﻿GANNETT] 
  GRAND 
  EIVER 
  DISTRICT. 
  339 
  

  

  The 
  Uncompatigre 
  was 
  ganged 
  at 
  the 
  agency 
  early 
  in 
  Se>ptember, 
  

   and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  carried 
  per 
  second 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  356 
  cubic 
  feet. 
  

   This, 
  however, 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  carried 
  during 
  

   the 
  irrigating 
  season. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  its 
  drainage 
  area, 
  

   which, 
  though 
  not 
  large, 
  consists 
  entirely 
  of 
  high 
  mountains, 
  the 
  spring 
  

   floods 
  must 
  raise 
  the 
  river 
  immensely 
  and 
  continue 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  carried 
  early 
  in 
  September 
  the 
  river 
  will, 
  

   by 
  using 
  it 
  all, 
  irrigate 
  about 
  120 
  square 
  miles, 
  using 
  Captain 
  Smith's 
  

   rule, 
  which 
  is 
  applicable 
  to 
  the 
  sub-Himalayan 
  districts, 
  that 
  one 
  cubic 
  

   foot 
  per 
  second 
  will 
  irrigate 
  about 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  a 
  square 
  mile. 
  This 
  is 
  

   equivalent 
  in 
  amount 
  to 
  a 
  monthly 
  rain-fall 
  of 
  about 
  2.3 
  inches, 
  not 
  too 
  

   much, 
  certainly, 
  for 
  any 
  crop, 
  and 
  not 
  enough 
  for 
  some 
  crops. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  every 
  probability 
  that 
  in 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  July 
  the 
  river 
  car- 
  

   ries 
  water 
  enough 
  to 
  irrigate 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  

   soil 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  alkaline 
  it 
  will 
  make 
  good 
  farming-land. 
  The 
  rate 
  of 
  fall 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  through 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  given 
  below 
  : 
  

  

  Elevation. 
  Fall 
  per 
  mile. 
  

   Miles. 
  Peet. 
  Feet. 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  tlie 
  Dallas 
  Fork 
  7,400 
  

  

  Uncorapahgre 
  agency 
  14.5 
  6,400 
  69.0 
  

  

  Crossing 
  of 
  the 
  wagon-road 
  25.5 
  5,800 
  54.5 
  

  

  Mouth 
  54.5 
  5,100 
  24.1 
  

  

  The 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  bench-land 
  follows 
  approximately 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   and 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  rapid 
  fall 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  

   water 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  bench. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  nearly 
  horizontal 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  

   distance 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  rendering 
  irrigation 
  of 
  large 
  areas 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  inexpensive. 
  Its 
  low 
  elevation 
  compared 
  with 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   valleys 
  of 
  Colorado 
  gives 
  it 
  a 
  climate 
  sufficiently 
  warm 
  for 
  the 
  produc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  grain, 
  garden 
  -vegetables, 
  &c. 
  

  

  TH'E 
  UNCOMPAHGEE 
  PLATEAU. 
  

  

  Westward 
  from 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  the 
  country 
  rises 
  

   gradually. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  say 
  along 
  what 
  line 
  the 
  valley 
  ends 
  and 
  

   the 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  begins. 
  At 
  a 
  mean 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  Uncom- 
  

   pahgre 
  River 
  of 
  20 
  miles, 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  mean 
  elevation 
  of 
  10,000 
  feet, 
  this 
  

   long 
  slope 
  suddenly 
  ends, 
  in 
  most 
  places 
  breaking 
  off 
  abruptly 
  in 
  a 
  suc- 
  

   cession 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  steps 
  to 
  the 
  caiion 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  

   places, 
  instead 
  of 
  breaking 
  off', 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  bent 
  over 
  and 
  slope 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  canon 
  of 
  San 
  Miguel 
  or 
  Dolores 
  at 
  a 
  steep 
  angle. 
  The 
  crest 
  of 
  

   this 
  inclined 
  plateau 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mountains 
  

   in 
  a 
  direction 
  nearly 
  northwest 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  Eiver. 
  It 
  decreases 
  gradually 
  as 
  it 
  recedes 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  

   from 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  10,200 
  feet 
  at 
  its 
  head 
  to 
  8,600 
  near 
  its 
  northwestern 
  end. 
  

  

  Following 
  down 
  toward 
  the 
  northwest 
  the 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   the 
  Uncompahgre, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  it 
  crosses 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  and 
  continues 
  

   down 
  the 
  latter 
  stream 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side. 
  The 
  gentle 
  rise 
  of 
  land 
  on 
  

   the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  also 
  continues 
  down 
  across 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  

   and 
  this 
  river 
  flows 
  in 
  a 
  caiion 
  in 
  this 
  slope 
  at 
  a 
  level 
  but 
  slightly 
  below 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  but 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  

   a 
  marked 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  conservatism 
  of 
  streams. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  and 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  below 
  its 
  mouth, 
  this 
  plateau 
  slope 
  is 
  broken 
  off" 
  abruptly 
  in 
  a 
  

   precipice, 
  leaving 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  a 
  valley 
  at 
  its 
  foot. 
  

  

  