﻿EEPORT 
  OF 
  HENRY 
  GANNETT, 
  M. 
  E., 
  TOPOGRAPHER 
  

   OF 
  THE 
  GRAND 
  RIVER 
  DIVISION, 
  1875. 
  

  

  LETTER 
  TO 
  DR. 
  F. 
  V. 
  HAYDEK 
  

  

  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  April 
  30, 
  1877. 
  

  

  Sir 
  : 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  submit 
  to 
  you 
  herewith 
  my 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  

   geographical 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  River 
  division 
  during 
  the 
  field-seasons 
  

   of 
  1875 
  and 
  1876. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  write 
  a 
  separate 
  report 
  on 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  each 
  year, 
  as 
  the 
  areas 
  covered 
  during 
  the 
  two 
  seasons 
  

   were 
  so 
  closely 
  connected 
  that 
  they 
  cannot 
  be 
  treated 
  separately. 
  

  

  In 
  1875, 
  my 
  party 
  consisted 
  of 
  ten 
  persons 
  : 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  C. 
  Peale, 
  geolo- 
  

   gist; 
  William 
  R. 
  Atkinson, 
  assistant 
  topographer; 
  William 
  S. 
  Holman, 
  

   barometrical 
  observer 
  ; 
  L. 
  Dallas, 
  general 
  assistant 
  ; 
  four 
  packers, 
  and 
  

   .a 
  cook. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Denver 
  on 
  June 
  4, 
  we 
  traveled, 
  via 
  Turkey 
  Creek 
  road, 
  

   South 
  Park, 
  Arkansas 
  Valley, 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley, 
  and 
  Cochetopa 
  Pass, 
  

   to 
  the 
  Los 
  Pinos 
  agency. 
  My 
  work 
  began 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  We 
  followed 
  

   the 
  route 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  mail-road 
  to 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Valley. 
  At 
  

   the 
  ford 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  River, 
  I 
  detached 
  Messrs. 
  Holman 
  and 
  

   Dallas 
  and 
  two 
  packers 
  with 
  orders 
  to 
  proceed 
  to 
  the 
  Grunuison 
  River 
  

   at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Roubideau's 
  Creek 
  and 
  establish 
  there 
  a 
  temporary 
  

   supply-camp. 
  With 
  the 
  balance, 
  which 
  formed 
  the 
  working 
  party, 
  I 
  

   followed 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  River 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mount- 
  

   ains. 
  Then 
  turning 
  westward, 
  I 
  reached 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  Uncom- 
  

   pahgre 
  plateau, 
  and 
  followed 
  its 
  crest 
  northwestward 
  to 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   River, 
  reaching, 
  from 
  the 
  crest, 
  all 
  the 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  Uncompah- 
  

   gre 
  Valley 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel 
  and 
  Dolores 
  Elvers 
  on 
  the 
  

   west. 
  Thence 
  I 
  returned 
  to 
  my 
  supply-camp, 
  fording 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  a 
  

   few 
  miles 
  above 
  its 
  mouth, 
  and 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Roubideau's 
  Creek. 
  

  

  Finding 
  it 
  advisable, 
  I 
  decided 
  to 
  remove 
  my 
  supply-camp 
  to 
  the 
  Do- 
  

   lores 
  Eiver, 
  at 
  the 
  western 
  mouth 
  of 
  Unaweep 
  Canon. 
  The 
  route 
  

   taken 
  was 
  via 
  the 
  Unaweep 
  Caiion, 
  which 
  forms 
  a 
  natural 
  highway 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  and 
  Dolores 
  Rivers. 
  On 
  the 
  way 
  we 
  met 
  Mr. 
  

   Gardner's 
  party, 
  and 
  decided 
  to 
  remain 
  together, 
  under 
  the 
  orders 
  of 
  

   Mr. 
  Gardner, 
  while 
  working 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  la 
  Sal, 
  which 
  

   was 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  infested 
  by 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  troublesome 
  Indians. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  supply-camp 
  and 
  the 
  packers, 
  who 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   freighting 
  provisions 
  thence 
  from 
  the 
  settlements, 
  we 
  followed 
  up 
  the 
  

   Dolores 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Salt 
  Creek, 
  or 
  Rito 
  Salado, 
  up 
  this 
  small 
  stream, 
  

   and 
  thence 
  across 
  high 
  plateaus 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Sal 
  Mountains. 
  

   About 
  a 
  week 
  was 
  spent 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  these 
  mountains, 
  which 
  afforded 
  

   magnificent 
  opportunities 
  for 
  work. 
  Thence 
  our 
  course 
  of 
  travel 
  was 
  

   southward 
  toward 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Abajo 
  or 
  Blue 
  Mountains. 
  On 
  our 
  way 
  

   we 
  were 
  attacked 
  by 
  Indians, 
  and 
  our 
  season's 
  work 
  summarily 
  ended. 
  

   As 
  Ihe 
  public 
  has 
  been 
  treated 
  to 
  numberless 
  accounts 
  of 
  this 
  affair, 
  all 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  highly 
  colored, 
  it 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  do 
  more 
  than 
  mention 
  

  

  335 
  

  

  