﻿CHITTENDEN.] 
  THE 
  SAN 
  JUAN 
  DISTRICT. 
  357 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  area 
  being 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  systems, 
  the 
  San 
  Jnan 
  division 
  

   may 
  be 
  again 
  subdivided 
  into 
  four, 
  which, 
  beginning 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  

   naming 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  order, 
  are 
  the 
  La 
  Plata, 
  the 
  Mancos, 
  the 
  McElmo, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Montezuma. 
  

  

  The 
  San 
  Juan 
  flows 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west 
  along 
  through 
  the 
  northern 
  

   point 
  of 
  New 
  Mexico 
  and, 
  crossing 
  through 
  the 
  far 
  northeastern 
  corner 
  

   of 
  Arizona, 
  enters 
  Utah, 
  and 
  still 
  holding 
  its 
  general 
  course 
  joins 
  the 
  

   Colorado 
  in 
  that 
  Territory. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  sub-drainages 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  named 
  flow 
  in 
  a 
  generally 
  south- 
  

   erly 
  direction 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  main 
  river, 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  and 
  Mancos 
  being 
  the 
  

   last 
  streams 
  with 
  any 
  considerable 
  running 
  water 
  which 
  are 
  tributary 
  

   to 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  San 
  Juan 
  Eiver 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  course 
  is 
  a 
  broad, 
  slowly-flow- 
  

   ing 
  stream, 
  with 
  long 
  stately 
  bends 
  and 
  rich 
  bottom-lands. 
  Terraces 
  

   and 
  low 
  plateaus 
  line 
  it 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  and 
  stretch 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  

   back 
  into 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  water 
  is 
  almost 
  universally 
  muddy, 
  and 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  to 
  sudden 
  rises 
  not 
  only 
  from 
  mountain 
  but 
  from 
  local 
  storms. 
  Its 
  

   tributaries 
  are 
  so 
  few 
  and 
  smallj 
  that 
  its 
  size 
  constantly 
  decreases 
  till 
  it 
  

   carries 
  quite 
  noticeably 
  less 
  water 
  when 
  we 
  last 
  saw 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  than 
  

   at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Animas, 
  near 
  our 
  eastern 
  line. 
  This 
  is 
  partially 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  drinking 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  the 
  sandy 
  bed, 
  but 
  more 
  

   must 
  be 
  laid 
  to 
  the 
  extreme 
  dryness 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  and 
  consequent 
  

   rapid 
  evaporation 
  under 
  the 
  burning 
  summer 
  sun. 
  The 
  temperature 
  of 
  

   the 
  river 
  is 
  extremely 
  high, 
  being 
  by 
  one 
  measurement 
  near 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  line 
  78°, 
  and 
  by 
  another, 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Jackson, 
  still 
  farther 
  down, 
  

   84°, 
  near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  The 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  exceed- 
  

   ingly 
  soft 
  and 
  pleasant 
  for 
  bathing, 
  and 
  its 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  rough, 
  bruised 
  

   hands 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  party 
  was 
  very 
  noticeable 
  after 
  some 
  two 
  days 
  camping 
  

   by 
  it. 
  Its 
  softness 
  was 
  also 
  very 
  noticeable 
  in 
  the 
  washing 
  of 
  clothes. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  have 
  said, 
  heavy 
  storms 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  or 
  along 
  its 
  shorter 
  

   tributaries 
  cause 
  sudden 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  ; 
  they 
  also 
  make 
  it 
  filthily 
  

   muddy; 
  great 
  masses 
  of 
  mud 
  seem 
  carried 
  along 
  by 
  its 
  waters; 
  it 
  is 
  

   absolutely 
  thick 
  with 
  the 
  solution, 
  so 
  horribly 
  dirty 
  that 
  the 
  hot, 
  thirsty 
  

   mules 
  would 
  turn 
  away 
  from 
  it, 
  braying 
  dolefully 
  with 
  their 
  disappoint- 
  

   ment. 
  For 
  our 
  own 
  use, 
  a 
  little 
  practice 
  taught 
  us 
  to 
  filter 
  it 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  and 
  render 
  it 
  comparatively 
  drinkable. 
  Water 
  dug 
  from 
  the 
  

   banks 
  only 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  from 
  the 
  running 
  stream 
  was 
  so 
  decidedly 
  alka- 
  

   line 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  unfit 
  for 
  use 
  ; 
  we 
  preferred 
  the 
  muddy 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

   We 
  found 
  no 
  Indians 
  (with 
  one 
  exception) 
  along 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  very 
  

   little 
  sign 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  camping 
  there 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  

   extent. 
  The 
  badness 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  one 
  other 
  fact 
  — 
  that 
  every 
  heavy 
  

   shower 
  may 
  flood 
  the 
  river-bottom 
  land 
  — 
  may 
  account 
  for 
  this. 
  Certain 
  

   it 
  is 
  that 
  we 
  found 
  Utes 
  and 
  ISTavajoes 
  settled 
  by 
  some 
  little 
  uncertain 
  

   alkali 
  springs, 
  cultivating 
  their 
  patches 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  melons 
  with 
  but 
  

   small 
  returns, 
  while 
  the 
  broad, 
  rich 
  bottom-lands 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  were 
  

   entirely 
  deserted. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  grass 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  all 
  through 
  this 
  portion 
  

   of 
  its 
  course 
  ; 
  the 
  terraces 
  and 
  bluffs 
  are 
  generally 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  low 
  

   sparse 
  growth 
  of 
  sage 
  and 
  weeds, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  scattering 
  bunches 
  

   and 
  patches 
  of 
  grass; 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  timber 
  excepting 
  the 
  cottonwoods, 
  

   which 
  line 
  the 
  river-banks. 
  

  

  The 
  Navajo 
  reservation 
  in 
  Northern 
  Arizona 
  and 
  New 
  Mexico 
  extends 
  

   east 
  only 
  a 
  little 
  beyond 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Kio 
  Chaco, 
  but 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   range 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  to 
  some 
  distance 
  east 
  of 
  

   this 
  place. 
  In 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Ute 
  and 
  Navajo 
  reservations 
  join 
  each 
  

   other, 
  they 
  join 
  on 
  the 
  Southern 
  Colorado 
  line, 
  but 
  practically 
  the 
  In- 
  

  

  