﻿E-NDLicn] 
  SANGRE 
  DE 
  CRISTO 
  DRAINAGE. 
  109 
  

  

  RIO 
  TRINCHERA. 
  

  

  Seven 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  fort 
  it 
  forms 
  a 
  junction 
  with 
  TJte 
  Creek, 
  and 
  

   from 
  there, 
  having 
  a 
  course 
  20^ 
  south 
  of 
  west, 
  joins 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  

   about 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  that 
  river 
  and 
  Rio 
  Conejos. 
  The 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  water 
  it 
  carries 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  overcome 
  the 
  absorbing 
  pow- 
  

   ers 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  drift 
  during 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  All 
  that 
  drain- 
  

   age 
  heading 
  between 
  stations 
  119 
  and 
  122 
  (Trinchera 
  Peak) 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  

   slope 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo, 
  forms 
  Rio 
  Trinchera 
  south 
  of 
  station 
  118. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  creeks 
  are 
  again 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  drift, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  next 
  stream 
  

   of 
  importance, 
  farther 
  south, 
  is 
  Rio 
  Culebra. 
  From 
  station 
  122 
  to 
  sta- 
  

   tion 
  112 
  all 
  the 
  westward-flowing 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  belong 
  to 
  this 
  

   river. 
  Three 
  main 
  forks 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished: 
  the 
  north 
  one, 
  heading 
  

   at 
  Trinchera 
  Peak, 
  flowing 
  in 
  a 
  southwesterly 
  direction 
  and 
  joining 
  the 
  

   next 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  Mexican 
  settlement 
  San 
  Luis, 
  which 
  is 
  situated 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Pedro 
  mesa: 
  the 
  middle 
  one, 
  heading 
  at 
  

   Culebra 
  Peak 
  (station 
  116), 
  flowing 
  north 
  of 
  west. 
  This 
  fork 
  is 
  called 
  

   by 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  the 
  Rio 
  Culebra, 
  and 
  it 
  joins 
  the 
  south 
  fork, 
  Rio 
  

   Seco, 
  near 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  northern 
  branch. 
  Two 
  tributaries 
  

   between 
  are 
  named 
  Rio 
  Vallejo 
  and 
  Rio 
  Gregorio, 
  respectively. 
  

  

  At 
  station 
  112, 
  Rio 
  Seco 
  heads, 
  firsthaving 
  a 
  westerly 
  course, 
  then 
  turn- 
  

   ing 
  sharply 
  to 
  the 
  north., 
  It 
  joins 
  the 
  other 
  branches, 
  as 
  stated 
  above. 
  

   During 
  its 
  northerly 
  flow 
  it 
  passes 
  through 
  that 
  long 
  (twelve 
  miles) 
  

   valley, 
  that 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Luis 
  Yalley 
  proper 
  by 
  the 
  San 
  

   Pedro 
  mesa. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  description 
  I 
  have 
  given 
  the 
  long 
  

   basaltic 
  table 
  that 
  name, 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  learn 
  of 
  none 
  existing, 
  and 
  shall 
  

   distinguish, 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  reasons, 
  the 
  cultivated 
  valley 
  east 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  

   San 
  Pedro 
  Valley. 
  Four 
  Mexican 
  settlements 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  testify 
  to 
  

   its 
  agricultural 
  merits 
  — 
  San 
  Francisco 
  on 
  Rio 
  Gregorio 
  ; 
  Chama 
  and 
  

   San 
  Pedro 
  on 
  Rio 
  Culebra, 
  above 
  the 
  junction 
  with 
  Rio 
  Vallejo; 
  San 
  

   Luis 
  on 
  the 
  Culebra, 
  near 
  the 
  northern 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  and 
  out- 
  

   side 
  of 
  it 
  San 
  Acacio. 
  From 
  this 
  latter 
  town 
  the 
  Culebra 
  flows 
  almost 
  

   due 
  west, 
  and 
  joins 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  south 
  of 
  station 
  10a. 
  

   Like 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  it 
  carries 
  a 
  goodly 
  supply 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  

   though 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  lost 
  by 
  irrigation 
  it 
  brings 
  water 
  into 
  the 
  Rio 
  

   Grande 
  at 
  almost 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  But 
  one 
  more 
  stream 
  of 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  do 
  we 
  find 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  — 
  Rio 
  Costilla. 
  Head- 
  

   ing 
  about 
  seven 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Costilla 
  Peak 
  (station 
  111), 
  its 
  course 
  is 
  

   toward 
  the 
  northwest, 
  until 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  drift 
  area 
  

   of 
  that 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley, 
  it 
  makes 
  an 
  abrupt 
  turn 
  

   to 
  the 
  west, 
  and, 
  finding 
  its 
  way 
  through 
  Costilla 
  Caiion, 
  joins 
  the 
  Rio 
  

   Grande 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  Ute 
  Peak 
  (station 
  107). 
  All 
  the 
  tributaries 
  of 
  

   this 
  stream 
  join 
  it 
  while 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  mountains^ 
  and, 
  good 
  as 
  its 
  supply 
  

   of 
  water 
  here 
  is, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  adequate 
  to 
  the 
  consumption 
  by 
  irrigation 
  and 
  

   absorption. 
  During 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  Costilla 
  Canon 
  is 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  dry. 
  , 
  As 
  farther 
  north, 
  so 
  here, 
  too, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  creeks 
  south 
  of 
  

   the 
  Costilla 
  begin 
  their 
  run 
  with 
  evident 
  ambition, 
  but 
  soon 
  succumb 
  

   to 
  drift 
  and 
  sand. 
  Rio 
  Colorado, 
  the 
  most 
  southerly 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  

   streams 
  coming 
  within 
  our 
  district, 
  heads 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  sta- 
  

   tion 
  108, 
  but, 
  flowing 
  in 
  a 
  southwesterly 
  direction, 
  is 
  soon 
  beyond 
  our 
  

   jurisdiction. 
  

  

  Crossing 
  the 
  Range 
  and 
  traveling 
  northward 
  on 
  its 
  eastern 
  side 
  we 
  

   find 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  several 
  important 
  streams. 
  ISTot 
  more 
  than 
  their 
  

   headwaters 
  come 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  this 
  chapter, 
  however, 
  so 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   cussion 
  of 
  their 
  entire 
  courses 
  shall 
  be 
  deferred 
  until 
  the 
  proper 
  place 
  

   therefor 
  is 
  reached. 
  First 
  the 
  Canadian 
  River 
  presents 
  itself. 
  All 
  

  

  