﻿PEALE] 
  GRAND 
  RIVER 
  BOOK 
  CLIFFS. 
  47 
  

  

  an 
  air 
  line, 
  when 
  it 
  turns 
  abruptly 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  degrees 
  west 
  of 
  south 
  for 
  

   four 
  miles, 
  and 
  then 
  goes 
  southwest 
  for 
  twenty 
  miles, 
  as 
  we 
  follow 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  when 
  it 
  again 
  turns 
  toward 
  the 
  south, 
  flowing 
  ten 
  

   miles 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores, 
  having 
  curved 
  around 
  the 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  plateau, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  just 
  been 
  describ- 
  

   ing. 
  In 
  almost 
  its 
  entire 
  course 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  in 
  caQon, 
  going 
  from 
  the 
  

   Cretaceous 
  into 
  Triassic 
  rocks 
  and 
  out 
  again 
  into 
  Jurassic 
  and 
  again 
  

   into 
  Triassic 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores. 
  That 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   below 
  this 
  point 
  will 
  be 
  treated 
  of 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  chapter. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Grand 
  is 
  in 
  caiion, 
  the 
  canon 
  is 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  low. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  wide 
  valley 
  stretching 
  from 
  its 
  northern 
  edge 
  

   to 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  bluffs 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  eight 
  to 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  distant. 
  These 
  

   bluffs 
  present 
  steep 
  cliff'-like 
  faces 
  from 
  2,000 
  to 
  3,000 
  feet 
  high. 
  Farther 
  

   back, 
  rising 
  in 
  terraces, 
  are 
  other 
  cliffs. 
  These 
  are 
  what, 
  on 
  the 
  maps, 
  

   are 
  laid 
  down 
  as 
  the 
  Roan 
  or 
  Book 
  Mountains. 
  This 
  name 
  was 
  given 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  red, 
  gray, 
  and 
  bluish 
  colors 
  of 
  the 
  strata, 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  

   which 
  show 
  in 
  these 
  cliffs 
  in 
  horizontal 
  layers, 
  the 
  strata 
  dipping 
  to 
  the 
  

   northeast. 
  They 
  are 
  called 
  Book 
  cliffs 
  i3y 
  Powell* 
  where 
  they 
  occur 
  

   on 
  Green 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  bluffs 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  are 
  the 
  

   direct 
  prolongation 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Gray 
  Caiion 
  of 
  Green 
  Eiver. 
  

   Ascending 
  the 
  cliff's 
  we 
  would 
  find 
  ourselves 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  terrace 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  by 
  Powellt 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Gray 
  Caiion 
  of 
  Green 
  Eiver 
  is 
  cut. 
  At 
  

   this 
  point 
  the 
  lower 
  terrace 
  does 
  not 
  appear. 
  On 
  Green 
  Eiver 
  the 
  dip 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  Grand. 
  

  

  Opposite 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  

   wide, 
  from 
  the 
  Grand 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  gradual 
  slope 
  

   toward 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  cliffs 
  are 
  Cretaceous 
  clays 
  and 
  the 
  

   soil 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  debris 
  of 
  these 
  clay 
  cliffs 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  alka- 
  

   line 
  and 
  destitute 
  of 
  all 
  except 
  the 
  most 
  sparse 
  vegetation. 
  At 
  the 
  river 
  

   we 
  find 
  the 
  Dakota 
  sandstones 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison. 
  The 
  

   Grand 
  does 
  not 
  commence 
  to 
  caiion 
  for 
  twelve 
  to 
  thirteen 
  miles 
  below 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  lower 
  side, 
  between 
  these 
  two 
  points, 
  are 
  three 
  creeks 
  flowing 
  

   into 
  the 
  Grand 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  largest 
  of 
  these 
  rise 
  north 
  of 
  station 
  52. 
  Be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  last 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  and 
  these 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  

   plateau 
  ends 
  abruptly 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  a 
  fault. 
  Between 
  the 
  two 
  principal 
  

   creeks, 
  however, 
  the 
  fold 
  is 
  uninterrupted, 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  having 
  the 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  fold. 
  No. 
  1, 
  cretaceous, 
  does 
  not 
  continue 
  over 
  nor 
  does 
  the 
  Juras- 
  

   sic, 
  although 
  the 
  latter 
  comes 
  in 
  again 
  beyond 
  the 
  gap 
  which 
  marks 
  

   the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  fault 
  farther 
  south. 
  Station 
  52 
  is 
  on 
  Jurassic 
  or 
  

   Lower 
  Dakota 
  rocks. 
  These 
  rocks 
  extend 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  

   westward. 
  Isolated 
  patches, 
  capping 
  massive 
  buttes 
  of 
  red 
  sandstone, 
  

   mark 
  their 
  termination 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  The 
  caiion 
  of 
  Grand 
  Eiver 
  

   commences 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  creek 
  

   flowing 
  north 
  from 
  station 
  52. 
  Above 
  the 
  canon 
  are 
  groves 
  of 
  cotton- 
  

   woods, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  caiion, 
  which 
  is 
  cut 
  deeply 
  into 
  the 
  brick-red 
  sand- 
  

   stones, 
  there 
  are 
  only 
  occasionallj' 
  sand-banks 
  with 
  few 
  trees. 
  The 
  

   cahon 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  regular, 
  its 
  height 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  being 
  500 
  feet 
  and 
  

   in 
  others 
  only 
  200. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  places 
  the 
  walls 
  are 
  absent, 
  and 
  the 
  river's 
  

   edge 
  can 
  be 
  readily 
  reached. 
  There 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  deep, 
  dry, 
  lateral 
  

   caiions 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  , 
  

  

  From 
  station 
  49 
  we 
  attempted 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  but 
  found 
  it 
  impossible. 
  These 
  deep 
  

   gullies 
  in 
  the 
  red 
  sandstone 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  cross, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  finally 
  

  

  * 
  Exploration 
  of 
  the 
  Colorado 
  River 
  of 
  tlie 
  West, 
  pp. 
  167, 
  168, 
  &c. 
  t 
  Ibid, 
  page 
  167. 
  

  

  