﻿^38 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  ries 
  of 
  our 
  district, 
  and 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   La 
  Plata 
  Mountains. 
  Of 
  the 
  7,400 
  square 
  miles 
  assigned, 
  5,000 
  are 
  in 
  

   Colorado, 
  1,000 
  in 
  Utah, 
  1,000 
  in 
  IsTew 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  400 
  in 
  Arizona. 
  This 
  

   area 
  includes 
  parts 
  of 
  three 
  Indian 
  reservations, 
  Ute, 
  Apache, 
  and 
  Na- 
  

   vajo. 
  Formerly 
  the 
  Weminuche 
  Utes 
  occupied 
  the 
  entire 
  county 
  of 
  

   La 
  Plata, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  recent 
  San 
  Juan 
  mining 
  purchase 
  they 
  have 
  lost 
  

   all 
  but 
  a 
  strip 
  15 
  miles 
  wide 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  20 
  miles 
  wide 
  on 
  the 
  west. 
  

   There 
  had 
  been 
  considerable 
  dissatisfaction 
  among 
  them 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  their 
  reservation, 
  as 
  restricted 
  by 
  the 
  purchase. 
  They 
  

   had 
  threatened 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  laying 
  down 
  of 
  the 
  objectionable 
  lines 
  

   by 
  the 
  Government 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  apprehensive 
  of 
  trouble. 
  In 
  1874 
  Mr.- 
  

   ^Yilson's 
  party 
  had 
  been 
  ordered 
  back 
  by 
  them, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  probably 
  

   at 
  this 
  season 
  expecting 
  the 
  surveying 
  parties 
  to 
  arrive 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  I 
  

   thought 
  it 
  best 
  to 
  take 
  immediate 
  measures 
  to 
  avoid 
  serious 
  molesta- 
  

   tion, 
  and, 
  if 
  possible, 
  to 
  secure 
  their 
  good- 
  will 
  and 
  co-operation. 
  Through 
  

   a 
  very 
  fortunate 
  circumstance 
  I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  

   Captain 
  John 
  Moss, 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  mining 
  district, 
  whose 
  influence 
  

   among 
  them 
  is 
  very 
  great. 
  By 
  a 
  messenger 
  he 
  sent 
  word 
  to 
  the 
  princi- 
  

   pal 
  village, 
  which 
  is 
  located 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  below, 
  that 
  our 
  party 
  was 
  

   not 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  lines 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  their 
  advan- 
  

   tage 
  to 
  let 
  us 
  pass 
  through 
  undisturbed. 
  The 
  Indians 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  re- 
  

   garded 
  this 
  advice, 
  as 
  they 
  gave 
  us 
  no 
  trouble 
  whatever. 
  There 
  were 
  at 
  

   this 
  time 
  no 
  white 
  settlers 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  excepting 
  the 
  small 
  party 
  of 
  

   miners 
  under 
  Captain 
  Moss 
  and 
  one 
  ranchman 
  who 
  did 
  farming 
  on 
  the 
  

   Eio 
  Mancos 
  for 
  the 
  camp 
  at 
  La 
  Plata. 
  

  

  The 
  published 
  maps 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Valley 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  in- 
  

   complete, 
  giving 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  only 
  the 
  principal 
  stream-courses, 
  and 
  these 
  

   in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  incorrectly; 
  the 
  various 
  Government 
  parties 
  who 
  

   had 
  visited 
  it 
  having 
  simply 
  passed 
  through, 
  observing, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  re- 
  

   cording, 
  but 
  little 
  beyond 
  the 
  route 
  of 
  travel. 
  

  

  Our 
  quartermaster, 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Aldricb, 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  forward 
  with 
  

   supplies 
  to 
  the 
  Mancos 
  ranch, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  road 
  crosses 
  the 
  range 
  by 
  

   way 
  of 
  Abiquiu 
  and 
  Tierra 
  Amarilla, 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  reach 
  

   that 
  destination 
  before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July. 
  Having 
  still 
  three 
  weeks' 
  

   supplies 
  with 
  us 
  we 
  decided 
  to 
  make 
  our 
  initiatory 
  trip 
  by 
  passing 
  down 
  

   the 
  E,io 
  La 
  Plata 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  along 
  our 
  southern 
  

   border, 
  and 
  finally 
  returning 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  Mancos. 
  The 
  swollen 
  

   condition 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  made 
  it 
  impossible 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  cross 
  into 
  the 
  

   southwest 
  corner, 
  we 
  therefore 
  turned 
  about 
  and 
  ascended 
  the 
  Mancos, 
  

   zigzagging 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  Mesa 
  Verda 
  and 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   Late 
  Mountains. 
  On 
  the 
  14th 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  Mancos 
  ranch, 
  45 
  miles 
  

   above 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Mancos 
  with 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  but 
  found 
  the 
  

   place 
  deserted 
  and 
  no 
  word 
  from 
  our 
  quartermaster. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  had 
  still 
  some 
  six 
  days' 
  supplies, 
  we 
  passed 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  northeast 
  

   and 
  completed 
  the 
  western 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  Mountains 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  Upper 
  Dolores 
  region. 
  On 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  Mancos 
  on 
  the 
  20th, 
  we 
  

   learned 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Aldrich 
  had 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  camp 
  with 
  sup- 
  

   plies, 
  and 
  also 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Jackson, 
  of 
  the 
  photographic 
  party, 
  had 
  come 
  in. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  22d, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Jackson, 
  who 
  was 
  on 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  

   Moqui 
  country, 
  we 
  set 
  out 
  for 
  a 
  four 
  weeks' 
  trip 
  in 
  the 
  southwest. 
  Cross- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  Mancos 
  again 
  we 
  visited 
  Ute 
  Peak 
  and 
  worked 
  up 
  the 
  region 
  

   drained 
  by 
  the 
  McElmo, 
  Hoven-weep, 
  and 
  Montezuma 
  Creeks, 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  25th 
  camped 
  on 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  near 
  the 
  Utah 
  line. 
  Here 
  Mr. 
  Jack- 
  

   sou 
  left 
  us, 
  setting 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  Moqui 
  towns. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  the 
  28th, 
  while 
  encamped 
  near 
  our 
  western 
  line, 
  our 
  

   entire 
  herd 
  of 
  stock 
  was 
  stolen 
  by 
  Indians, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  prompt 
  action 
  of 
  

  

  