﻿322 
  REPOKT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SUEVEY. 
  §§ 
  

  

  miles 
  above 
  the 
  Ii^avajo 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  Eio 
  Blanco, 
  a 
  stream 
  nearly 
  as 
  

   large 
  as 
  the 
  preceding. 
  This 
  joins 
  the 
  main 
  river 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  

   drains 
  the 
  mountain-country 
  between 
  the 
  Navajo 
  and 
  San 
  Juan, 
  while 
  

   its 
  head 
  branches 
  lead 
  almost 
  up 
  to 
  Summit 
  Peak. 
  Between 
  this 
  stream 
  

   and 
  the 
  main 
  river 
  is 
  a 
  sandstone 
  plateau 
  covering 
  several 
  square 
  miles, 
  

   and 
  bordered 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  by 
  high 
  bluffs. 
  Following 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  miles 
  we 
  noticed 
  some 
  burned 
  cabins, 
  and 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Blanco 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  Pagosa 
  Sulphur 
  Springs. 
  They 
  

   are 
  situated 
  in 
  a 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  are 
  very 
  large. 
  For 
  a 
  partic- 
  

   ular 
  description, 
  I 
  refer 
  the 
  reader 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Endlich's 
  geological 
  report, 
  

   as 
  he 
  made 
  a 
  detailed 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  springs. 
  They 
  are 
  held 
  and 
  

   jealously 
  guarded 
  by 
  the 
  Utes 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  medicinal 
  qualities 
  of 
  

   the 
  waters. 
  These 
  Indians 
  often 
  resort 
  to 
  the 
  springs 
  in 
  small 
  parties 
  

   to 
  bathe. 
  In 
  our 
  travels 
  we 
  met 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Weeminuche 
  or 
  South- 
  

   ern 
  Utes 
  on 
  the 
  Piedra, 
  and 
  he 
  related 
  in 
  the 
  eloquent 
  sign 
  language, 
  

   of 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  master, 
  how 
  his 
  men 
  had 
  driven 
  out 
  various 
  parties 
  from 
  

   his 
  country. 
  To 
  persons 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  desire 
  to 
  settle 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  they 
  

   are 
  often 
  quite 
  obliging. 
  Whenever 
  we 
  asked 
  for 
  information 
  about 
  the 
  

   trails 
  or 
  roads 
  or 
  grass, 
  they 
  would 
  always 
  tell 
  us 
  and 
  take 
  great 
  pains 
  to 
  

   make 
  us 
  understand. 
  In 
  this 
  latter 
  respect 
  I 
  cannot 
  but 
  contrast 
  them 
  

   with 
  their 
  New 
  Mexican 
  neighbors. 
  The 
  latter 
  seemed 
  too 
  lazy 
  to 
  talk, 
  

   no 
  matter 
  how 
  well 
  you 
  paid 
  them 
  for 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  information 
  to 
  

   be 
  got 
  out 
  of 
  them 
  was 
  generally 
  the 
  words 
  "a 
  quV^ 
  (there), 
  with 
  a 
  nod 
  

   of 
  the 
  head 
  to 
  indicate 
  direction. 
  The 
  Southern 
  Utes, 
  unlike 
  Indians 
  

   generally, 
  are 
  very 
  talkative. 
  

  

  Following 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  Pagosa, 
  we 
  

   turned 
  to 
  the 
  southeast 
  and 
  traveled 
  along 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  range. 
  All 
  

   this 
  country 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  timber, 
  except 
  in 
  small 
  patches. 
  On 
  the 
  

   lower 
  hills 
  we 
  found 
  much 
  oak 
  brush, 
  but 
  yellow 
  pine 
  abounds, 
  and 
  above 
  

   them 
  come 
  the 
  spruces, 
  which 
  extend 
  to 
  the 
  timber-line. 
  Grass 
  and 
  

   water 
  are 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Making 
  station 
  77 
  on 
  Blackhead 
  Peak 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  branches 
  of 
  

   the 
  Blanco, 
  we 
  again 
  found 
  ourselves 
  surrounded 
  by 
  deep 
  caiions, 
  preci-. 
  

   pices, 
  and 
  rock-slides. 
  Far 
  below 
  us 
  we 
  could 
  hear 
  the 
  bleating 
  of 
  

   mountain 
  sheep, 
  but 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  animals 
  themselves. 
  After 
  this 
  

   we 
  continued 
  along 
  the 
  range 
  to 
  the 
  Navajo, 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  

   we 
  found 
  a 
  considerable 
  level 
  area 
  of 
  good 
  pasture-laud. 
  From 
  here 
  we 
  

   passed 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  Chama, 
  the 
  whole 
  distance 
  being 
  one 
  great 
  meadow, 
  

   with 
  several 
  herds 
  of 
  cattle 
  grazing 
  on 
  it. 
  On 
  our 
  left 
  the 
  mountains 
  

   rose 
  up 
  very 
  abruptly, 
  many 
  peaks 
  reaching 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  timber-line. 
  

   This 
  region 
  is 
  well 
  adapted 
  for 
  pasturage 
  in 
  the 
  summer, 
  as 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  

   very 
  rich 
  and 
  good 
  water 
  is 
  abundant. 
  Being 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  mountains, 
  

   there 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  fall 
  of 
  snow 
  in 
  winter, 
  so 
  that 
  stock 
  would 
  have 
  

   to 
  be 
  driven 
  down 
  the 
  stream 
  to 
  be 
  saved. 
  Turning 
  northward, 
  we 
  fol- 
  

   lowed 
  up 
  the 
  Chama, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  valley 
  soon 
  ended 
  and 
  the 
  ridges 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  coming 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  stream, 
  a 
  narrow 
  canon 
  was 
  

   formed. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  the 
  trail 
  from 
  Tierra 
  Amarilla 
  leaves 
  the 
  

   main 
  stream 
  and 
  follows 
  up 
  the 
  eastern 
  branch 
  ; 
  our 
  course 
  lay 
  up 
  the 
  

   western. 
  A 
  short 
  distance 
  above 
  the 
  junction 
  the 
  basin 
  widens 
  out, 
  and 
  

   to 
  the 
  west 
  long 
  timbered 
  slopes 
  lead 
  up 
  to 
  station 
  81 
  5 
  but 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles, 
  as 
  we 
  approach 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Chama, 
  the 
  peaks 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  in 
  height 
  and 
  present 
  great 
  bluffs 
  toward 
  the 
  stream. 
  On 
  the 
  west 
  

   side 
  Banded 
  Peak 
  is 
  the 
  highest 
  summit 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  On 
  station 
  81 
  

   we 
  saw 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  deer, 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  mountain-sheep, 
  and 
  a 
  bear. 
  In 
  the 
  

   creek, 
  Harry 
  Yount 
  found 
  trout 
  in 
  great 
  abundance. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  

   fallen 
  timber 
  seriously 
  impeded 
  our 
  progress. 
  Our 
  object 
  in 
  ascending 
  the 
  

  

  