﻿CHITTENDEN.] 
  THE 
  SAN 
  JUAN 
  DISTRICT. 
  359 
  

  

  tured 
  by 
  tbe 
  Navajoes 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  keep 
  down 
  the 
  weeds 
  and 
  sage, 
  

   and 
  invigorate 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  grass. 
  Doubtless 
  close 
  grazing 
  with 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  would 
  increase 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  before, 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  system 
  of 
  drainage 
  in 
  this 
  dis- 
  

   trict 
  is 
  naturally 
  divided 
  into 
  four 
  subsystems 
  ; 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  from 
  

   the 
  east, 
  the 
  La 
  Plata, 
  although 
  the 
  shortest 
  stream 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  and 
  

   containing 
  the 
  smallest 
  drainage-area, 
  carries 
  the 
  most 
  water. 
  The 
  La 
  

   Plata 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  little 
  grouj) 
  of 
  mountains 
  which 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  name 
  

   with 
  it 
  and 
  flows 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  direct 
  possible 
  course 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  San 
  Juan. 
  

   Jt 
  flows 
  for 
  its 
  entire 
  length, 
  after 
  its 
  first 
  break 
  from 
  the 
  mountains, 
  

   through 
  an 
  open 
  terraced 
  country. 
  The 
  whole 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  

   something 
  over 
  50 
  miles. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  drainage-area 
  of 
  750 
  miles 
  and 
  out- 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  an 
  average 
  fall 
  of 
  50 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  mile. 
  The 
  fall 
  

   is 
  very, 
  rapid 
  near 
  the 
  mountains 
  and 
  gradually 
  decreases 
  as 
  its 
  mouth 
  

   is 
  neared. 
  There 
  is 
  but 
  one 
  single 
  branch 
  containing 
  water 
  (Cherry 
  

   Creek), 
  but 
  besides 
  this 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  twenty 
  gulches 
  empty- 
  

   ing 
  themselves 
  into 
  it, 
  alwajs 
  dry 
  except 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  sudden 
  and 
  heavy 
  

   rains. 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  gulches 
  have 
  lengths 
  of 
  18 
  and 
  20 
  miles 
  each, 
  and 
  

   others 
  are 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  as 
  long. 
  Their 
  washes 
  are 
  clearly 
  defined 
  

   for 
  their 
  whole 
  course, 
  but 
  their 
  beds 
  are 
  entirely 
  dry. 
  

  

  In 
  1874 
  the 
  only 
  settlement 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  district 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  La 
  Plata, 
  

   at 
  its 
  head. 
  It 
  was 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  a 
  very 
  embryotic 
  mining- 
  town, 
  contain- 
  

   ing 
  two 
  log 
  houses 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  erection. 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  

   Parrott 
  City, 
  and 
  since 
  that 
  time 
  has 
  grown 
  quite 
  considerably, 
  having 
  

   been 
  made 
  the 
  county-seat 
  of 
  La 
  Plata 
  County 
  and 
  supplied 
  with 
  a 
  

   regular 
  mail. 
  Its 
  support 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  mines 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  

   stream, 
  which 
  consist 
  of 
  both 
  quartz 
  lodes 
  and 
  i^lacer-diggings, 
  &ud 
  have 
  

   been 
  pronounced 
  quite 
  valuable. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  routes 
  of 
  access 
  to 
  

   Parrott 
  City, 
  of 
  nearly 
  equal 
  length, 
  the 
  one 
  by 
  the 
  south 
  from 
  Tierra 
  

   Amarilla, 
  open 
  both 
  winter 
  and 
  summer, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  the 
  direct 
  route 
  

   to 
  the 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley, 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Howardville 
  and 
  Silverton, 
  to 
  Del 
  

   Norte. 
  This 
  latter 
  route 
  is 
  impracticable 
  in 
  winter, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  

   mountain-passes. 
  The 
  northern 
  route 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  mail 
  is 
  

   regularly 
  brought 
  in, 
  but 
  the 
  southern 
  one 
  is 
  the 
  road 
  for 
  all 
  supplies 
  

   and 
  freight. 
  

  

  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  is 
  varied. 
  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Parrott 
  

   City 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  bordered 
  by 
  terraces 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  rich 
  growth 
  of 
  

   grass 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  yellow-pine 
  timber. 
  Ten 
  

   miles 
  below 
  the 
  city 
  the 
  grass 
  almost 
  entirely 
  ceases 
  and 
  the 
  bordering 
  

   country 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  heavy 
  growth 
  of 
  sage. 
  About 
  25 
  miles 
  below 
  

   the 
  town 
  the 
  river 
  crosses 
  the 
  Colorado 
  line 
  into 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  from 
  

   there 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  has 
  no 
  large 
  sage, 
  and 
  a 
  considerable 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  

   on 
  the 
  bordering 
  terraces. 
  

  

  Parrott 
  City 
  is 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  San 
  Juan 
  purchase," 
  the 
  

   southern 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  cession 
  crossing 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  10 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  

   city. 
  At 
  the 
  town 
  the 
  altitude 
  and 
  closeness 
  to 
  the 
  mountains 
  renders 
  

   the 
  winter 
  climate 
  quite 
  cold, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  river 
  enters 
  the 
  res- 
  

   ervation-limits 
  it 
  has 
  fallen 
  so 
  much 
  in 
  height 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  raise 
  

   corn 
  and 
  melons 
  every 
  summer, 
  and 
  find 
  verj^ 
  little 
  snow 
  to 
  trouble 
  

   them 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  season. 
  On 
  the 
  La 
  Plata, 
  near 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  

   purchase, 
  is 
  quite 
  a 
  large 
  Indian 
  farm, 
  which 
  they 
  supply 
  with 
  water 
  by 
  

   rough 
  irrigatiug-ditches, 
  and 
  raise 
  a 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  corn. 
  

   The 
  Indians 
  during 
  the 
  growing-season 
  of 
  the 
  crops 
  conhne 
  themselves 
  

   pretty 
  closely 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  and 
  watch 
  their 
  corn 
  with 
  great 
  solicitude. 
  

   They 
  have 
  considerable 
  herds 
  of 
  ponies, 
  goats, 
  and 
  some 
  cattle. 
  There 
  

   is 
  almost 
  no 
  game 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  country, 
  unless 
  — 
  as 
  seems 
  quite 
  probable 
  

  

  