﻿ENDLicH.] 
  SAN 
  JUAN 
  REGION 
  DRAINAGE. 
  179 
  

  

  San 
  Juan. 
  Its 
  headwaters, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  streams 
  of 
  almost 
  

   equal 
  size, 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  Chapter 
  III. 
  After 
  leaving 
  the 
  tra- 
  

   chytic 
  mountains 
  these 
  streams 
  flow 
  through 
  very 
  fine 
  valleys. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  station 
  40 
  they 
  have 
  all 
  joined, 
  and 
  the 
  Piedra 
  has 
  attained 
  

   considerable 
  size. 
  Two 
  more 
  creeks 
  flow 
  into 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  northeast, 
  the 
  

   Eio 
  Kutria 
  being 
  the 
  larger 
  one. 
  This 
  heads 
  south 
  of 
  station 
  38, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Cretaceous 
  shales, 
  and 
  remains 
  within 
  their 
  area 
  for 
  nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  

   length 
  of 
  its 
  flow. 
  South 
  of 
  it 
  the 
  Post-Cretaceous 
  bluffs 
  set 
  in. 
  The 
  

   Piedra 
  flows 
  into 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  at 
  station 
  67, 
  after 
  having 
  passed 
  

   through 
  a 
  broad 
  valley, 
  trending 
  north 
  to 
  south. 
  Higher 
  up 
  it 
  is 
  inclosed 
  

   in 
  caiions 
  formed 
  by 
  Lower 
  Cretaceous 
  beds. 
  

  

  East 
  of 
  the 
  Piedra 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  itself. 
  It 
  rises 
  near 
  station 
  

   19 
  on 
  the 
  continental 
  divide 
  and 
  keeps, 
  throughout 
  its 
  entfre 
  course 
  (so 
  

   far 
  as 
  in 
  our 
  district), 
  a 
  general 
  southwesterly 
  course. 
  After 
  leaving 
  

   the 
  western 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  Sawatch 
  Eange. 
  it 
  flows 
  through 
  Cretaceous 
  

   strata, 
  belonging 
  mostly 
  to 
  Nos. 
  2 
  and 
  3. 
  In 
  these, 
  Pagosa 
  Springs 
  are 
  

   located, 
  the 
  largest 
  hot 
  springs 
  in 
  the 
  district. 
  They 
  are 
  famous 
  among 
  

   the 
  Indians 
  and 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  American 
  and 
  Mexican 
  settlers. 
  One 
  of 
  

   the 
  former 
  built 
  a 
  cabin 
  at 
  their 
  edge, 
  but 
  the 
  Indians 
  burned 
  it 
  for 
  

   him, 
  preferring, 
  as 
  they 
  informed 
  us, 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  '•^ 
  agua 
  caliente^H'ov 
  

   their 
  own 
  personal 
  use. 
  At 
  the 
  proper 
  place 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  these 
  

   springs 
  will 
  be 
  given. 
  About 
  13 
  miles 
  below 
  them, 
  near 
  station 
  74, 
  

   Eio 
  Blanco 
  flows 
  into 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  from 
  the 
  northeast, 
  and 
  15 
  miles 
  

   lower 
  down 
  Eio 
  Navajo 
  joins 
  it. 
  Both 
  these 
  last-named 
  streams 
  have 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  drainage 
  area, 
  considering 
  their 
  length 
  and 
  size. 
  From 
  

   this 
  last 
  junction 
  downward 
  the 
  river 
  makes 
  many 
  curves, 
  flowing 
  a 
  

   little 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  than 
  higher 
  up. 
  It 
  receives 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   "water 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  during 
  certain 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  our 
  visit, 
  August, 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  dry, 
  and 
  water 
  could 
  only 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  springs, 
  or 
  small 
  pools. 
  

  

  South 
  of 
  station 
  54 
  on 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  another 
  ruined 
  town 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  

   inhabitants 
  of 
  that 
  region 
  was 
  found. 
  It 
  resembled, 
  in 
  the 
  arrangement 
  

   of 
  its 
  houses 
  and 
  the 
  "castle 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  center, 
  the 
  city 
  and 
  ruins 
  discovered 
  

   on 
  the 
  Animas. 
  The 
  river 
  had 
  washed 
  away 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  

   building, 
  and 
  on 
  its 
  banks 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  interesting 
  facts 
  were 
  observed. 
  

   Fireseems 
  to 
  have 
  destroyed 
  at 
  least 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  building. 
  Gradually 
  

   the 
  river 
  deposited 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  silt 
  in 
  the 
  court-yard 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  chambers, 
  which 
  it 
  probably 
  reached 
  through 
  the 
  

   windows 
  or 
  doors. 
  At 
  that 
  depth 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  what 
  

   at 
  first 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  charcoal 
  was 
  observed, 
  2 
  to 
  5 
  inches 
  in 
  thick- 
  

   ness. 
  Upon 
  examination, 
  however, 
  this 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  Indian 
  corn, 
  

   still 
  unhusked, 
  but 
  completely 
  charred. 
  Probably 
  the 
  chamber 
  thus 
  

   cut 
  by 
  the 
  river, 
  which 
  exposes 
  its 
  section, 
  was 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  granary. 
  

   Beyond 
  that, 
  along 
  the 
  same 
  vertical 
  bank 
  of 
  sand, 
  innumerable 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  pottery, 
  bones 
  of 
  deer, 
  of 
  rabbits, 
  and 
  what 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  sheep, 
  

   were 
  found. 
  Had 
  it 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  spare 
  more 
  time, 
  I 
  am 
  confident 
  

   that 
  excavations 
  at 
  that 
  locality 
  would 
  have 
  developed 
  many 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  facts. 
  The 
  time 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  taken 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  wash 
  away 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  the 
  building, 
  which 
  probably 
  was 
  not 
  erected 
  immediately 
  

   upon 
  its 
  banks, 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  considerable, 
  but 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  such 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  as 
  this, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  impossible 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  assign, 
  with 
  any 
  sem- 
  

   blance 
  of 
  correctness, 
  any 
  definite 
  age 
  to 
  these 
  and 
  other 
  ruins. 
  An 
  

   estimate, 
  little 
  better 
  than 
  a 
  guess, 
  may 
  claim 
  for 
  them 
  an 
  age, 
  as 
  

   ruins, 
  not 
  much 
  exceeding 
  300 
  years. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  subjoined 
  pages 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  is 
  divided 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  formations, 
  as 
  they 
  furnish 
  a 
  better 
  basis 
  for 
  classification 
  than 
  

  

  