﻿302 
  EEPOET 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY 
  

  

  TOPOGRAPHICAL 
  EEPORT 
  OS 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTEEX 
  DIS- 
  

   TRICT. 
  

  

  By 
  Fraxklex 
  Rhoda, 
  

   Assistant 
  Topographer. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  6, 
  1875, 
  we 
  left 
  Denver 
  on 
  our 
  summer's 
  journey. 
  The 
  sprin* 
  

   had 
  just 
  begun 
  on 
  the 
  plains, 
  and 
  the 
  grass 
  had 
  been 
  up 
  sometime, 
  bul 
  

   the 
  wintry 
  chilliness 
  had 
  only 
  just 
  disappeared 
  from 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  the 
  

   mountain-ranges 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  were 
  still 
  covered 
  deep 
  in 
  snow. 
  Not- 
  

   withstanding 
  all 
  these 
  facts, 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  were 
  before 
  us, 
  and 
  along 
  

   our 
  whole 
  march, 
  from 
  Denver 
  to 
  Huerfano 
  Park, 
  the 
  grass 
  had 
  been 
  

   almost 
  completely 
  devoured. 
  Before 
  reaching 
  the 
  nearest 
  point 
  of 
  our 
  

   work 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  march 
  about 
  170 
  miles 
  along 
  the 
  plains 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  

   direction. 
  The 
  nights 
  were 
  quite 
  cool, 
  but 
  the 
  days 
  were 
  very 
  hot, 
  and, 
  

   to 
  add 
  to 
  our 
  discomfort, 
  a 
  blustering 
  wind 
  blew 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  in 
  our 
  

   faces, 
  raising 
  clouds 
  of 
  dust 
  from 
  the 
  road. 
  At 
  the 
  best 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  these 
  plains 
  are 
  arid 
  and 
  desolate, 
  but 
  this 
  year 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  

   made 
  their 
  appearance 
  especially 
  gloomy. 
  

  

  Passing 
  through 
  Pueblo, 
  on 
  the 
  Arkansas, 
  we 
  continued 
  southward 
  

   along 
  the 
  plains 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Greenhorn 
  Mountain, 
  till 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  

   Huerfano. 
  Thence, 
  we 
  took 
  the 
  Fort 
  Garland 
  road 
  over 
  Sangre 
  de 
  

   Cristo 
  Pass, 
  and 
  soon 
  again 
  found 
  ourselves 
  among 
  the 
  mountains, 
  with 
  

   timber, 
  and 
  grass, 
  and 
  cold 
  water 
  in 
  abundance* 
  After 
  our 
  long 
  and 
  

   dreary 
  ride, 
  we 
  found 
  ourselves 
  in 
  a 
  fit 
  condition 
  to 
  appreciate 
  these 
  

   great 
  luxuries 
  of 
  nature. 
  Our 
  first 
  regular 
  station 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  a 
  

   prominent 
  point 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  pass 
  ; 
  the 
  first 
  three 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  along 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  our 
  march. 
  The 
  region 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  this 
  pass 
  is 
  one 
  

   of 
  peculiar 
  interest, 
  as 
  well 
  for 
  its 
  botany 
  as 
  for 
  its 
  geology 
  and 
  topog- 
  

   raphy. 
  It 
  IS 
  a 
  region 
  in 
  which 
  special 
  volcanic 
  action 
  has 
  left 
  its 
  traces 
  

   m 
  every 
  direction. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  peaks 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  neighborhood 
  

   which 
  appear 
  more 
  like 
  giant 
  dikes 
  than 
  true 
  mountains. 
  Stations 
  4 
  

   and 
  o 
  are 
  good 
  examples, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  more 
  exactly" 
  similar 
  but 
  

   less 
  imposing 
  masses 
  included 
  within 
  a 
  space 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  miles 
  square 
  

   Each 
  is 
  entirely 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  others, 
  yet 
  their 
  common 
  direction 
  

   show 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  closely 
  related 
  in 
  their 
  origin. 
  They 
  all 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  

   sharp 
  ridge-crest 
  extending 
  in 
  station 
  5 
  to 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  two 
  miles, 
  and 
  

   less 
  in 
  others, 
  with 
  the 
  side-slopes 
  very 
  steep 
  and 
  composed 
  of 
  loose 
  

   rock. 
  The 
  shdes 
  commence 
  at 
  the 
  crest 
  and 
  extend 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  tim- 
  

   ber. 
  The 
  sohd 
  rock 
  seldom 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance, 
  but 
  bluffs 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   in 
  a 
  tew 
  places. 
  The 
  apparent 
  elevation 
  of 
  these 
  peaks 
  is 
  very 
  deceiving. 
  

   Ihe 
  tact 
  that 
  the 
  side-slopes 
  are 
  in 
  nearly 
  all 
  cases 
  destitute 
  of 
  timber, 
  

   make 
  these 
  mountains 
  appear 
  very 
  high, 
  although 
  the 
  summits 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  much 
  below 
  the 
  snow-line. 
  As 
  Yeta 
  Mountain 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  re- 
  

   markab 
  e 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  of 
  peaks, 
  and 
  yet 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  sample 
  of 
  the 
  class, 
  

   a 
  more 
  detailed 
  description 
  of 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest. 
  Leaving 
  our 
  camp 
  

   on 
  the 
  north 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  pass, 
  we 
  rode 
  southeastward 
  along 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mit. 
  During 
  the 
  morning 
  a 
  very 
  strong 
  wind 
  blew 
  from 
  the 
  west. 
  

   ±rom 
  the 
  lay 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  I 
  should 
  judge 
  that 
  this 
  pass 
  was 
  seldom 
  

   free 
  from 
  wind. 
  The 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Blanca 
  north 
  of 
  Fort 
  Garland 
  

   and 
  the 
  high 
  narrow 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Range 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  form 
  a 
  great 
  

   tunnel 
  lacing 
  the 
  southwest. 
  . 
  All 
  the 
  westerly 
  winds 
  that 
  cross 
  San 
  

  

  