﻿GA^-^-ETT.| 
  GRAND 
  EIVER 
  DISTRICT. 
  341 
  

  

  crest 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  where 
  it 
  contracts 
  suddenly, 
  and 
  is 
  very 
  narrow 
  

   until 
  it 
  clears 
  the 
  granite. 
  

  

  The 
  granite 
  cHfls 
  are 
  everywhere 
  vertical, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so. 
  In 
  the 
  narrow 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  canon 
  the 
  sedimentarles 
  (red 
  beds) 
  are 
  cut 
  very 
  raggedly, 
  

   while 
  in 
  the 
  wide 
  part 
  their 
  smooth 
  slopes 
  and 
  rounded 
  angles 
  look 
  

   very 
  much 
  like 
  terraces. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  brief 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  fea- 
  

   tures 
  of 
  this 
  remarkable 
  caiion, 
  and 
  they 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  sutficient 
  to 
  

   give 
  a 
  clew 
  to 
  its 
  history. 
  That 
  it 
  marks 
  the 
  former 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  

   stream, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  caiion 
  purely 
  of 
  erosion, 
  

   as 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  fracture 
  whatever 
  in 
  the 
  formations 
  in 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   borhood. 
  The 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  sides 
  are 
  continuous, 
  and 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  

   slight 
  dip 
  toward 
  the 
  northeast. 
  The 
  streams 
  which 
  now 
  occupy 
  it 
  are 
  

   very 
  small, 
  and 
  are 
  totally 
  unable 
  to 
  cut 
  into 
  the 
  granite. 
  The 
  course 
  

   of 
  this 
  caiion 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  general 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Grand, 
  

   above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison. 
  The 
  courses 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  streams, 
  

   as 
  far 
  as 
  this 
  i:)oint, 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  and 
  shown 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  disturbances 
  now 
  existing 
  about 
  them. 
  Suppose 
  

   that 
  their 
  course 
  below 
  this 
  point, 
  before 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  Uucom- 
  

   pahgre 
  Plateau, 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  this 
  caiion. 
  As 
  the 
  plateau 
  

   slowly 
  rose, 
  swinging 
  about 
  a 
  horizontal 
  axis, 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  

   the 
  Gunnison 
  and 
  Uucompahgre, 
  the 
  stream 
  would 
  commence 
  to 
  cut 
  a 
  

   caiion 
  to 
  keep 
  its 
  course. 
  The 
  rate 
  of 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  crest 
  being 
  greater 
  

   than 
  the 
  cutting 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  a 
  dam 
  would 
  be 
  formed 
  at 
  the 
  crest, 
  

   and 
  a 
  lake 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  result. 
  As 
  the 
  dam 
  rose, 
  and 
  with 
  it 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  the 
  stream 
  flowing 
  over 
  the 
  dam 
  would 
  have 
  its 
  rate 
  

   of 
  fall 
  and 
  its 
  eroding 
  power 
  increased, 
  until 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  balance 
  

   of 
  forces 
  and 
  the 
  dam 
  would 
  be 
  cut 
  away 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  it 
  rose. 
  Cutting 
  

   would 
  take 
  place 
  not 
  only 
  below 
  the 
  dam, 
  but 
  the 
  summit- 
  of 
  the 
  dam 
  

   would 
  be 
  moved 
  back. 
  This 
  hypothesis 
  meets 
  all 
  the 
  observed 
  facts. 
  

   The 
  caiion 
  is 
  broad 
  just 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  crest 
  ; 
  the 
  stratified 
  beds 
  there 
  have 
  

   smooth 
  rounded 
  forms, 
  as 
  if 
  cut 
  by 
  gently-flowing 
  Vv'ater 
  ; 
  the 
  fail 
  of 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  the 
  caiion 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  crest 
  is 
  comparatively 
  rapid, 
  and 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  cut 
  in 
  ragged 
  shapes, 
  as 
  if 
  erosion 
  was 
  rapid, 
  and 
  the 
  divide 
  is 
  

   not 
  at 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  but 
  several 
  miles 
  farther 
  east. 
  Fur- 
  

   ther, 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  this 
  plateau, 
  in 
  its 
  later 
  stages, 
  or 
  

   some 
  other 
  geologic 
  change, 
  opened 
  and 
  made 
  more 
  practicable 
  the 
  

   present 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Grand, 
  around 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Uucom- 
  

   pahgre 
  Plateau 
  ; 
  naturally, 
  the 
  river 
  would 
  take 
  it. 
  

  

  This 
  deserted 
  caiion 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Ute 
  Indians 
  as 
  "Unaweep" 
  

   (Eed-rock) 
  caiion. 
  The 
  scenery 
  which 
  it 
  presents 
  is 
  grand 
  beyond 
  

   description. 
  From 
  the 
  elbow-like 
  bend, 
  where 
  the 
  walls 
  first 
  attain 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  altitude, 
  westward 
  for 
  several 
  miles, 
  the 
  granite 
  rises 
  

   vertically^ 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  in 
  narrow, 
  bas-relief 
  columns, 
  

   for 
  some 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet; 
  above, 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  cap 
  it 
  in 
  broken 
  preci- 
  

   pices. 
  West 
  of 
  station 
  38, 
  the 
  granite 
  assumes 
  a 
  more 
  massive, 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  form 
  ; 
  great 
  masses 
  jut 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  valley. 
  The 
  scenery 
  

   reminds 
  one 
  stronglj^ 
  of 
  the 
  Yosemite, 
  but 
  the 
  foliation 
  of 
  the 
  granite 
  

   •and 
  the 
  forms 
  that 
  result 
  from 
  it 
  are 
  wanting 
  here. 
  In 
  the 
  close 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  caiion 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  the 
  granite 
  becomes 
  far 
  

   more 
  rugged 
  and 
  broken. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  streams 
  which 
  enter 
  the 
  canon 
  from 
  the 
  sides 
  have 
  cut 
  only 
  

   through 
  the 
  stratified 
  beds 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  granite. 
  Thence 
  they 
  

   reach 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  caiion 
  in 
  fine 
  waterfalls, 
  of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet, 
  and 
  

   in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  instances, 
  of 
  nearly 
  two 
  thousand 
  feet 
  fall. 
  In 
  spring, 
  

   wheu 
  these 
  streams 
  are 
  full, 
  from 
  the 
  melting 
  of 
  the 
  snow, 
  some 
  of 
  

   these 
  falls 
  must 
  be 
  of 
  surpassing 
  beauty. 
  

  

  