﻿328 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  feet 
  in 
  vertical 
  height. 
  These 
  are 
  essentially 
  perpendicular, 
  being 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  the 
  rock 
  breaking 
  off 
  in 
  cubic 
  blocks 
  with 
  a 
  vertical 
  fracture. 
  

   The 
  hardness 
  of 
  the 
  basalt 
  prevents 
  any 
  appreciable 
  weathering, 
  thus 
  

   preserving 
  the 
  abruptness 
  of 
  the 
  walls. 
  Through 
  this 
  narrow 
  gorge 
  

   the 
  Eio 
  Grande 
  rushes 
  with 
  great 
  velocity, 
  very 
  unlike 
  the 
  same 
  stream 
  

   30 
  miles 
  above. 
  From 
  our 
  southern 
  stations 
  we 
  could 
  distinctly 
  trace 
  

   the 
  narrow 
  canon 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  36o 
  45', 
  nt 
  which 
  point 
  the 
  

   stream 
  passes 
  between 
  two 
  great 
  hills, 
  which, 
  with 
  others 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  

   form 
  the 
  sudden 
  southern 
  terminus 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley. 
  The 
  

   length 
  of 
  the 
  canon 
  brought 
  under 
  our 
  observation 
  was 
  about 
  30 
  miles. 
  

   After 
  camping 
  on 
  the 
  bluff 
  near 
  the 
  river, 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  we 
  made 
  sta- 
  

   tions 
  106 
  and 
  107, 
  on 
  the 
  Ute 
  Peak, 
  a 
  great 
  dome 
  about 
  four 
  miles 
  south 
  

   of 
  the 
  Colorado 
  line. 
  Its 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  is 
  about 
  four 
  miles, 
  and 
  

   it 
  rises 
  2,500 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  plain. 
  West 
  of 
  this 
  peak, 
  across 
  the 
  river 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  very 
  level 
  plain 
  quite 
  isolated 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  

   the 
  valley. 
  

  

  From 
  a 
  camp 
  in 
  the 
  southeast 
  corner 
  of 
  San 
  Luis, 
  we 
  ascended 
  a 
  

   peak 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Range, 
  and 
  made 
  station 
  108. 
  This 
  com- 
  

   manded 
  a 
  very 
  distant 
  view 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  The 
  range 
  seemed 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   serve 
  the 
  definite 
  character 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  see. 
  A 
  little 
  southward 
  

   of 
  this 
  peak 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  ended, 
  and 
  the 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  

   Grande 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  rough, 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  hills 
  and' 
  cut 
  

   through 
  with 
  gulches. 
  On 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  north 
  of 
  

   the 
  range 
  of 
  hills 
  that 
  follows 
  the 
  parallel 
  of 
  36° 
  45', 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  

   Rio 
  Grande, 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  Mexican 
  village, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  grain 
  to 
  

   the 
  north 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  fields 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  individuals 
  were 
  

   separated 
  only 
  by 
  single 
  furrows, 
  and 
  fences 
  were 
  nowhere 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  

   Several 
  similar 
  settlements 
  were 
  also 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  Costilla 
  and 
  Culebra. 
  

   North 
  of 
  station 
  108, 
  and 
  nearly 
  under 
  it, 
  was 
  a 
  deep 
  caiion, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  

   grassy 
  valley 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  noticed 
  numbers 
  of 
  wild 
  cattle. 
  

   These 
  had 
  evidently 
  strayed 
  from 
  the 
  settlements 
  in 
  the 
  valley, 
  and 
  

   finding 
  this 
  hidden 
  park, 
  did 
  not 
  return. 
  At 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  the 
  stream 
  

   passes 
  through 
  a 
  narrow 
  rocky 
  gorge 
  to 
  the 
  plain, 
  thus 
  cutting 
  off 
  all 
  

   direct 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  little 
  park. 
  Besides 
  cattle, 
  other 
  game 
  

   .was 
  numerous. 
  Harry 
  Yount 
  killed 
  a 
  splendid 
  buck 
  deer, 
  with 
  enor- 
  

   mous 
  antlers, 
  bearing 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  eleven 
  prongs, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  thir- 
  

   teen. 
  ' 
  

  

  Following 
  northward 
  along 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  and 
  coming 
  to 
  

   Costilla 
  Creek, 
  we 
  followed 
  up 
  the 
  latter 
  stream 
  to 
  its 
  head. 
  There 
  are 
  

   many 
  peaks 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  reaching 
  above 
  the 
  timber-line, 
  but 
  none 
  to 
  

   a 
  very 
  great 
  height. 
  For 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  the 
  Costilla 
  runs 
  along 
  the 
  

   range 
  trom 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  dividing 
  it 
  into 
  two 
  distinct 
  parts 
  ; 
  then 
  

   cutting 
  through 
  the 
  west 
  ridge 
  in 
  a 
  rugged 
  caiion, 
  turns 
  toward 
  the 
  

   northwest, 
  and 
  crosses 
  the 
  plain 
  to 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande. 
  

  

  In 
  making 
  station 
  110, 
  on 
  a 
  high 
  plateau 
  peak 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  bend, 
  we 
  

   were 
  caught 
  m 
  a 
  storm, 
  and 
  for 
  many 
  days 
  after 
  this 
  we 
  were 
  harassed 
  

   by 
  occasional 
  showers. 
  

  

  From 
  station 
  111, 
  on 
  Costilla 
  Peak, 
  we 
  obtained 
  a 
  good 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  about 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Purgatory 
  and 
  Cimarron. 
  The 
  whole 
  

   region 
  south 
  from 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Peaks 
  and 
  west 
  from 
  Trinidad 
  is 
  

   covered 
  with 
  low 
  black 
  hills, 
  of 
  a 
  sandstone 
  formation. 
  The 
  entire 
  

   Jack 
  of 
  any 
  definite 
  order 
  among 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  mass 
  gives 
  to 
  it 
  

   SI 
  monotonous 
  aspect. 
  The 
  courses 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  streams 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   traced 
  from 
  a 
  distance, 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  valleys 
  along 
  

   their 
  banks. 
  These 
  hills 
  extend 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  into 
  New 
  Mex- 
  

   ico, 
  and 
  cover 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  1,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  