﻿CHAPTER 
  II. 
  

  

  THE 
  MIDDLE 
  PARK— 
  ITS 
  DRAINAGE 
  AND 
  CHARACTERIS- 
  

   TICS. 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  "park" 
  cannot 
  be 
  given, 
  in, 
  an 
  abstract 
  sense, 
  to 
  that 
  de- 
  

   pressed 
  area 
  which 
  is 
  generally 
  considered 
  to 
  constitute 
  the 
  Middle 
  

   Park, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  neither 
  a 
  unit 
  in 
  park-like 
  features, 
  nor 
  is 
  the 
  depressed 
  

   basin-area 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  proportional 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  mountains 
  that 
  

   crowd 
  into 
  the 
  center 
  to 
  break 
  its 
  unity. 
  Whatever 
  there 
  is 
  of 
  tbis 
  

   area 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  brought 
  under 
  the 
  denomination 
  of 
  "park" 
  exists 
  in 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  disconnected 
  and 
  fragmentary 
  patches. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  north 
  of 
  Frazier 
  River 
  Canon, 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  

   Vasquez, 
  Moses, 
  Hay, 
  and 
  Ranch 
  Creeks, 
  lies, 
  perhaps, 
  the 
  most 
  per- 
  

   fect 
  portion 
  of 
  park-area 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  called 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  A 
  like 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Camp 
  Creek, 
  a 
  tributary 
  

   to 
  Frazier 
  River; 
  and 
  still 
  another 
  lies 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Grand 
  

   and 
  Frazier 
  Rivers, 
  including 
  a 
  small 
  district 
  about 
  Stillwater 
  Creek. 
  

   The 
  broad-molded 
  valley 
  of 
  Williams 
  River 
  and 
  narrow 
  strip 
  west 
  of 
  

   the 
  Troublesome 
  Creek 
  are 
  also 
  fragmentary 
  portions 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  river- 
  

   bottoms 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  and 
  Muddy 
  and 
  about 
  9 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Blue 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  park-area; 
  but 
  the 
  re- 
  

   mainder 
  is 
  of 
  terraced, 
  waving, 
  and 
  mountainous 
  character. 
  

  

  The 
  slopes 
  of 
  hills, 
  ridges, 
  and 
  ranges 
  that 
  either 
  gird 
  the 
  Middle 
  

   Park 
  or 
  crowd 
  into 
  its 
  district 
  are 
  timberless 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  but 
  ex- 
  

   hibit 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  a 
  covering 
  of 
  grass. 
  This, 
  when 
  seen 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   high 
  passes 
  over 
  which 
  we 
  approach 
  the 
  park, 
  produces 
  the 
  impression 
  

   that 
  before 
  us 
  lies 
  an 
  extensive 
  basin 
  surrounded 
  by 
  mountains 
  in 
  di- 
  

   versified 
  order. 
  The 
  idea 
  disappears, 
  however, 
  when 
  we 
  descend 
  into 
  

   the 
  basin 
  and 
  examine 
  the 
  area 
  more 
  closely. 
  

  

  However 
  deficient 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  absolute 
  park- 
  

   area, 
  one 
  thing 
  must 
  be 
  admitted, 
  that, 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  quantity 
  and 
  regu- 
  

   lar 
  distribution 
  of 
  water, 
  this 
  district 
  cannot 
  be 
  excelled 
  anywhere. 
  

   The 
  drainage 
  is 
  remarkably 
  well 
  balanced 
  for 
  so 
  extensive 
  an 
  area; 
  

   and 
  what 
  adds 
  additional 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  drainage- 
  system 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   at 
  no 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  do 
  we 
  find 
  parched 
  beds 
  of 
  water-courses, 
  or 
  

   empty 
  channels 
  instead 
  of 
  flowing 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  North 
  Fork 
  of 
  Grand 
  River 
  has 
  its 
  sources 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  longi- 
  

   tude 
  105° 
  49' 
  and 
  latitude 
  40o 
  30'. 
  Its 
  sources, 
  its 
  tributaries, 
  and 
  its 
  

   valley 
  lie 
  in 
  a 
  pocket 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  main 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  Chain 
  and 
  

   the 
  Medicine 
  Bow 
  Range. 
  The 
  mouth 
  of 
  this 
  pocket 
  is 
  directed 
  toward 
  

   the 
  south. 
  The 
  center 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  occupied 
  by 
  a 
  spacious 
  valley 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   6 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width. 
  This 
  Upper 
  Grand 
  

   Valley 
  (as 
  the 
  proper 
  name 
  would 
  be) 
  has 
  but 
  little 
  fall 
  for 
  many 
  

   miles, 
  and 
  numerous 
  mountain-streams 
  coming 
  down 
  from 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  

   the 
  ranges 
  have 
  turned 
  the 
  entire 
  valley 
  into 
  an 
  extensive 
  beaver- 
  

   meadow. 
  Where 
  the 
  valley 
  approaches 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Grand 
  Lake, 
  

  

  391 
  

  

  