﻿ENDLicH.] 
  HUERFANO 
  — 
  CRETACEOUS. 
  125 
  

  

  this 
  is 
  its 
  occurrence 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Peaks. 
  Under 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

   ^^Cdrhotiiferous," 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  sandstone 
  there, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Costilla 
  Peak, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  discussed. 
  It 
  re- 
  

   mains, 
  therefore, 
  only 
  to 
  trace 
  the 
  connection 
  between 
  the 
  two, 
  and 
  

   show 
  their 
  correlation 
  to 
  superinoumbent 
  strata. 
  For 
  several 
  miles 
  near 
  

   station 
  121 
  the 
  white 
  sandstone, 
  standing 
  on 
  edge, 
  is 
  continuous; 
  then 
  

   breaks 
  oft", 
  either 
  by 
  disconnection 
  or 
  by 
  merely 
  being 
  hidden 
  from 
  sight 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  dense 
  timber 
  prevalent 
  in 
  that 
  region. 
  Following 
  in 
  

   a 
  southerly 
  direction, 
  however, 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  it 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  again, 
  dipping 
  steeply 
  toward 
  the 
  east, 
  conformable 
  with 
  the 
  

   underlying 
  Carboniferous 
  strata. 
  Farther 
  south 
  it 
  then 
  continues, 
  

   broken 
  every 
  now 
  and 
  then, 
  but 
  serving 
  as 
  a 
  good 
  horizon, 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  

   the 
  bluffs 
  it 
  produces. 
  Numerous 
  volcanic 
  dikes 
  occur 
  there, 
  many 
  of 
  

   them 
  running 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  sandstone 
  outcrop, 
  thus 
  producing 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  narrow 
  ridge 
  cut 
  up 
  into 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  hog-backs. 
  

   A 
  little 
  south 
  of 
  station 
  123 
  we 
  enter 
  Stonewall 
  Valley. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   valley, 
  running 
  almost 
  due 
  north 
  and 
  south. 
  Its 
  western 
  border 
  is 
  

   formed 
  by 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  range, 
  its 
  eastern 
  by 
  the 
  regular 
  line 
  

   of 
  bluffs 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Liguitic 
  group; 
  a 
  wall 
  running 
  along 
  its 
  en- 
  

   tire 
  length, 
  almost 
  without 
  a 
  break, 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  sandstone 
  of 
  

   No. 
  1, 
  has 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  name. 
  Viewing 
  this 
  valley 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  

   it 
  presents 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  picturesque 
  scenes 
  imaginable. 
  The 
  high 
  

   peaks 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  to 
  the 
  right, 
  the 
  bench 
  of 
  foot-hills, 
  nar- 
  

   row 
  and 
  steep, 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  strata, 
  and 
  the 
  long-con- 
  

   tinued 
  vertical 
  wall 
  of 
  white 
  sandstone 
  that 
  curves 
  gracefully 
  in 
  the 
  

   distance 
  — 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  tend 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  picture. 
  To 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  

   wall 
  a 
  fertile 
  valley, 
  rich 
  in 
  grass 
  and 
  well-watered, 
  bears 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   the 
  appreciation 
  settlers 
  have 
  for 
  so 
  secluded 
  and 
  choice 
  a 
  spot. 
  Dikes 
  

   of 
  porphyritic 
  trachyte, 
  following 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  wall, 
  have 
  raised 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  sharp, 
  low 
  bluffs, 
  that 
  relieve 
  the 
  regularity 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  feat- 
  

   ures. 
  A 
  second 
  smaller 
  valley 
  lies 
  between 
  them 
  and 
  the 
  suqceeding 
  

   bluffs, 
  that 
  contrast 
  in 
  color 
  and 
  form 
  with 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  presented 
  to 
  view. 
  

   Yellow 
  sandstones 
  and 
  shales 
  form 
  their 
  steep 
  faces, 
  that 
  are 
  mostly 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  plentiful 
  growth 
  of 
  dwarf 
  oak. 
  In 
  the 
  back 
  ground 
  the 
  

   towering 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Peaks, 
  clad 
  in 
  that 
  hazy 
  color 
  produced 
  

   by 
  distance, 
  afford 
  a 
  grateful 
  rest 
  for 
  the 
  eye 
  that 
  has 
  taken 
  ia 
  the 
  won- 
  

   derful 
  detail 
  exhibited 
  in 
  the 
  valley. 
  

  

  Station 
  124 
  was 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  prominent 
  red 
  sandstone 
  ridge. 
  A 
  

   section 
  (Section 
  VIII) 
  taken 
  from 
  there 
  directly 
  across 
  the 
  valley 
  (west 
  

   to 
  east) 
  may 
  give 
  a 
  more 
  definite 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  strata. 
  

   An 
  easterly 
  dip 
  of 
  about 
  30° 
  is 
  observable 
  in 
  the 
  sandstones 
  (a), 
  but 
  as 
  

   we 
  descend 
  this 
  increases. 
  When 
  the 
  sandstone 
  of 
  the 
  Dakota 
  group 
  

   (h) 
  is 
  reached 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  to 
  stand 
  almost 
  vertical, 
  dipping 
  80° 
  eastward. 
  

   On 
  the 
  latter 
  side 
  it 
  is 
  nearly 
  entirely 
  denuded, 
  and 
  presents 
  the 
  usual 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  sandstones 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  formation. 
  Then 
  follows 
  

   the 
  valley 
  proper 
  (c). 
  Here 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  difficulty 
  that 
  we 
  

   have 
  near 
  Costilla 
  Peak. 
  The 
  innumerable 
  bowlders, 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  fine 
  

   debris 
  from 
  the 
  adjoining 
  mountains 
  have 
  collected 
  in 
  this 
  valley 
  and 
  have 
  

   been 
  distributed 
  over 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  area. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  where 
  the 
  dikes 
  

   occur 
  that 
  any 
  satisfaction 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  whatever. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  could 
  

   be 
  observed 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  dip 
  decreases 
  as 
  we 
  proceed 
  eastward, 
  and 
  

   at 
  the 
  dike 
  (^Z) 
  cut 
  t)y 
  the 
  section, 
  it 
  amounts 
  to 
  probably 
  40° 
  to 
  45°. 
  

   More 
  difficult 
  than 
  this, 
  however, 
  is 
  it 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  

   strata 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  volcanic 
  material 
  has 
  found 
  its 
  way. 
  x\ltered 
  

   by 
  the 
  heat 
  and 
  hidden 
  by 
  the 
  debris 
  from 
  the 
  dike 
  itself, 
  it 
  seems 
  certainly 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  shale. 
  Within 
  the 
  valley 
  itself 
  not 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  any 
  fossil 
  

  

  