﻿GA.x^-ETT.] 
  GRAND 
  RIVER 
  DISTRICT. 
  345 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Plateau. 
  Its 
  conrseis 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  about 
  west-north- 
  

   west. 
  Twenty 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  it 
  runs 
  into 
  a 
  low 
  

   canon 
  50 
  to 
  200 
  feet 
  deep, 
  among 
  hogbacks 
  which 
  are 
  outliers 
  of 
  the 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  Plateau. 
  Its 
  course 
  changes 
  abruptly 
  soon 
  

   after 
  entering 
  this 
  caiion 
  to 
  southwest 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  south-southwest, 
  

   which 
  it 
  holds 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores 
  ; 
  turning 
  then 
  to 
  the 
  

   southwest 
  again, 
  it 
  keeps 
  this 
  course 
  quite 
  straight 
  to 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  

   the 
  Green. 
  There 
  are 
  but 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  places 
  between 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  this 
  

   canon 
  and 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores 
  where 
  the 
  river 
  can 
  be 
  reached. 
  

   At 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores 
  it 
  buries 
  itself 
  in 
  a 
  deep, 
  narrow, 
  winding, 
  

   but 
  short 
  canon, 
  cut 
  into 
  red 
  beds, 
  and 
  emerges 
  therefrom 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sierra 
  la 
  Sal 
  into 
  a 
  valley 
  of 
  erosion, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  tremendous 
  clifi's 
  

   of 
  deep-red 
  sandstone, 
  1,000 
  to 
  2,500 
  feet 
  high, 
  carved 
  in 
  fantastic 
  

   forms, 
  here 
  simple, 
  broad, 
  and 
  massive, 
  there 
  cut 
  into 
  spires, 
  pinnacles, 
  

   and 
  buttresses. 
  Below, 
  it 
  flows 
  alternately 
  in 
  caiions 
  and 
  across 
  nar- 
  

   row, 
  transverse 
  valleys. 
  This 
  river 
  was 
  gauged 
  in 
  September, 
  at 
  the 
  

   ford, 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison. 
  Its 
  discharge 
  was 
  4,850 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  season 
  completes 
  the 
  barometric 
  profile 
  of 
  this 
  river. 
  

   This 
  is 
  given 
  below 
  : 
  

  

  Miles. 
  Elevation, 
  Fall 
  per 
  milo. 
  

   feet. 
  Peet. 
  

  

  Grand 
  Lake, 
  Middle 
  Park... 
  348 
  8,153 
  21 
  i 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Blue 
  River, 
  (head 
  of 
  canon) 
  302 
  7,183 
  ^gi 
  

  

  Foot 
  of 
  cafion 
  in 
  Park 
  Range 
  295 
  7.000 
  ^,," 
  , 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Eagle 
  River 
  228 
  6,125 
  t)a' 
  a 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Roaring 
  Fork 
  209 
  5,734 
  f'l 
  

  

  -Mouth 
  of 
  creek 
  203 
  5,645 
  :7(){ 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  North 
  Main 
  Creek 
  188 
  5,445 
  "^or 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Roan 
  Creek 
  152 
  5,100 
  .^'^ 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Gunnison 
  River 
  120 
  4,523 
  ^'^•\ 
  

  

  Head 
  of 
  low 
  canon 
  104 
  4,500 
  -J- 
  J 
  

  

  Horseshoe 
  Bend 
  70 
  4,300 
  X" 
  ^ 
  

  

  Mouth 
  of 
  Rio 
  Dolores 
  52 
  4,250 
  ^ 
  ^ 
  

  

  Junction 
  of 
  Grand 
  and 
  Green 
  3,900 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  valley 
  as 
  that 
  known 
  above 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  as 
  the 
  Uncom- 
  

   phagre 
  Valley, 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  and 
  Grand 
  as 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  

   Valley, 
  extends 
  on 
  down 
  the 
  Grand, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  that 
  

   river, 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  limit 
  of 
  my 
  work, 
  longitude 
  109° 
  30'. 
  This 
  part 
  

   of 
  it 
  I 
  call 
  the 
  Grand 
  Kiver 
  Valley. 
  Its 
  length, 
  following 
  the 
  general 
  

   course 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  is 
  about 
  75 
  miles, 
  and 
  its 
  average 
  width 
  is 
  15 
  miles. 
  

   Area, 
  about 
  1,100 
  square 
  miles. 
  It 
  is 
  almost 
  flat, 
  with 
  a 
  slight 
  slope 
  

   toward 
  the 
  river, 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Eoan 
  or 
  Book 
  Cliffs, 
  which 
  limit 
  

   it 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  it 
  rises 
  toward 
  the 
  west, 
  to 
  

   form 
  the 
  divide 
  between 
  the 
  Grand 
  and 
  Green. 
  A 
  few 
  small 
  hogbacks 
  

   near 
  the 
  river 
  alone 
  diversify 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  sole 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  little 
  trickling 
  stream, 
  strongly 
  alkaline, 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  except 
  the 
  Grand 
  Eiver. 
  The 
  Roan 
  

   Cliffs 
  send 
  down 
  several 
  small 
  streams, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  sinks 
  very 
  soon 
  

   after 
  entering 
  the 
  valley. 
  Vegetation 
  is 
  very 
  scanty. 
  In 
  the 
  bottom- 
  

   lauds 
  (which 
  are 
  very 
  limited), 
  there 
  are 
  fine 
  groves 
  of 
  cottonwoods, 
  

   and 
  greasewood 
  grows 
  rank 
  and 
  dense. 
  On 
  the 
  hogbacks 
  along 
  the 
  

   river 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  grass, 
  but 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  there 
  is 
  

   only 
  a 
  scanty 
  growth 
  of 
  sage. 
  The 
  soil 
  is 
  everywhere 
  impregnated 
  

   with 
  alkali. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  stiff", 
  heavy 
  clay, 
  which, 
  when 
  dry, 
  has 
  a 
  surface 
  as 
  

   hard 
  as 
  aboard, 
  but, 
  when 
  wet, 
  becomes 
  mud 
  of 
  almost 
  incalculable 
  depth. 
  

   The 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  just 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Book 
  Cliffs, 
  can 
  be 
  

   easily 
  irrigated 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  thus 
  several 
  hundreds 
  of 
  square 
  

   miles 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  available 
  for 
  agriculture. 
  Farther 
  down, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  rises 
  so 
  much 
  that 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  cannot 
  

  

  