1869.] 



35 



[Haj'den. 



foot hills, or minor ranges of the mountains, in which are exhibited on a 

 grand scale the entire series of unchanged rocks known to exist in this 

 country. 



In the mountains near the sources of the Little Laramie the red beds 

 show themselves in very great thickness and give to the scenery pecu- 

 liarly picturesque features.* Near Elk mountain the red beds appear 

 again ; but in the interval they seem to be partially concealed either by 

 drift or cretaceous and tertiary beds. It will be impossible to represent 

 minute details of the geology of this country by colors except on a care- 

 fully prepared topographical map constructed on a much larger scale 

 than any that we have. We are satisfied, however, whether the older 

 formations are well shown or are concealed entirely, or in part, that they 

 either do now or did once extend across the country with a nearly uni- 

 form thickness. 



FIG. 3. 



We will now return to Laramie City and examine the geological char- 

 acter of the country along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad west- 

 ward. From Laramie City to Cooper's Lake Station, a distance of 25.6 

 miles, there is a good degree of uniformity in the character of the coun- 



* The action of the atmosphere upon these hrick red sandstones of the Triassic Age is beau- 

 tifully shown in the wood cut. Fig. 3, taken from a photograph. These worn sandstones form a 

 conspicuous feature in the scenery of the Laramie Plains. 



