DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN ROUTE. 179 
gether with forage plants, grow here in abundance. Two miles 
south of Montrose was the home of Chief Ouray, for whom the peak 
north of Marshall Pass and the mining town in. the San Juan Moun- 
tains were named. The main line and the branches of the railroad 
north of Montrose were changed to standard gage in the summer of 
906. 
STANDARD-GAGE LINE FROM MONTROSE TO GRAND 
NCTION. 
From Montrose to Delta the railroad follows the valley of Un- 
compahgre River in a general course a little west of north. The 
country north of Montrose is more broken than that to the south, so 
that a general view of the valley can not be obtained from the rail- 
road. Throughout most of the distance from Montrose to Delta the 
land near the river is well cultivated, but not far back from the 
river there is generally a line of bluffs on both sides of it, which range 
in height from 50 to 150 feet. These bluffs are but the fronts of 
extensive terraces, many of which are well cultivated, but the trav- 
eler can see only the barren shale underlying them. 
For a short distance out of Montrose there is nothing to interfere 
with the view to the east, and the great Vernal Mesa, through which 
Gunnison River has cut its famous canyon, stands out in bold relief. 
For some distance the fault noted near Cimarron is still present, but 
apparently about halfway along the mesa the red sandstone beds of 
the Carboniferous and Triassic systems may be seen from the train 
as they lap onto the mesa in gentle curves. The mesa here is an arch— 
an anticline, as it is called by geologists—but the middle of the arch 
has been planed off by erosion, leaving the granite still at the sur- 
face. North of this point there is no fault on the west side of the 
mesa. oe 
Along the railroad there is a high-tension electric transmission line, 
which brings electric power from Telluride, in the San Juan Moun- 
tains, for lighting Montrose, Delta, and other towns 
Olathe. along the road. Olathe (o-lay’the), a place of 
Blevation 5,365 feet. recent growth, by utilizing the water supplied i 
l : { Fd, 
eghar s02 pon the Gunnison tunnel is becoming a horticultura 
center. In passing along the railroad the traveler 
Will note that the farmers of the valley are troubled in places with 
strong alkali, which makes the surface as white as if it had been wr 
ered by snow. This alkali, which is brought to the surface by flood- 
ing, due to overirrigation, makes farming difficult, but it can largely 
be removed by subsurface drainage. es cali 
One of the most promising parts of the valley for agriculture 1s 
terrace called California Mesa, which the traveler may see on the west 
SB ie et 
