﻿EHODA] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  307 
  

  

  form, 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  short 
  note 
  was 
  written 
  in 
  pencil 
  and 
  signed 
  

   J. 
  T. 
  (J, 
  Thompson). 
  In 
  this, 
  Mr. 
  Thompson 
  says 
  that, 
  excepting 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  relic, 
  he 
  had 
  found 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  having 
  been 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  visited. 
  I 
  understand 
  that 
  he 
  staid 
  all 
  night 
  alone 
  on 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mit, 
  which 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  strange 
  experience. 
  

  

  Having 
  occupied 
  three 
  hours 
  in 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  peak, 
  we 
  started 
  for 
  

   camp. 
  On 
  the 
  way 
  we 
  made 
  station 
  9, 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  knob. 
  We 
  

   reached 
  camp 
  at 
  9 
  p. 
  m. 
  The 
  ascent 
  occui>ied 
  six 
  honrs 
  and 
  twenty- 
  

   live 
  minutes, 
  and 
  the 
  descent 
  six 
  hours 
  and 
  five 
  minutes. 
  The 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  level 
  between 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  and 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  

   flagstaff* 
  in 
  Fort 
  Garland 
  was 
  very 
  carefully 
  determined 
  by 
  direct 
  fore- 
  

   and-back 
  sights 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  points, 
  checked 
  by 
  sights 
  from 
  each 
  

   point 
  to 
  secondary 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  difference 
  of 
  level 
  as 
  

   calculated 
  is 
  G,467 
  feet, 
  and 
  our 
  determination 
  of 
  Fort 
  Garland 
  is 
  7,997 
  

   feet 
  above 
  seti-level, 
  which 
  gives 
  the 
  absolute 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  at 
  

   14,464 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  Our 
  height 
  of 
  Garland 
  is 
  from 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   barometric 
  observations. 
  

  

  From 
  Fort 
  Garland 
  we 
  took 
  our 
  course 
  westward 
  across 
  San 
  Luis 
  

   Valley 
  toward 
  Del 
  Norte. 
  From 
  the 
  fort 
  there 
  is 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  of 
  

   desert 
  entirely 
  devoid 
  of 
  water, 
  except 
  at 
  two 
  points, 
  one 
  about 
  seven 
  

   miles 
  out, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  cattle-ranch, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  here 
  is 
  poor. 
  

   About 
  an 
  equal 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  road 
  is 
  a 
  

   house 
  and 
  a 
  fine 
  spring 
  of 
  pure 
  water. 
  

  

  Marching 
  up 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  we 
  reached 
  Del 
  Norte 
  on 
  June 
  22. 
  

   After 
  making 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  stations 
  on 
  the 
  volcanic 
  buttes 
  and 
  high 
  

   plateaus 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  to 
  fill 
  in 
  an 
  unfinished 
  piece 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  

   1873 
  and 
  1874, 
  we 
  came 
  back 
  and 
  traveled 
  southward 
  toward 
  the 
  Sum- 
  

   mit 
  mining-district. 
  Taking 
  the 
  new 
  wagon-road, 
  we 
  soon 
  attained 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  elevation 
  above 
  the 
  plain, 
  which 
  gave 
  us 
  relief 
  from 
  the 
  

   heat 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  so 
  oppressive 
  on 
  the 
  lowlands. 
  The 
  road 
  takes 
  no 
  

   roundabout 
  course 
  up 
  caiions 
  and 
  byways 
  to 
  avoid 
  grades, 
  but, 
  takes 
  

   its 
  course 
  for 
  the 
  highest 
  point 
  in 
  sight, 
  and 
  passes 
  directly 
  over 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  a 
  dome-shaped 
  peak 
  13,176 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level. 
  From 
  the 
  

   road 
  almost 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  is 
  visible, 
  with 
  the 
  great 
  

   ranges 
  east 
  of 
  it 
  spread 
  along 
  the 
  horizon. 
  The 
  mountains 
  north 
  of 
  

   the 
  Kio 
  Grande 
  and 
  many 
  peaks 
  west 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  

   making 
  the 
  view 
  quite 
  an 
  extensive 
  one. 
  Many 
  points 
  80 
  to 
  90 
  miles 
  

   away 
  are 
  visible. 
  The 
  road 
  passes 
  along 
  near 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  a 
  precipice 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  peak, 
  where 
  a 
  large 
  bank 
  of 
  perpetual 
  snow 
  is 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen, 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  below. 
  The 
  bank 
  has 
  eaten 
  a 
  large 
  

   cavity 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mountain. 
  The 
  road 
  is 
  very 
  steep 
  in 
  many 
  

   places, 
  and 
  for 
  over 
  10 
  miles 
  it 
  remains 
  above 
  timber-line. 
  It 
  whs 
  

   expected 
  to 
  have 
  it 
  soon 
  ready 
  to 
  bring 
  castings 
  over 
  it 
  tor 
  the 
  mining- 
  

   machinery 
  in 
  the 
  district. 
  The 
  great 
  height 
  will 
  make 
  the 
  road 
  impass- 
  

   al)le 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  while 
  even 
  in 
  summer 
  the 
  boggy 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  will 
  be 
  very 
  troublesome. 
  From 
  the 
  road 
  we 
  got 
  a 
  

   good 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  Alamosa 
  Canon 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  a 
  rugged 
  place 
  it 
  

   appeared. 
  In 
  a 
  very 
  rough 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  caiion 
  near 
  the 
  mines 
  a 
  

   great 
  fire 
  was 
  raging 
  among 
  the 
  spruce 
  trees 
  ; 
  from 
  this 
  the 
  smoke 
  

   rolled 
  up 
  in 
  enormous 
  masses 
  so 
  dense 
  it 
  almost 
  seemed 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  cut. 
  

   Occasional 
  glimpses 
  of 
  the 
  fire 
  beneath, 
  revealed 
  to 
  us 
  through 
  gaps 
  in 
  

   the 
  column 
  of 
  smoke, 
  gave 
  us 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  heat 
  

   generated 
  by 
  the 
  combustion 
  of 
  the 
  forest. 
  The 
  depth 
  and 
  ruggedness 
  

   of 
  the 
  caiion, 
  with 
  the 
  dense 
  rolls 
  of 
  smoke 
  boiling 
  forth, 
  and 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  illuminated 
  by 
  the 
  blaze 
  of 
  the 
  fire 
  whenever 
  a 
  gap 
  opened 
  to 
  

   view 
  the 
  burning 
  element 
  below, 
  all 
  taken 
  together 
  made 
  the 
  scene 
  a 
  

  

  