Bow the railroad is 

 relatively new. The road was originally built north of the line now 



Lookout. 



operated, crossing Rock River about 10 nules north- 

 east of the present crossing and following that river 

 Elevation 7,120 feet. nQ^th of Como Bluff to Medicmc Bow. The new route 



Omaha 600 miles. 



shortens the line 20 miles. 

 Tlie station at Lookout is built on a sandstone that lies uncon- 

 formably on the Mesaverde. About a mile west of the station this 

 rock is exposed in radi'oad cuts and consists of soft yellow sandstone 



92213^— Bull. 612—15 4 



