﻿RHODA.] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  325 
  

  

  up 
  into 
  many 
  gorges, 
  and 
  hills 
  continue 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  Chama. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  

   that 
  these 
  mountains 
  are 
  subject 
  to 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  fall 
  of 
  snow 
  in 
  

   winter. 
  In 
  returning 
  from 
  this 
  peak 
  we 
  passed 
  through 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  

   tine-looking 
  meadow, 
  with 
  a 
  cabin 
  built 
  on 
  its 
  northern 
  border, 
  near 
  the 
  

   trail. 
  A 
  blacksmith-shop 
  had 
  been 
  built 
  near 
  it, 
  but 
  all 
  was 
  now 
  de- 
  

   serted. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  some 
  one 
  selected 
  the 
  site 
  in 
  summer, 
  but 
  

   did 
  not 
  take 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  great 
  elevation 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  fierce 
  

   winters. 
  

  

  Following 
  the 
  trail 
  eastward, 
  we 
  passed 
  several 
  large 
  herds 
  of 
  sheep 
  

   on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  Denver. 
  Some 
  bands 
  of 
  cattle 
  were 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  

   Crossing 
  the 
  divide, 
  we 
  followed 
  down 
  the 
  San 
  Antonio, 
  and 
  camped 
  

   a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  main 
  bend. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  made 
  station 
  97, 
  on 
  

   San 
  Antonio 
  Mountain, 
  a 
  great 
  dome-like 
  peak 
  directly 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  bend 
  

   in 
  the 
  creek. 
  This 
  mountain 
  is 
  so 
  completely 
  isolated 
  from 
  the 
  range 
  

   that 
  in 
  coming 
  toward 
  it 
  down 
  the 
  San 
  Antonio 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   tell 
  whether 
  that 
  stream 
  flows 
  around 
  the 
  north 
  or 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  it. 
  It 
  

   is 
  about 
  two 
  miles 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  rises 
  nearly 
  2,000 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  plain. 
  This 
  peak 
  commands 
  very 
  distant 
  views 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  

   and 
  south. 
  From 
  its 
  summit 
  we 
  could 
  see 
  Mount 
  Princeton, 
  near 
  Chalk 
  

   Creek, 
  distant. 
  130 
  miles 
  in 
  an 
  air-line, 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  another 
  peak 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  be 
  still 
  more 
  distant. 
  

  

  Following 
  northward 
  down 
  the 
  San 
  Antonio, 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  formation 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  basalt, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  stream 
  had 
  cut 
  a 
  peculiar 
  little 
  caiion, 
  

   about 
  100 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  200 
  feet 
  wide, 
  with 
  the 
  walls 
  so 
  

   precipitous 
  that 
  a 
  footman 
  could 
  descend 
  to 
  the 
  stream 
  only 
  at 
  long 
  

   intervals. 
  The 
  water 
  here 
  was 
  bad, 
  being 
  polluted 
  by 
  the 
  bands 
  of 
  cat- 
  

   tle 
  and 
  sheep 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  After 
  riding 
  many 
  miles, 
  and 
  

   passing 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Antonio 
  and 
  Pinos, 
  we 
  finally 
  found 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  gorge 
  leading 
  from 
  the 
  basalt 
  table 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  creek. 
  

   The 
  wash 
  terminated 
  in 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  sand. 
  In 
  front 
  of 
  us 
  there 
  rose 
  a 
  de- 
  

   tached 
  piece 
  of 
  the 
  basalt 
  table, 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  yards 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  

   bearing 
  a 
  striking 
  resemblance 
  to 
  an 
  island. 
  A 
  regular 
  channel 
  about 
  

   a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  wide 
  separated 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  mainland. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  

   that 
  at 
  some 
  time 
  long 
  since 
  the 
  San 
  Antonio 
  ran 
  through 
  this 
  channel. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  junction 
  the 
  Pinos 
  is 
  much 
  the 
  larger 
  creek, 
  but 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  stream. 
  The 
  valley 
  proper 
  com- 
  

   mences 
  on 
  the 
  former, 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  above 
  the 
  junction, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tinues 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  desert. 
  The 
  upper 
  portion 
  is 
  thickly 
  settled 
  by 
  

   Mexicans, 
  engaged 
  in 
  raising 
  grain 
  on 
  the 
  bottom-land 
  and 
  herding 
  

   sheep 
  on 
  the 
  basalt 
  tables. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  clusters 
  of 
  adobe 
  houses, 
  

   each 
  bearing 
  a 
  separate 
  name, 
  are 
  scattered 
  along 
  the 
  stream, 
  far 
  out 
  

   into 
  the 
  valley 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  only 
  productive 
  land 
  along 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  streams 
  

   is 
  comprised 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  narrow 
  strip 
  near 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  extending 
  only 
  

   a 
  few 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  bf^se 
  of 
  the 
  range. 
  In 
  this 
  little 
  area 
  fair 
  crops 
  of 
  

   grain 
  are 
  raised 
  with 
  irrigation, 
  but 
  the 
  elevation 
  is 
  too 
  great 
  and 
  the 
  

   summer 
  too 
  short 
  for 
  grain 
  to 
  ripen 
  with 
  any 
  certainty. 
  The 
  warm 
  

   weather 
  does 
  not 
  commence 
  till 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  May, 
  and 
  this 
  year 
  a 
  foot 
  of 
  

   snow 
  fell 
  on 
  September 
  20, 
  while 
  the 
  frosts 
  of 
  the 
  fall 
  commenced 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  weeks 
  earlier. 
  ' 
  Thus 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  growing-season 
  is 
  

   scarcely 
  over 
  three 
  months. 
  During 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  very 
  hot 
  

   during 
  the 
  day, 
  but 
  the 
  nights 
  are 
  cold. 
  All 
  these 
  things 
  are 
  important 
  

   drawbacks 
  to 
  farming 
  operations. 
  As 
  we 
  passed 
  this 
  place 
  (August 
  31) 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  was 
  only 
  heading 
  out, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  fall 
  had 
  commenced, 
  and 
  

   the 
  winter 
  followed 
  close 
  on 
  its 
  heels, 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  could 
  have 
  come 
  

   to 
  maturity. 
  The 
  heavy 
  storm 
  three 
  weeks 
  later 
  must 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  

  

  