DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN ROUTE, 135 
sheet of basalt, which is not visible from the train but which com- 
pletely conceals the underlying rocks. A few miles north of the river 
* there is a break (fault) by which the beds on the north are raised 
higher than those on the south. 
Below Shoshone the canyon is cut so deep in the granite core of 
the great anticline that the sedimentary beds which overlie the gran- 
ite can be seen only here and there. The trav- 
eler may get occasional glimpses of the rim 
of the canyon and may be surprised to see 
that the country into which the river has 
cut this deep gash is level or only gently roll- 
ing. This region may be regarded as the 
southern part of the White River Plateau, 
and the picturesque scenery of the narrow 
canyon is due simply to the fact that the 
plateau here is composed of hard rocks, 
which wear back slowly into moderate and 
subdued forms. If, however, the crust of the 
earth remains stationary for a long time— 
thousands, perhaps millions, of years—even 
these hard rocks will be worn into a broad 
valley, bounded by the moderate slopes Of sary opesojoy {i/o 
low hills. No rocks are hard enough to re- Suysous 4) 
sist erosion for all time, and it is evident AE 
here that Nature has had abundant time at 
her disposal, and there is no reason to sup- 
pose that she will have less in the future or 
that the future will be greatly different from 
the past. 
The walls of the canyon are rough and 
rocky, affording excellent feeding ground 
for mountain sheep when the surface of the 
plateau is deeply covered with snow. Bands 
of 40 or 50 sheep are said to be frequently 
Seen in protected places, quietly feeding on 
the grass and shrubs that grow in the crevices NS 
of the rocks and also on the narrow benches §82$888838 
on the precipitous slopes. Plate LVII, A 8 | 
(p. 132), shows the leader of such a band standing guard at the edge 
of the cliff. 
A short distance beyond milepost 353 is the hydroelectric plant of 
the Central Colorado Power Co., with its great penstock through 
Which the water is dropped 175 feet to the turbine wheels beneath, 
and also the spillway for the excess water to escape. Beyond the 
plant may be seen the transmission line, strung on high steel towers, 
ae LL ee 
mestone 
:) 
Ouray li 
5 Miles 
Figure 34,—Section across canyon of Colorado River at Shoshone. 
