﻿360 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  — 
  it 
  ruDS 
  down 
  there 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  to 
  escape 
  the 
  snow. 
  The 
  almost 
  

   entire 
  absence 
  of 
  elk 
  or 
  deer 
  horns 
  would, 
  however, 
  indicate 
  that 
  even 
  

   then 
  it 
  is 
  there 
  in 
  no 
  large 
  quantities. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  whole 
  drainage 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  there 
  is 
  not, 
  to 
  my 
  knowl- 
  

   edge, 
  a 
  single 
  spring 
  or 
  drop 
  of 
  running 
  water, 
  excepting- 
  of 
  course 
  the 
  

   river 
  itself, 
  its 
  heads, 
  and 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Parrott 
  City. 
  The 
  

   irrigating 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  greater 
  than 
  would 
  suffice 
  

   to 
  water 
  its 
  own 
  bottom-lands, 
  so 
  the 
  low 
  bordering 
  terraces 
  must 
  still 
  

   remain 
  in 
  their 
  present 
  barren 
  state. 
  

  

  Next 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Plata, 
  and 
  flowing 
  into 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  from 
  the 
  

   north, 
  comes 
  the 
  Mancos. 
  It 
  rises 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  western 
  fall 
  of 
  

   the 
  La 
  Plata 
  Mountains, 
  is 
  something 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  in 
  size, 
  

   has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  70 
  miles, 
  and 
  enters 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  50 
  miles 
  below 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  stream. 
  Unlike 
  its 
  sister 
  river, 
  which 
  for 
  its 
  

   entire 
  length 
  flows 
  in 
  open 
  country, 
  the 
  Mancos 
  is 
  nearly 
  all 
  its 
  course 
  

   in 
  canon. 
  Its 
  main 
  branch 
  starts 
  in 
  caSou 
  as 
  it 
  leaves 
  the 
  mountains, 
  

   flows 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  rocky 
  caiiou 
  till 
  near 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  

   branches, 
  and 
  then, 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  in 
  open 
  fertile 
  valley, 
  plunges 
  into 
  

   the 
  Mesa 
  Verde, 
  and, 
  in 
  a 
  rugged 
  winding 
  caSon, 
  flows 
  through 
  its 
  very 
  

   heart. 
  The 
  Mesa 
  Verde 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  plateau 
  or 
  table-land 
  which 
  rises 
  

   gradually 
  from 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  till 
  it 
  reaches 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   about 
  500 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  river-level, 
  then 
  runs 
  almost 
  perfectly 
  flat 
  on 
  

   top 
  until 
  it 
  jumps 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  and 
  south' 
  in 
  steep 
  and 
  in- 
  

   accessible 
  bluffs. 
  Through 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  this 
  table-land 
  the 
  Mancos 
  cuts 
  

   its 
  way,' 
  the 
  walls 
  rising 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  to 
  heights 
  of 
  1,000 
  to 
  1,800 
  feet. 
  

   To 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  plateau 
  is 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  broken, 
  

   but 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  is 
  gashed 
  by 
  a 
  perfect 
  net- 
  work 
  of 
  side 
  canons, 
  

   the 
  beds 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  dry. 
  

  

  I 
  give 
  (Plate 
  LIII) 
  a 
  section 
  through 
  from 
  the 
  La 
  Plata 
  to 
  its 
  western 
  

   edge, 
  which 
  will 
  show 
  better 
  than 
  I 
  can 
  describe 
  its 
  form. 
  North 
  and 
  

   south 
  the 
  section 
  would 
  not 
  materially 
  differ, 
  except 
  in 
  being 
  steep 
  at 
  

   both 
  its 
  ends. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  canon 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Mancos 
  is 
  quite 
  narrow, 
  very 
  seldom 
  

   being 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide, 
  and 
  often 
  very 
  much 
  narrower. 
  

   The 
  canon 
  walls 
  and 
  valley 
  bottom-lands 
  are 
  lined 
  with 
  ruins 
  — 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  described 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Holmes's 
  report— 
  which 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  valley 
  has 
  

   been 
  thickly 
  inhabited 
  and 
  probably 
  cultivated 
  by 
  ancient 
  tribes, 
  

   although 
  the 
  present 
  Indians 
  do 
  no 
  work 
  anywhere 
  upon 
  it^ 
  in 
  fact, 
  

   there 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  indifferent 
  trail 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  caSon. 
  Corn, 
  

   potatoes, 
  melons, 
  or 
  any 
  vegetables 
  may 
  be 
  raised 
  on 
  the 
  Mancos 
  for 
  its 
  

   entire 
  length. 
  In 
  the 
  broad 
  valley 
  below 
  the 
  forks 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  tract 
  of 
  good 
  farm-land, 
  all 
  within 
  the 
  purchased 
  area. 
  The 
  res- 
  

   ervation 
  begins 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  river 
  enters 
  the 
  deep 
  Mesa 
  Verde 
  Canon. 
  

   Unfortunately 
  the 
  Mancos 
  does 
  not 
  carry 
  enough 
  water 
  to 
  irrigate 
  but 
  

   a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  available 
  land. 
  If 
  white 
  men 
  were 
  to 
  irrigate 
  al 
  

   that 
  could 
  be 
  covered 
  above 
  the 
  reservation 
  limits, 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  but 
  

   little 
  water 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  agricultural 
  pursuits 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  man 
  below. 
  

   Below 
  the 
  forks 
  of 
  the 
  Mancos 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  branch 
  containing 
  any 
  

   water; 
  this 
  fork 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  seasons 
  dry, 
  and 
  never 
  carries, 
  any 
  large 
  

   amount. 
  All 
  other 
  washes 
  — 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  numerous 
  as 
  the 
  branches 
  

   of 
  the 
  La 
  Plata— 
  are 
  entirely 
  without 
  any 
  water. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  probable 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  drainage 
  which 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  canons 
  of 
  the 
  Mesa 
  Verde 
  

   north 
  of 
  the 
  Mancos 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  some 
  water, 
  as 
  -it 
  starts 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   northern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  plateau. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  examined 
  these 
  heads, 
  but 
  

   in 
  the 
  bluffs 
  opposite 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  mesa 
  I 
  found 
  

   quite 
  numerous 
  springs 
  of 
  alkali 
  water. 
  

  

  