﻿CHAPTER 
  I. 
  

  

  SANGRE 
  DE 
  CRISTO 
  EANGE 
  AND 
  THE 
  HUBRFAls^O 
  EEGIOX. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  1875 
  here 
  joins 
  on 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  1873, 
  at 
  Mosco 
  Pass, 
  and 
  

   from 
  there 
  in 
  a 
  northeasterly 
  direction 
  along 
  a 
  line 
  leading 
  to 
  station 
  

   8l^ 
  of 
  '73. 
  At 
  Mosco 
  Pass 
  we 
  find 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  

   the 
  red 
  Carboniferous 
  sandstones* 
  restinguponared, 
  metamorphic 
  gran- 
  

   ite. 
  This 
  metamorphic 
  group 
  extends 
  southward, 
  culminating 
  in 
  the 
  

   Sierra 
  Blanca. 
  East 
  of 
  it 
  we 
  find 
  Carboniferous 
  strata 
  as 
  the 
  oldest, 
  

   which 
  in 
  turn 
  are 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  extending 
  to 
  the 
  border 
  of 
  

   the 
  plains. 
  Isolated 
  patches 
  of 
  volcanic 
  rocks, 
  trachyte 
  and 
  basalt, 
  are 
  

   found 
  at 
  various 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  Huerfano 
  drainage. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   ])rorainent 
  among 
  them 
  are 
  the 
  Sheep 
  Mountains. 
  Farther 
  south 
  the 
  

   Spanish 
  peaks 
  rise 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  beds, 
  through 
  which 
  they 
  

   have 
  broken. 
  Continuing 
  southward 
  in 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Range, 
  we 
  

   see 
  that 
  its 
  " 
  backbone 
  " 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  metamorphic 
  granite, 
  which, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  is 
  frequently 
  covered 
  either 
  by 
  sedimentary 
  or 
  volcanic 
  rocks. 
  No 
  

   younger 
  formation 
  than 
  Carboniferous 
  shows 
  itself 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  range, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  both 
  Cretaceous 
  and 
  Tertiary 
  may 
  be 
  

   found. 
  South 
  of 
  Culebra 
  Peak, 
  station 
  IIG, 
  the 
  range 
  splits, 
  sending 
  

   two 
  divisions 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  direction. 
  

  

  DRAINAGE. 
  

  

  Hnerfano 
  Valley 
  is 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  water. 
  Through 
  the 
  central 
  

   portion 
  of 
  it 
  runs 
  Huerfano 
  River, 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  direction 
  north 
  of 
  east. 
  

   It 
  is 
  fed 
  by 
  streams 
  flowing 
  into 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  which 
  carry 
  a 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  quantity 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  by 
  smaller 
  streams 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  head- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  detached 
  volcanic 
  mountains 
  east 
  of 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Range. 
  

   Directly 
  north 
  of 
  Blanca 
  Peak 
  (station 
  8) 
  is 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Huerfano 
  

   itself. 
  Rising 
  in 
  a 
  valley 
  surrounded 
  on 
  three 
  sides 
  by 
  the 
  steep 
  walls 
  

   of 
  Sierra 
  Blanca, 
  the 
  stream 
  -flows 
  through 
  a 
  fertile 
  little 
  bottom, 
  until, 
  

   east 
  of 
  Mosco 
  Pass, 
  it 
  emerges 
  into 
  the 
  broad 
  valley 
  known 
  as 
  Huer- 
  

   fano 
  Park. 
  Settlements 
  have 
  sprung 
  up 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  sheep- 
  

   herds 
  and 
  farms 
  denote 
  the 
  thrift 
  of 
  the 
  settlers. 
  West 
  of 
  the 
  Huerfano 
  

   drainage 
  are 
  numerous 
  small 
  mountain 
  streams 
  that 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  high 
  

   mountains, 
  and, 
  flowing 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  are 
  soon 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  

   and 
  drift 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley. 
  Fed 
  by 
  snow 
  and 
  ice, 
  their 
  water 
  is 
  

   fresh 
  and 
  cool, 
  while 
  the 
  metamorphic 
  rocks 
  over 
  which 
  it 
  flows 
  pre- 
  

   serve 
  the 
  pure 
  taste. 
  Rising 
  near 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Pass, 
  southeast 
  

   of 
  Mosco, 
  about 
  16 
  miles 
  distant, 
  is 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Creek. 
  Both 
  

   from 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  small 
  tributaries 
  swell 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  water. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  former, 
  Greyback 
  Creek, 
  heading 
  near 
  station 
  C 
  and 
  flow- 
  

   ing 
  south, 
  is 
  the 
  largest. 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Creek 
  flows 
  southwest 
  

   near 
  Fort 
  Garland, 
  below 
  which 
  place 
  it 
  receives 
  a 
  large 
  branch 
  from 
  

   the 
  east. 
  

  

  * 
  Conipjire 
  Report 
  United 
  States 
  Geolcgical 
  and 
  Geographical 
  Survey 
  1873, 
  p. 
  312. 
  

   108 
  

  

  