﻿CHITTENDEX.J 
  THE 
  SAN 
  JUAN 
  DISTRICT. 
  361 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Mancos 
  there 
  are 
  still 
  two 
  well-defiued 
  drain- 
  

   age-systems 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  the 
  McElmo 
  and 
  Montezuma. 
  

   The 
  two 
  systems 
  together 
  contain 
  about 
  2,100 
  square 
  miles 
  — 
  the 
  McElmo 
  

   700, 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  1,400. 
  The 
  McElmo 
  is 
  about 
  50 
  miles 
  long 
  in 
  its 
  

   longest 
  branch, 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  00 
  miles, 
  and 
  yet 
  neither 
  of 
  them 
  has 
  

   for 
  any 
  distance 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  running 
  water. 
  All 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  these 
  

   dry 
  rivers 
  except 
  the 
  western 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  originate 
  in 
  a 
  

   nearly 
  level 
  sage-plain, 
  flow 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  without 
  an 
  appreciable 
  

   valley, 
  then 
  cut 
  their 
  way 
  for 
  their 
  middle 
  course 
  through 
  a 
  steep 
  and 
  

   generally 
  impassable 
  caiion, 
  and 
  finally, 
  for 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  way, 
  

   run 
  through 
  a 
  comparatively 
  level 
  or 
  low 
  broken 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  What 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  original 
  history 
  of 
  these 
  dry 
  rivers 
  is 
  more 
  

   in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  the 
  geologist 
  to 
  inquire 
  into 
  than 
  in 
  mine. 
  I 
  am, 
  

   however, 
  safe 
  in 
  saying 
  that 
  for 
  hundreds 
  of 
  years 
  the 
  character 
  and 
  

   amount 
  of 
  rain-fall 
  has 
  not 
  materially 
  changed. 
  Heavy 
  rains 
  pour 
  in 
  

   perfect 
  torrents 
  down 
  their 
  beds 
  and 
  are 
  gone, 
  as 
  they 
  came, 
  in 
  a 
  day, 
  

   and 
  the 
  hot 
  sun 
  leaves 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  afterward 
  their 
  washes 
  as 
  dry 
  as 
  

   before. 
  The 
  whole 
  country 
  seems 
  incapable 
  of 
  holding 
  water. 
  It 
  runs 
  

   directly 
  off. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent 
  to 
  soak 
  in. 
  

  

  In 
  support 
  of 
  what 
  I 
  say 
  about 
  the 
  present 
  dryness 
  having 
  been 
  of 
  

   long 
  standing, 
  I 
  notice 
  that 
  among 
  all 
  the 
  ancient 
  ruins 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  

   whole 
  area 
  there 
  are 
  none 
  which. 
  are 
  not 
  situated 
  at 
  places 
  where 
  at 
  

   present 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  least 
  strong 
  indications 
  of 
  water. 
  Undoubtedly 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  those 
  ruins 
  were 
  inhabited 
  there 
  was 
  slightly 
  more 
  water 
  

   than 
  at 
  present, 
  for 
  we 
  find 
  some 
  large 
  remains 
  now 
  utterly 
  unsupplied 
  ; 
  

   but 
  it 
  has 
  unquestionably 
  always 
  been 
  a 
  dry 
  country, 
  whose 
  inhabitants 
  

   were 
  obliged 
  to 
  group 
  themselves 
  around 
  its 
  scanty 
  water-holes 
  and 
  

   build 
  reservoirs 
  to 
  equalize 
  the 
  uncertain 
  supply. 
  

  

  This 
  whole 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  now 
  and 
  must 
  ever 
  remain 
  utterly 
  

   worthless. 
  It 
  has 
  no 
  timber, 
  very 
  little 
  grass, 
  and 
  no 
  water. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  around 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Abajo 
  Mountains 
  several 
  

   springs 
  and 
  some 
  short 
  strips 
  of 
  running 
  water. 
  There 
  are 
  probably, 
  

   also, 
  little 
  springs 
  at 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  very 
  many 
  or 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  McElmo 
  and 
  

   Montezuma 
  CaGons. 
  I 
  have 
  followed 
  up 
  so 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  un- 
  

   certain 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  true. 
  Mr. 
  Gardner 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Gannett 
  

   found 
  some 
  such 
  springs 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  but 
  such 
  uncertain 
  and 
  limited 
  and 
  

   inaccessible 
  supplies 
  amount 
  to 
  very 
  little 
  in 
  watering 
  a 
  country, 
  and 
  

   leave 
  it 
  really 
  a 
  broken, 
  ragged 
  desert, 
  supporting 
  no 
  animal 
  life 
  but 
  

   reptiles 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  stunted 
  growth 
  of 
  vegetation. 
  

  

  The 
  Dolores 
  water-shed 
  is 
  radically 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  last 
  consid- 
  

   ered, 
  both 
  in 
  character 
  and 
  climatology. 
  The 
  river 
  runs 
  in 
  deep 
  canon, 
  

   but 
  the 
  plateau 
  through 
  which 
  it 
  cuts 
  is 
  well 
  watered 
  and 
  richly 
  covered 
  

   with 
  either 
  grass 
  or 
  heavy 
  timber. 
  The 
  narrow 
  bottom-land 
  of 
  the 
  

   Dolores, 
  as 
  the 
  river 
  winds 
  through 
  the 
  canon, 
  will 
  afford 
  some 
  most 
  ex- 
  

   cellent 
  farm 
  and 
  hay 
  land 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  only 
  6,5.00 
  to 
  7,200 
  feet, 
  while 
  

   the 
  area 
  inclosed 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  loop 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  will 
  

   afford 
  most; 
  ample 
  grazing 
  in 
  the 
  summer-season. 
  As 
  beautiful 
  a 
  piece 
  

   of 
  park-like 
  distribution 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  wooded 
  belts 
  and 
  patches 
  as 
  I 
  

   have 
  seen 
  anywhere 
  In 
  Colorado 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Dolores, 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Lost 
  Canon 
  and 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mancos. 
  We 
  rode 
  through 
  mile 
  after 
  mile 
  of 
  open 
  grassy 
  lawns 
  and 
  

   clumps 
  of 
  sheltering 
  timber, 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  pasturing 
  of 
  large 
  herds 
  or 
  

   the 
  supplying 
  of 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  hay 
  for 
  the 
  settlers 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  

   altitudes. 
  The 
  San 
  Juan 
  purchase 
  includes 
  nearly 
  all 
  this 
  country, 
  as 
  

   will 
  be 
  immediately 
  seen 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  our 
  published 
  maps. 
  

  

  The 
  map 
  will 
  show 
  one 
  curious 
  feature 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  Dolores, 
  from 
  

  

  