﻿GANNETT.J 
  

  

  GRAND 
  EIVER 
  DISTRICT. 
  • 
  343 
  

  

  and 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  plateau. 
  At 
  the 
  northeast 
  corner 
  of 
  this 
  vallej^, 
  the 
  

   river 
  suddenly 
  turns 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  north, 
  flows 
  in 
  this 
  course 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   between 
  immense 
  walls 
  of 
  sandstone, 
  then 
  turns 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  

   and 
  holds 
  this 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  crossing 
  on 
  its 
  

   way 
  two 
  sharp 
  ridges 
  and 
  a 
  transverse 
  valley. 
  After 
  being 
  joined 
  by 
  

   the 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  this 
  erratic 
  stream 
  seems 
  to 
  lose 
  its 
  desire 
  to 
  perform 
  

   strange 
  and 
  unexpected 
  things 
  and 
  quietly 
  follows 
  a 
  northwest 
  course 
  

  

  to 
  its 
  mouth. 
  , 
  -,^ 
  , 
  

  

  The 
  annexed 
  table 
  of 
  heights 
  along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores 
  wdl 
  

   give 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  its 
  fall. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  figures 
  were 
  given 
  

   me 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Chittenden, 
  topographer 
  of 
  the 
  southwestern 
  division 
  in 
  1875. 
  

  

  Ti/r-i„„ 
  Elevation, 
  Fall 
  per 
  

   ^i'''^- 
  leet. 
  mile, 
  feet. 
  

  

  LostCanon 
  6,950 
  ^^ 
  

  

  Lost 
  Canon 
  23 
  6 
  500 
  3.^ 
  

  

  Month 
  of 
  Disappointmeut 
  Creek 
  '>i 
  ^. 
  t>"^ 
  15 
  

  

  In 
  Paradox 
  Valley 
  ^-^ 
  » 
  1^^ 
  17 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  San 
  Miguel 
  91 
  5-^00 
  jg 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Unaweep 
  Cauoii 
  IJ-^ 
  4-»Vn 
  17 
  

  

  Mouth 
  134 
  4,2o0 
  

  

  Within 
  my 
  district 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  agricultural 
  land 
  on 
  the 
  Dolores. 
  In 
  

   the 
  valley 
  crossed 
  by 
  this 
  stream 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Mi- 
  

   guel 
  (which 
  I 
  have 
  named 
  Paradox 
  Valley) 
  a 
  few 
  square 
  miles 
  may 
  be 
  

   irrigated 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  not 
  a 
  large 
  amount. 
  At 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Saucer 
  

   Valley, 
  also, 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  sqnare 
  miles 
  of 
  irrigable 
  land. 
  

  

  The 
  Dolores 
  was 
  gauged 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Disappointment 
  Creek 
  in 
  

   September 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  carry 
  292 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel 
  and 
  Dolores 
  consists 
  of 
  broken 
  

   plateaus, 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  thrown 
  up 
  into 
  ridges. 
  In 
  the 
  southern 
  part, 
  

   it 
  has 
  a 
  uniform 
  slope 
  toward 
  the 
  north 
  from 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   San 
  Juan 
  Eange. 
  Farther 
  north, 
  the 
  disturbances 
  occur 
  in 
  lines 
  running 
  

   northwest 
  and 
  southeast. 
  Westward 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel 
  we 
  note 
  

   first 
  a 
  ridge 
  dipping 
  northeast, 
  with 
  an 
  abrupt 
  descent 
  to 
  the 
  southwest. 
  

   Then 
  an 
  anticlinal 
  valley— 
  Paradox 
  Valley— 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  trend, 
  

   crossed 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  by'the 
  Dolores. 
  Next 
  a 
  ridge, 
  dipping 
  south- 
  

   westward 
  at 
  a 
  low 
  angle 
  and 
  breaking 
  off 
  toward 
  the 
  valley 
  just 
  men- 
  

   tioned. 
  This 
  ridge 
  forms 
  the 
  eastern 
  edge 
  of 
  a 
  large, 
  shallow, 
  saucer- 
  

   like 
  depression. 
  The 
  northern 
  edge 
  of 
  th|s 
  breaks 
  off 
  against 
  the 
  Do- 
  

   lores, 
  forming 
  the 
  southern 
  wall 
  of 
  its 
  canon 
  in 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  eastern 
  

   course. 
  The 
  southern 
  rirn 
  was 
  elevated 
  by 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mountains. 
  

   Its 
  western 
  rim 
  is 
  the 
  next 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  parallel 
  ridges 
  which 
  diversify 
  

   this 
  plateau 
  country, 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  anticlinal, 
  dipping 
  northeast. 
  West 
  

   of 
  this 
  ridge 
  is 
  a 
  long, 
  narrow 
  valley, 
  with 
  the 
  prevalent 
  trend, 
  and 
  

   draiuiup- 
  northeast 
  to 
  the 
  Dolores. 
  The 
  ridge 
  on 
  the 
  farther 
  side 
  of 
  

   this 
  valley 
  is 
  the 
  other 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  anticlinal, 
  is 
  low, 
  and 
  forms 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  saucer-shaped 
  valley 
  of 
  Disappointment 
  Creek. 
  There 
  

   are 
  here, 
  then, 
  two 
  anticlinal 
  and 
  two 
  synclinal 
  valleys 
  with 
  their 
  di- 
  

   viding 
  ridges. 
  . 
  _ 
  . 
  , 
  mi 
  • 
  

   West 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores 
  is 
  the 
  plateau 
  in 
  which 
  its 
  canon 
  is 
  cut. 
  ihis 
  

   plateau, 
  called 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Newberry, 
  who 
  accompanied 
  Macomb's 
  expedi- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  in 
  1859, 
  by 
  the 
  generic 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Great 
  Sage- 
  

   plain," 
  is 
  drained 
  entirely 
  by 
  the 
  Montezuma, 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Jnan. 
  

   From 
  the 
  east, 
  north, 
  and 
  west 
  the 
  slope 
  is 
  toward 
  a 
  center, 
  forming 
  a 
  

   third 
  saucer-like 
  basin, 
  but 
  here 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  is 
  not 
  

   felt 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  therefore 
  in 
  that 
  direction 
  it 
  is 
  open. 
  

  

  All 
  this 
  country 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  except 
  immediately 
  under 
  

  

  