﻿348 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  to 
  using 
  it 
  in 
  freighting 
  provisions, 
  &c., 
  from 
  the 
  settlements 
  of 
  South- 
  

   ern 
  Utah, 
  the 
  following 
  itinerary 
  is 
  presented 
  to 
  answer 
  these 
  inquiries: 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  prosecution 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  survey 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  years, 
  

   the 
  writer 
  has 
  examined 
  this 
  road 
  from 
  Ouray 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  crossing 
  of 
  

   the 
  Green 
  Eiver; 
  and, 
  through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  Prof. 
  A. 
  H. 
  Thompson, 
  

   of 
  the 
  survey 
  under 
  Maj. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Powell, 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  supplied 
  with 
  notes 
  

   respecting 
  the 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  route 
  from 
  Green 
  Kiver 
  to 
  Saiina, 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  settlement 
  of 
  any 
  consequence. 
  

  

  Distances 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  maps, 
  and, 
  as 
  they 
  disregard 
  the 
  

   minor 
  carves 
  of 
  the 
  road, 
  they 
  will 
  in 
  general 
  be 
  found 
  rather 
  under 
  

   than 
  above 
  the 
  distances 
  traveled. 
  

  

  From 
  Ouray 
  to 
  the 
  Uucompahgre 
  agency 
  is 
  28 
  miles. 
  The 
  road 
  fol- 
  

   lows 
  the 
  eastern 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Uucompahgre 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  miles 
  

   above 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Dallas 
  Fork, 
  where 
  it 
  turns 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  

   river, 
  and, 
  after 
  winding 
  among 
  the 
  hills 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  miles, 
  returns 
  to 
  the 
  

   river 
  in 
  the 
  cafiou. 
  The 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  it 
  follows 
  the 
  river, 
  cross- 
  

   ing 
  it 
  three 
  times. 
  These 
  fords, 
  and 
  especially 
  the 
  second 
  one, 
  are 
  dan- 
  

   gerous 
  in 
  times 
  of 
  high 
  water, 
  and 
  to 
  avoid 
  these 
  a 
  branch 
  has 
  been 
  

   prospected. 
  This, 
  leaving 
  the 
  main 
  road 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Dallas 
  

   Fork, 
  crosses 
  the 
  Uucompahgre 
  and 
  this 
  stream, 
  climbs 
  the 
  high 
  caHon 
  

   wall 
  by 
  terrific 
  grades, 
  and 
  then 
  keeps 
  along 
  the 
  plateau, 
  descending 
  by 
  

   easy 
  grades 
  to 
  the 
  agency. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  good 
  campiag-places 
  everywhere 
  on 
  each 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  

   road 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  agency, 
  where 
  grass 
  and 
  wood 
  are 
  scarce. 
  From 
  the 
  

   agency 
  to 
  the 
  ford 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre, 
  where 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  Los 
  Pinos 
  

   crosses, 
  is 
  11 
  miles. 
  The 
  road 
  follows 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  bank. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  ford 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  is 
  28 
  miles. 
  The 
  road 
  

   keeps 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  bank, 
  or 
  near 
  it, 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Uucompahgre, 
  where 
  it 
  leaves 
  it 
  and 
  bears 
  

   off 
  northwestward 
  to 
  the 
  Gunnison, 
  which 
  it 
  crosses 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   lloubideau's 
  Creek. 
  A 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  ford 
  is 
  given, 
  showing 
  width 
  and 
  

   depths 
  in 
  September. 
  In 
  spring 
  and 
  early 
  summer 
  this 
  ford 
  is 
  too 
  deep 
  

   to 
  be 
  practicable. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  pebbles 
  and 
  is 
  perfectly 
  hard. 
  

   There 
  are 
  plenty 
  of 
  cottonwoods 
  on 
  each 
  shore 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  

   rafts. 
  There 
  are 
  good 
  camping-places 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  this 
  

   point 
  ; 
  also 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  Uucompahgre. 
  

  

  Three 
  miles 
  beyond 
  this 
  ford 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  of 
  running 
  water, 
  

   but 
  no 
  wood. 
  

  

  , 
  At 
  twenty-two 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  ford 
  the 
  road 
  crosses 
  Kahnah 
  Creek, 
  a 
  

   fine 
  stream 
  of 
  excellent 
  water, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  good 
  grass 
  and 
  wood. 
  

  

  Thence 
  to 
  the 
  ford 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  River 
  is 
  13 
  miles. 
  From 
  the 
  crossing 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  to 
  this 
  place 
  the 
  road 
  follows 
  the 
  general 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  

   Gunnison, 
  keeping 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  miles 
  from 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side. 
  

   There 
  are 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  steep 
  hills. 
  The 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  in 
  this 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  might 
  be 
  changed 
  to 
  advantage 
  in 
  several 
  places, 
  with 
  a 
  gain 
  both 
  

   in 
  distance 
  and 
  grades. 
  

  

  The 
  Grand 
  lliver 
  is 
  bordered 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  above 
  

   and 
  below 
  the 
  ford 
  by 
  precipitous 
  bluffs. 
  The 
  road 
  follows 
  down 
  an 
  

   arroyo, 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  for 
  miles 
  which 
  cuts 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  

   which 
  reaches 
  the 
  river 
  most 
  oi)portunely 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  riffle. 
  

   Th(^ 
  ford 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  this 
  riffle. 
  A 
  sketch 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  given, 
  showing 
  

   the 
  widths 
  and 
  depths 
  in 
  September. 
  This 
  ford 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  all 
  the 
  

   year, 
  except, 
  perhaps, 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  Ircshets. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  hard, 
  being 
  of 
  pebbles. 
  On 
  the 
  north 
  bank, 
  which 
  is 
  low, 
  there 
  

   is 
  plenty 
  of 
  wood, 
  but 
  grass 
  is 
  scarce. 
  

  

  