﻿8 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  extraordinary 
  situations, 
  and 
  still 
  in 
  a 
  fine 
  state 
  of 
  preservation, 
  were 
  

   examined. 
  A 
  good 
  collection 
  of 
  pottery, 
  stone 
  implements, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   including 
  arrow-heads, 
  axes, 
  and 
  ear-ornaments, 
  etc., 
  some 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   rope, 
  fragments 
  of 
  matting, 
  water 
  jars, 
  corn, 
  and. 
  beans, 
  and 
  other 
  

   articles, 
  were 
  exhumed 
  from 
  the 
  debris 
  of 
  a 
  house. 
  Many 
  graves 
  were 
  

   found, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  skulls 
  and 
  skeletons 
  that 
  may 
  fairly 
  be 
  attrib- 
  

   uted 
  to 
  the 
  prehistoric 
  inhabitants 
  were 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  collection. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  or 
  Grand 
  Eiver 
  division 
  consisted 
  of 
  Henry 
  Gannett, 
  to- 
  

   pographer, 
  in 
  charge 
  ; 
  W. 
  R. 
  Atkinson, 
  assistant 
  topographer 
  ; 
  A. 
  C. 
  

   Peale, 
  geologist 
  ; 
  two 
  packers 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  cook. 
  

  

  The 
  district 
  assigned 
  to 
  this 
  party 
  lies 
  between 
  the 
  parallels 
  of 
  lati- 
  

   tude 
  37° 
  52' 
  and 
  39° 
  15'; 
  is 
  limited 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  by 
  the 
  meridian 
  109° 
  30', 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  by 
  the 
  western 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  last 
  year, 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  and 
  Uncompahgre 
  Rivers. 
  This 
  embraces 
  the 
  

   country 
  drained 
  by 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  and 
  Dolores 
  Rivers 
  and 
  their 
  

   branches. 
  

  

  The 
  party 
  left 
  Denver 
  on 
  June 
  7, 
  and 
  on 
  July 
  3 
  commenced 
  work. 
  

   They 
  worked 
  uninterruptedly 
  until 
  August 
  15, 
  when 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  

   brought 
  to 
  a 
  sudden 
  close 
  by 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  was 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  line 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  and 
  toward 
  the 
  

   northern 
  end 
  extended 
  25 
  or 
  30 
  miles 
  into 
  Utah, 
  and 
  reached 
  the 
  north 
  

   and 
  south 
  lines 
  throughout, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  southwestern 
  part. 
  The 
  total 
  

   area 
  surveyed 
  is 
  about 
  6,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  In 
  doing 
  this, 
  seventy-four 
  

   stations 
  were 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  is 
  extremely 
  diversified. 
  The 
  Uncompahgre 
  flows 
  through 
  

   a 
  broad 
  valley, 
  fifty 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  about 
  twenty 
  in 
  width, 
  almost 
  

   perfectly 
  flat, 
  and 
  very 
  dry. 
  The 
  elevation 
  is 
  4,500 
  to 
  6,000 
  feet. 
  The 
  

   soil 
  is 
  poor, 
  and 
  vegetation, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  river-bottom, 
  very 
  scanty. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  and 
  the 
  Dolores 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  ridge, 
  whose 
  axis 
  

   is 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  — 
  i 
  e., 
  about 
  N. 
  30° 
  W. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  

   long, 
  gradual 
  slope 
  to 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Valley, 
  while 
  it 
  breaks 
  off 
  

   sharply 
  and 
  steeply 
  to 
  the 
  Dolores. 
  The 
  average 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  crest 
  

   is 
  8,000 
  to 
  9,000 
  feet. 
  Most 
  of 
  this 
  country 
  is 
  well 
  timbered 
  with 
  heavy 
  

   pine, 
  quaking-aspen, 
  and 
  some 
  spruce. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  considerable 
  open 
  

   country, 
  which 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  luxuriant 
  grass. 
  

  

  The 
  Sierra 
  La 
  Sal 
  is 
  a 
  short, 
  isolated 
  range 
  of 
  mountains, 
  just 
  west 
  of 
  

   the 
  Dolores, 
  separating 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  Grand 
  River. 
  The 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   range 
  is 
  about 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  its 
  length 
  about 
  fifteen 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  

   elevation 
  of 
  the 
  summits 
  12,000, 
  to 
  13,000 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  Grand 
  River 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Do- 
  

   lores 
  is 
  alternately 
  in 
  open 
  valley 
  and 
  low 
  canons. 
  On 
  the 
  south, 
  the 
  

   river 
  hugs 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  closely, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  low, 
  open, 
  

   desert 
  country 
  extends 
  about 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  This 
  

   desert 
  country 
  extends 
  down 
  the 
  Grand 
  and 
  across 
  to 
  the 
  Green, 
  form- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  great 
  plateau 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  streams 
  and 
  the 
  Colorado 
  cut 
  their 
  

   caiio 
  ns. 
  

  

  