﻿44 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  with 
  approximately 
  parallel 
  courses 
  towards 
  the 
  northeast, 
  and 
  having 
  

   their 
  sources 
  near 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  overlooking 
  the 
  plateau 
  of 
  the 
  

   San 
  Miguel 
  and 
  Dolores. 
  The 
  first 
  branch 
  rises 
  south 
  of 
  station 
  29, 
  

   east 
  of 
  station 
  26, 
  and 
  the 
  nest 
  northeast 
  of 
  26 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  remaining 
  

   two 
  rise 
  between 
  stations 
  26 
  and 
  32. 
  Station 
  26 
  has 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  

   9,789 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  32 
  is 
  9,518 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level. 
  After 
  eighteen 
  miles 
  

   these 
  creeks 
  all 
  unite, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  5,600 
  feet. 
  The 
  ridges 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  them 
  are 
  timbered, 
  and 
  the 
  valleys 
  are 
  beautifully 
  grassed. 
  Kear 
  

   the 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  creeks 
  are 
  beautiful 
  little 
  parks, 
  which, 
  in 
  August, 
  were 
  

   perfect 
  Hower-gardens. 
  The 
  rocks 
  here 
  are 
  sandstones 
  and 
  shales 
  of 
  

   the 
  Dakota 
  group, 
  with 
  Jurassic 
  shales 
  showing 
  along 
  the 
  creeks 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  the 
  canons. 
  Farther 
  down 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  show 
  beneath 
  them, 
  

   especially 
  as 
  we 
  approach 
  the 
  caiion 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  which 
  was 
  called 
  

   the 
  Unaweep 
  caiion 
  by 
  Gunnison, 
  from 
  the 
  red 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  rocks. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  forks, 
  the 
  stream 
  flows 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  

   falling 
  about 
  4,000 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  to 
  its 
  mouth, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  fall 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  9 
  miles. 
  The 
  Gunnison 
  here 
  lies 
  on 
  a 
  monoclinal 
  

   fold. 
  This 
  fold 
  was 
  noticed 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Eiver. 
  

   Along 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  marked. 
  The 
  creeks 
  

   cut 
  rapidly 
  through 
  the 
  Dakota 
  group 
  and 
  the 
  soft 
  Jurassic 
  shales 
  to 
  

   the 
  red 
  sandstones. 
  All 
  the 
  gullies 
  are 
  deep, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  maze 
  of 
  

   caiions 
  and 
  cross-caGons, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  bright 
  red 
  of 
  the 
  sandstones 
  and 
  

   purples, 
  greens, 
  and 
  yellows 
  of 
  the 
  shales 
  give 
  a 
  variegated 
  appearance 
  

   to 
  the 
  scenery. 
  Although 
  water 
  is 
  abundant 
  at 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  

   stream, 
  it 
  generally 
  sinks 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  at 
  least 
  during 
  

   the 
  summer. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  snows 
  leave 
  the 
  plateau 
  these 
  streams 
  are 
  probably 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  to 
  floods, 
  which 
  have 
  had 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  eroding 
  of 
  their 
  

   channels. 
  The 
  caiions, 
  however, 
  are 
  not 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  sudden 
  causes, 
  

   and 
  may 
  have 
  existed 
  in 
  embryo 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  plateau 
  attained 
  its 
  

   present 
  elevation. 
  

  

  Game 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  plateau, 
  especially 
  near 
  the 
  crest 
  

   overlooking 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  west. 
  

  

  Between 
  Koubideau's 
  Creek 
  and 
  Escalante 
  Creek 
  jast 
  described, 
  is 
  a 
  

   small 
  and 
  unimportant 
  creek, 
  rising 
  in 
  the 
  timbered 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  

   north 
  of 
  station 
  23. 
  Pine 
  forests 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  numerous 
  here 
  than 
  

   on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  creek. 
  On 
  the 
  crest 
  we 
  find 
  quaking-aspens, 
  

   somewhat 
  dwarfed, 
  on 
  the 
  extreme 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  and 
  very 
  

   crooked, 
  attesting 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  heavy 
  snows 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  

   months. 
  Even 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July 
  we 
  found 
  remnants 
  of 
  

   snow-banks 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  between 
  stations 
  26 
  ond 
  32. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  is 
  probably 
  what 
  was 
  called 
  Una- 
  

   weep 
  Eiver 
  on 
  Captain 
  Gunnison's 
  map. 
  It 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  as 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  a 
  stream 
  as 
  laid 
  down 
  there. 
  We 
  have 
  called 
  it 
  Eio 
  Dominguez, 
  

   after 
  one 
  of 
  Escalante's 
  comrades. 
  Between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  Escalante 
  Creek 
  

   last 
  described 
  are 
  several 
  small 
  branches, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  mere 
  gul- 
  

   lies. 
  The 
  largest 
  is 
  about 
  ten 
  miles 
  long, 
  and 
  is 
  probably 
  dry 
  during 
  

   the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  monoclinal 
  fold 
  is 
  more 
  marked 
  here, 
  and 
  crossing 
  its 
  axis 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles 
  west 
  from 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  we 
  soon 
  reach 
  a 
  level-topped 
  surface 
  covered 
  

   with 
  piiion 
  pines. 
  But 
  few 
  x)oints 
  rise 
  above 
  this 
  general 
  level. 
  Along 
  

   the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  fold 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  country 
  very 
  different. 
  The 
  sandstones 
  

   are 
  here 
  cut 
  through 
  by 
  caiions 
  and 
  cross-canons 
  so 
  that 
  without 
  trails 
  

   one 
  cannot 
  travel 
  far 
  in 
  any 
  direction. 
  

  

  The 
  Dominguez 
  has 
  two 
  branches, 
  one 
  rising 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

  

  