﻿316 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  crags 
  and 
  ledges, 
  the 
  spires 
  and 
  pinnacles, 
  took 
  away 
  any 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   heaviness 
  that 
  otherwise 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  oppressive. 
  

  

  We 
  next 
  marched 
  eastward, 
  crossing 
  the 
  several 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  

   Piedra, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  beautiful 
  little 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  purest 
  water. 
  

   There 
  are 
  no 
  valleys 
  proper, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  may 
  very 
  well 
  be 
  

   considered 
  as 
  a 
  single 
  valley, 
  since 
  the 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  

   low 
  and 
  quite 
  level. 
  This 
  region 
  is 
  remarkable 
  for 
  its 
  vegetation, 
  as 
  

   compared 
  with 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  Colorado. 
  Several 
  important 
  facts 
  

   conspire 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  this 
  result. 
  First, 
  the 
  abruptness 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  permits 
  the 
  valleys 
  to 
  approach 
  close 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  bluffs 
  

   without 
  attaining 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  over 
  8,U00 
  feet. 
  By 
  reaching 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  the 
  rain-fall 
  is 
  much 
  increased. 
  By 
  being 
  low, 
  and 
  

   having 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  to 
  the 
  northward, 
  a 
  greater 
  degree 
  of 
  heat 
  

   is 
  attained. 
  These, 
  taken 
  together, 
  give 
  to 
  plant-life 
  its 
  peculiar 
  rich- 
  

   ness. 
  In 
  summer 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  quite 
  pleasant, 
  but 
  the 
  rain-storms 
  

   that 
  continually 
  pass 
  over 
  it 
  keep 
  it 
  much 
  cooler 
  than 
  it 
  would 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  be. 
  The 
  rainy 
  belt 
  extends 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  miles 
  from 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  range. 
  This 
  region 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  continual 
  storms 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  summer-time. 
  These 
  commence 
  late 
  in 
  June, 
  before 
  the 
  snow 
  is 
  

   gone 
  from 
  the 
  mountains, 
  and 
  continue 
  till 
  fall, 
  in 
  September 
  or 
  Octo- 
  

   ber, 
  when 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  of 
  clear, 
  cold 
  weather 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  

   cases 
  there 
  is 
  scarcely 
  a 
  break 
  between 
  the 
  rain-storms 
  of 
  summer 
  and 
  

   the 
  snow-storms 
  of 
  winter. 
  The 
  whole 
  region 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  fine 
  yel- 
  

   low 
  pine, 
  and 
  rich 
  grass 
  growing 
  between. 
  Here 
  and 
  there 
  extensive 
  

   meadows 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  The 
  area 
  covered 
  by 
  this 
  rich 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  

   may 
  be 
  roughly 
  estimated 
  at 
  600 
  or 
  700 
  square 
  miles, 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  it 
  

   lying 
  between 
  the 
  Piedra 
  and 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  while 
  little 
  areas 
  similar 
  to 
  

   it 
  in 
  their 
  characteristic 
  features 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  Animas, 
  

   Florida, 
  Pinos, 
  Navajo, 
  and 
  Chama. 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  furnish 
  

   summer 
  pasture 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  numerous 
  herds 
  of 
  stock, 
  but 
  I 
  cannot 
  cer- 
  

   tify 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  winters, 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  form 
  an 
  element 
  in 
  the 
  

   stock-problem 
  ; 
  yet 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  herds 
  

   down 
  the 
  Piedra 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Eiver, 
  where 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  6,000 
  

   feet 
  would 
  prevent 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  bad 
  winters. 
  But 
  here 
  again 
  the 
  

   limited 
  area 
  of 
  grass 
  would 
  give 
  support 
  to 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  through 
  the 
  long 
  winter 
  of 
  six 
  months. 
  The 
  whole 
  south 
  slope 
  

   of 
  the 
  range 
  from 
  the 
  Animas 
  to 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  is 
  cov^ered 
  with 
  a 
  

   splendid 
  growth 
  of 
  pine 
  timber, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  Animas 
  and 
  Florida 
  

   extensive 
  veins 
  of 
  coal 
  outcrop 
  in 
  many 
  places. 
  The 
  whole 
  as 
  far 
  

   down 
  as 
  the 
  New 
  Mexico 
  line, 
  which 
  passes 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   Piedra, 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  Ute 
  reservation 
  or 
  held 
  by 
  that 
  tribe, 
  thus 
  

   preventing 
  settlers 
  or 
  miners 
  from 
  entering 
  it. 
  Good 
  placers 
  are 
  

   worked 
  on 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  by 
  miners 
  who 
  have 
  rented 
  the 
  land 
  from 
  the 
  

   Utes, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  sti^eams 
  no 
  mines 
  are 
  worked. 
  

  

  Passing 
  from 
  the 
  Piedra 
  southward 
  across 
  large 
  open 
  meadows, 
  we 
  

   followed 
  down 
  the 
  Eio 
  Nutria, 
  a 
  stream 
  which 
  runs 
  very 
  little 
  water 
  in 
  

   the 
  summer-time. 
  Here 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  sandstone 
  tables, 
  which 
  extend 
  

   southward 
  many 
  miles 
  from 
  this 
  point. 
  At 
  a 
  point 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  junc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Piedra 
  and 
  the 
  Nutria, 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  streams, 
  are 
  

   two 
  notable 
  monuments 
  of 
  red 
  sandstone, 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  first 
  seen 
  from 
  

   a 
  high 
  station 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  nearly 
  40 
  miles 
  distant 
  in 
  a 
  

   straight 
  line. 
  They 
  consist 
  of 
  two 
  immense 
  pillars 
  of 
  sandstone, 
  150 
  to 
  

   200 
  leet 
  high, 
  and 
  about 
  a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  apart, 
  set 
  on 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  a 
  

   hill 
  over 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  in 
  height. 
  The 
  summits 
  of 
  both 
  are 
  tlat 
  and 
  

   probably 
  50 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  are 
  perfectly 
  inaccessible. 
  Several 
  

   branches 
  of 
  low 
  brush 
  and 
  a 
  tall 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  ornament 
  the 
  top. 
  

  

  