THE OVERLAND EOUTE — COUNCIL BLUFFS TO OGDEN, 65 



fighter, whoso name was given also to the creek that flows through 

 the gap and to the mountain that lies just west of it. 



Near Ferris siding the railroad crosses a low ridge of hills formed by 

 the upturned sandstones of the Mesaverde formation, which con- 



Ferris. 



astern 



great depression in the older rocks filled with younger 

 Eievatioa 0,869 feet sediment. Wcst of the ridge are* the younger Creta- 



Omaha 693 miles. ^ liiij 



ceous rocks, which are here steeply upturned, but 

 which flatten out as they extend westward under this basin. 

 2 miles east of Knobs siding the road reaches Tertiary beds, also 

 steeply upturned here, but flattening out farther west. They consist 



About 



■nglomeratic sandstone altematmg 



m 



These rocks 



m 



Near the station called Daley's Ranch the train crosses the wide 



which 



» 



Ranch 



for 60 niiles; is lost in the Great Divide Basin. North 

 of the raiboad (to the right) may be seen in this valley 

 Elevation 6,684 feet. |]-^e b^ms and corrals of a large sheep ranch. Less 



Omaha 704 miles. T i • i 



than 30 years ago the owner of this ranch was a sec- 

 tion hand on the Union Pacific, but he is now a large property 

 owner and has been a member of the State legislature. Many tales 

 might be told of sudden rise to fortune hi the early days of the sheep 

 industry; before the ranges had been overstocked and depxeted. 



In Wood's cut, about 2 miles west of Cherokee, there is a poorly 

 consoUdated yellow conglomeratic sandstone resting with uneven 



base on dark-colored shale. This cut was made 



Cherokee, 



throng 



Elevation 6,828 feet, j^i^mdreds of othcr pkccs aloiig the Union Pacific, the 



Omaha 712 miles. ^ , ^. • x i -i^i- nn 



road needs protection agamst cU'ilting snow. Iho 



windbreaks for this one cut cost !^o,500. 



At Creston siding the train crosses the divide between the Atlantic 

 and Pacific slopes and a sign south of the track reads: "Divide of 



the Continent." As a matter of fact, the traveler is 

 Creston. ^^^ TN-ithin the Great Divide Basin. The ordiuiiry 



Elevation 7,102 feet 

 Omaha 719 miles. 



mo 



pass 



L±liV^Uj_, 



unclrained basui that is about 60 mil 



to south and 100 niiles from east to west. This basin contains numerous 

 salt and alkaline lakes, mud flats, and mud springs. Hayden, one of 

 the earlier Government geologists, states that in the region between 



ininoe Hills 



■n & 



springs, analogous to the mud puffs of the geyser region in Yellow- 

 stone°Park, About 400 of these curious springs were found and 



examined. 



02213*— BuU. 612—15 5 



