162 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
from the south. Recently a deep cut, a mile in length, has been 
excavated through this ridge for the railway. The principal mate- 
rials exposed in this cut are gravels and sands deposited by Mohave 
River a long time ago. In the central part of the cut a red lava 
(rhyolite) is reached, and the gravels and sands are exposed abutting 
against slopes of the lava, which rises to the surface in prominent 
buttes not far north and also constitutes several small knobs along 
the river bank from this place to Barstow.’ 
Barstow owes its existence mainly to railway and mining trade. 
It is a railway division point where the line to San Francisco, by 
way of Bakersfield, diverges from the line to San 
Barstow. Bernardino, Los Angeles, and San Diego. A spa- 
Elevation 2,106 feet. cious hotel is located here under the title of Casa del 
eeu ‘tos mites, Desierto (house of the desert). The valley of Mohave 
iver is narrow at Barstow. There are two prom- 
inent buttes of red lava (rhyolite) in the southern part of the 
town, and ridges consisting of volcanic tuff interstratified with 
sheets of lava rise a short distance north of the river. A sm 
but very prominent butte of red lava (rhyolite) stands in the center 
of the valley just north of Barstow station. 
The railway, which has run north of west for 100 miles beyond 
Cadiz, here turns southward toward Cajon Pass and San Bernardino. 
After leaving Barstow? the train continues to follow the south 
or east bank of Mohave River past Todd, Hicks, Wild, Helen, and 
Bryman to Oro Grande and beyond. The low flat along the stream 
is not wide, but most of it is utilized for irrigation at numerous 
ranches. The long slopes adjoining the river flat consist of gravels 
and sands apparently underlain at no great depth by voleanic rocks. 
: The sedimentary rocks of this region | sand, and clay, forming round buff-col- 
comprise about 3,000 feet of beds of mid- | ored hills. It contains abundant fossil 
dle Tertiary age. They lie on a some- bones of extinct species of horses, camels, 
hat irregular 
w ut i surface of granite and | and other mammals believed to be of later 
gneiss and are very much flexed and | Miocene age, some of them the same as 
faulted. Three general divisions are e bones found in the Santa Fe marl 
recognized. The lowest, 1,200 feet or The Tertiary rocks cropping out along the 
more thick, is mostly fine tuff and vol- | north side of Mohave River from Daggett 
base some sandstones, in large part con- | thin interstratified limestones and vol- 
middle division, 1,500 feet or more thick, | rocks in the knobs immediately about 
is made up of pale-greenish clay, with | Barstow are rhyolite, but clay and lim 
thin beds of sandstone, ash, and lime- | stone a not far north and granite 
j I and schist crop out to the northwest and 
casi cay see in _— cemented ae to the northeast. 
“ia. op division consists o ? Mileposts to Los Angeles indicate the 
loose beds of angular rocks, fine gray ashy Giiiaaite tesey Barstow. a 
