﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  G[JSTAVUSR.BECHLER, 
  TOPOGRAPHER, 
  

  

  1873rT4'r'75. 
  

  

  LETTER 
  TO 
  DR. 
  F. 
  Y. 
  HAYDEN. 
  

  

  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  April 
  30, 
  1877. 
  

  

  Sir: 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  herewith 
  to 
  submit 
  my 
  report, 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  

   three 
  years 
  observations 
  in 
  such 
  districts 
  as 
  you 
  have 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  

   assigned 
  to 
  me 
  as 
  my 
  fields 
  of 
  labor. 
  In 
  conformity 
  with 
  my 
  employ- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  the 
  report 
  comprises 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  orographic 
  

   and 
  topographical 
  features 
  of 
  those 
  sections 
  of 
  country 
  surveyed 
  by 
  

   myself 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  above 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  Some 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  country 
  have 
  at 
  various 
  times 
  been 
  described 
  

   by 
  topographers 
  and 
  geologists 
  on 
  your 
  staff, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  

   treated 
  of 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  approaching 
  completeness, 
  owing 
  partly 
  to 
  a 
  lack 
  

   of 
  time 
  and 
  partly 
  to 
  the 
  numerous 
  duties 
  of 
  the 
  writers. 
  

  

  Having 
  been 
  for 
  four 
  years 
  continually 
  employed 
  in 
  making 
  topo- 
  

   graphical 
  explorations 
  and 
  preparing 
  the 
  maps 
  resulting 
  therefrom, 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  impossible 
  for 
  me 
  heretofore 
  to 
  find 
  time 
  for 
  any 
  careful 
  

   orographic 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  surveyed 
  during 
  each 
  succeeding 
  

   year. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  intended 
  that 
  the 
  subjoined 
  report 
  should 
  represent 
  a 
  

   thoroughly 
  exhaustive 
  treatise 
  on 
  the 
  orographic 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   under 
  discussion, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  lies 
  within 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  

   Mountains. 
  I 
  am 
  fully 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  additional 
  work 
  

   and 
  close 
  observation 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  prepara- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  report 
  meeting 
  in 
  every 
  respect 
  all 
  requirements. 
  

  

  Comparisons 
  of 
  orographic 
  and 
  hypsometric 
  features, 
  in 
  oider 
  to 
  

   present 
  entirely 
  satisfactory 
  results, 
  necessarily 
  demand 
  more 
  time 
  

   and 
  more 
  labor 
  than 
  could 
  be 
  bestowed 
  upon 
  the 
  regions 
  examined. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  much 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  devotion 
  of 
  a 
  life-time 
  would 
  be 
  but 
  

   adequate 
  to 
  a 
  solution 
  of 
  all 
  questions 
  involved 
  in 
  so 
  complicated 
  and 
  

   mountainous 
  a 
  country. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  my 
  endeavor 
  to 
  furnish 
  in 
  the 
  annexed 
  notes, 
  as 
  com- 
  

   pletely 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  data 
  at 
  my 
  command, 
  an 
  approxi- 
  

   mation 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  orographic 
  and 
  hypsometric 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   mountains 
  and 
  valleys 
  in 
  those 
  regions 
  so 
  full 
  of 
  interest. 
  

   Very 
  respectfully, 
  

  

  GUSTAYUS 
  R. 
  BECHLER. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  'F. 
  Y. 
  Hayden, 
  

  

  United 
  States 
  Geologist-in 
  charge. 
  

  

  369 
  

   24 
  G 
  S 
  

  

  