﻿PEALE.] 
  GRANITE 
  CREEK— 
  UNCOMPAHGRE 
  PLATEAU. 
  49 
  

  

  shows 
  again 
  as 
  we 
  approach 
  the 
  Grand. 
  The 
  creek 
  approaches 
  the 
  

   river 
  in 
  a 
  deep, 
  canon-like 
  valley, 
  with 
  walls 
  500 
  or 
  GOO 
  feet 
  high, 
  pre- 
  

   senting 
  bluif 
  faces 
  of 
  massive 
  blood-red 
  sandstones. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  country 
  

   of 
  piQon-pine 
  and 
  sage-brush. 
  Willows 
  are 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  water- 
  

   courses, 
  and 
  cottonwoods 
  on 
  the 
  large 
  streams. 
  Although 
  water 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  to 
  be 
  present 
  at 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  creeks, 
  it 
  sinks 
  before 
  the 
  

   mouths 
  are 
  reached. 
  We 
  found 
  w^ater, 
  generally, 
  only 
  in' 
  holes, 
  where 
  

   it 
  was 
  shaded 
  by 
  overhanging 
  willows. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  or 
  southern 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  creeks, 
  Granite 
  Creek, 
  joins 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  immediately 
  above 
  the 
  Dolores, 
  and 
  rises 
  between 
  stations 
  45 
  and 
  

   47, 
  in 
  country 
  precisely 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Dolores 
  

   just 
  described. 
  Instead 
  of 
  keeping 
  its 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  northwest, 
  it 
  turns 
  

   to 
  the 
  southwest 
  after 
  receiving 
  its 
  principal 
  tributaries. 
  

  

  In 
  traveling 
  through 
  the 
  region 
  just 
  described, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  safe 
  to 
  at- 
  

   tempt 
  to 
  travel 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  Indiau 
  trails. 
  Water 
  is 
  scarce, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  only 
  in 
  holes 
  near 
  the 
  trails. 
  The 
  canons 
  are, 
  many 
  of 
  them, 
  im- 
  

   passable, 
  and 
  the 
  traveling 
  is 
  often 
  extremely 
  difficult 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  

   trails. 
  The 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  overlooking 
  the 
  !San 
  Miguel 
  and 
  Do- 
  

   lores 
  Elvers 
  will 
  be 
  reserved 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  chapter. 
  

  

  UNCOMPAHGRE 
  PLATEAU. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  preceding 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  chapter 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  plateau 
  

   has 
  been 
  partially 
  described, 
  and 
  other 
  parts 
  will 
  be 
  treated 
  of 
  in 
  detail 
  

   in 
  the 
  succeeding 
  chapter. 
  Still 
  I 
  have 
  thought 
  it 
  best 
  to 
  give 
  at 
  this 
  

   point 
  a 
  general 
  description. 
  

  

  The 
  plateau 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Mountains 
  

   northwestward 
  to 
  the 
  bend 
  of 
  Grand 
  Eiver, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  90 
  miles. 
  

   Its 
  width 
  is 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  25 
  miles. 
  At 
  the 
  south 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  shales 
  are 
  

   the 
  surface 
  rocks, 
  and 
  dip 
  gently 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  toward 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west, 
  abutting 
  against 
  the 
  Jurassic 
  shales 
  and 
  Dakota 
  sandstones 
  along 
  

   a 
  line 
  of 
  faulting 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Dallas 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Un- 
  

   compahgre 
  Eiver. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  Unaweep 
  Canon 
  the 
  prevailing- 
  

   dip 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  eastward. 
  The 
  Unaweep 
  Caiion 
  divides 
  the 
  plateau 
  into 
  

   two 
  portions. 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  the 
  prevailing 
  formation 
  is 
  the 
  Dakota 
  

   group, 
  except 
  northwest 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Escalante, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  eroded 
  away. 
  North 
  of 
  Unaweep 
  Caiion 
  a 
  tongue 
  of 
  the 
  Da- 
  

   kota 
  sandstone 
  extends 
  westward 
  from 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  but 
  beyond 
  this 
  

   the 
  red 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Trias 
  form 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  surface, 
  dipping 
  

   toward 
  the 
  north. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Eiver, 
  in 
  the 
  valley, 
  where 
  the 
  wagon-road 
  

   crosses 
  it, 
  and 
  going 
  westward, 
  we 
  rise 
  gently 
  to 
  the 
  plateau 
  without 
  

   knowing 
  where 
  the 
  valley 
  ends 
  and 
  the 
  plateau 
  begins, 
  until 
  we 
  reach 
  

   the 
  crest, 
  some 
  4,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Valley. 
  At 
  one 
  point 
  

   along 
  this 
  rise 
  there 
  are 
  indications 
  of 
  a 
  slight 
  fold, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  crest 
  we 
  

   are 
  on 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  one 
  that 
  is 
  miich 
  more 
  abrupt. 
  

  

  There 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  two 
  monoclinal 
  folds 
  diverging 
  from 
  a 
  point 
  at 
  

   the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Mountains, 
  one 
  having 
  its 
  axis 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  north 
  38° 
  west 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  north 
  52° 
  west, 
  approximately. 
  

   Of 
  these 
  the 
  most 
  marked 
  is 
  the 
  western, 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  plateau. 
  (See 
  

   dotted 
  lines, 
  Plate 
  III.) 
  The 
  eastern 
  is 
  scarcely 
  noticeable 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  

   we 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  simple 
  anticlinal 
  with 
  an 
  abrupt 
  flexure 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  

   and 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  sloping 
  gently, 
  causing 
  an 
  inclined 
  plateau. 
  The 
  

   eastern 
  fold, 
  however, 
  soon 
  becomes 
  more 
  marked, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  still 
  

   a 
  sloping 
  plateau, 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  monoclinal 
  fold 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  a 
  fault 
  

   4 
  G 
  s 
  

  

  