178 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
channel of the Uncompahgre at a point 9 miles above Montrose and 
is diverted lower down for projects on both the east and the west 
side of the valley. 
At the end of 1920 water from the Gunnison tunnel was used in 
irrigating 65,000 acres of land which, before the completion of the 
tunnel, was a barren desert waste. The principal crops are alfalfa, 
oats, wheat, potatoes, apples, and sugar beets, listed in decreasing 
order of the acreage cultivated. Small fruits, onions, sugar beets, 
apples, garden products, and potatoes, in the order named, gave the 
largest returns per acre. 
After passing the Gunnison tunnel, which, unfortunately, is not 
visible, the train descends the sloping side of the broad valley in a 
barren ravine, but at a siding called Fairview, half a mile beyond 
milepost 346, irrigated farms are spread out on both sides of the 
railroad. The crops that are growing here will, of course, depend 
upon the time of year in which the journey is made. If the trav- 
eler passes this place in midsummer he will see fine fields of oats and 
wheat, some corn, and plenty of potatoes, sugar beets, onions, and 
alfalfa. He will also see a few orchards, but this particular area is 
not largely devoted to fruit raising. The valley has been trans- 
formed, as shown in Plate LX XV, A, B, from a wilderness to a 
region of prosperous farms, and the secret of the change is only 
water, 
Tn the journey down the long tangent to the middle of the valley 
the most striking features of the landscape are the rugged peaks of 
the San Juan Mountains, which are visible to the south (left). These 
mountains are the most rugged in the State. Most of the peaks are 
over 13,000 feet high, and many of them rise above 14,000 feet. The 
highest point in the range is Uncompahgre Peak, which has an alti- 
tude of 14,419 feet. The sawtooth top of this range is well shown 
in the profile visible from the train. 
After passing through miles of the finest farms in the West the 
train reaches Ouray Junction, which is the point where this line 
joins the one from Ouray, Telluride, and Durango. 
marta ee, Here the railroad turns at a right angle and pro- 
Population 3,581, ceeds a mile northward to the station in the growing 
ver 352 miles, young city of Montrose. This city is the distribut- 
: ing center and shipping point for a large district 
that is under high cultivation. Cereals, fruits, and vegetables, to- 
overwhelming quantities were encoun- 
tered in this section, and tunnel exca- 
vation was both difficult and dan- 
gerous.” 
This description shows how rocks 
may be broken and jumbled together 
in a fault zone where they have moved 
hundreds or perhaps thousands of feet. 
