﻿392 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  and 
  where 
  it 
  naturally 
  should 
  become 
  wider, 
  it 
  is 
  closed 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  

   extent 
  by 
  morainal 
  deposits 
  and 
  dense 
  timber, 
  leaving 
  only 
  narrow 
  pas- 
  

   sages 
  for 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  I^orth 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  does 
  not 
  enter 
  Grand 
  Lake, 
  but 
  passes 
  

   the 
  same 
  about 
  two 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  is 
  joined 
  by 
  the 
  outlet 
  or 
  

   Lake 
  Fork 
  vphen 
  2 
  miles 
  south 
  below 
  the 
  lake. 
  

  

  The 
  Lake 
  Fork 
  is 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  least 
  equal, 
  if 
  not 
  

   superior, 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Fork. 
  The 
  basin 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  Lake 
  owes 
  its 
  

   existence 
  to 
  moraine 
  benches 
  deposited 
  before 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  two 
  large 
  

   canons, 
  and 
  it 
  serves 
  as 
  a 
  reservoir 
  for 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  two 
  streams 
  that 
  

   come 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Front 
  Eange 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Long's 
  Peak. 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  consider 
  Grand 
  Lake 
  and 
  the 
  environs 
  of 
  the 
  junction 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  Lake 
  Fork 
  and 
  the 
  North 
  Fork 
  of 
  Grand 
  Eiver 
  as 
  the 
  extreme 
  

   northeast 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park, 
  as 
  the 
  mountains 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  be- 
  

   come 
  very 
  much 
  depressed, 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  not 
  absolutely 
  freed 
  

   from 
  impediments 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  morainal 
  ridges 
  and 
  terraces, 
  yet 
  the 
  

   opening 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  in 
  general 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  we 
  approach 
  

   nearer 
  to 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  proper. 
  Three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  

   i 
  unction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  northern 
  branches, 
  Lake 
  Fork 
  and 
  North 
  Fork, 
  the 
  

   Upper 
  Grand 
  Eiver 
  receives 
  another 
  of 
  its 
  principal 
  tributaries, 
  namely, 
  

   the 
  East 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Grand, 
  which 
  has 
  its 
  sources 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  

   of 
  the 
  Colorado 
  or 
  Front 
  Eange 
  and 
  northwest 
  of 
  Arapahoe 
  Peak. 
  This 
  

   stream 
  is 
  14 
  miles 
  long, 
  and, 
  commencing 
  at 
  its 
  sources, 
  flows 
  for 
  

   about 
  8 
  miles 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  the 
  Front 
  Eange, 
  being 
  princi- 
  

   pally 
  inclosed 
  in 
  a 
  caiion. 
  The 
  mountains 
  rise 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side, 
  with 
  a 
  

   slope 
  angle 
  of 
  25°, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  the 
  angle 
  is 
  much 
  less, 
  but 
  

   the 
  west 
  side 
  immediately 
  near 
  the 
  creek 
  is 
  steep. 
  Before 
  the 
  East 
  

   Branch 
  joins 
  the 
  main 
  Grand, 
  it 
  meanders 
  for 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  compar- 
  

   atively 
  open 
  valley 
  bottom, 
  inclosed 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  by 
  precipitous 
  cliffs. 
  

   The 
  tributaries 
  of 
  note 
  which 
  this 
  stream 
  receives 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  are 
  not 
  

   very 
  numerous 
  ; 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  side, 
  while 
  on 
  

   the 
  east 
  side 
  two 
  canon- 
  streams 
  emerge 
  out 
  of 
  dark 
  gorges 
  which 
  are 
  

   characteristic 
  features 
  to 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Front 
  

   Eange. 
  The 
  spurs 
  between 
  the 
  lateral 
  mountain-streams 
  average 
  about 
  

   2,000 
  feet 
  in 
  relative 
  height 
  above 
  the 
  mean 
  creek-level. 
  The 
  average 
  

   fall 
  of 
  the 
  East 
  Branch 
  is 
  228 
  feet 
  per 
  mile, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  fall 
  amounts 
  

   to 
  3,200 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Grand 
  

   Eiver 
  is, 
  longitude 
  105o 
  50' 
  and 
  latitude 
  40° 
  9' 
  30". 
  Down 
  to 
  this 
  

   point 
  the 
  North 
  Fork 
  meandered 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  22 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  very 
  

   sources 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  southern 
  course, 
  but 
  from 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   branches 
  its 
  direction 
  changes 
  into 
  a 
  western 
  one 
  with 
  a 
  variation 
  of 
  

   220 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  which 
  course 
  the 
  river 
  maintains 
  for 
  18 
  miles, 
  not 
  

   including 
  the 
  curves 
  and 
  smaller 
  variations 
  of 
  its 
  bends. 
  

  

  Not 
  quite 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forks 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   two 
  smaller 
  streams 
  enter 
  into 
  it, 
  one 
  coming 
  from 
  between 
  the 
  granite 
  

   spurs 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  bearing 
  no 
  name, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  from 
  the 
  north. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  one, 
  named 
  

  

  STILLWATER 
  CREEK, 
  

  

  is 
  12 
  miles 
  long, 
  and 
  has 
  its 
  sources 
  in 
  Williams 
  Creek 
  Mountains, 
  which 
  

   may 
  be 
  virtually 
  considered 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  Medicine 
  Bow 
  Eange, 
  

   Stillwater 
  Creek 
  flows 
  near 
  its 
  lower 
  end 
  in 
  a 
  broad-molded 
  valley 
  or 
  

   basin, 
  and 
  carries 
  not 
  only 
  abundance 
  of 
  splendid 
  mountain 
  water, 
  but 
  

  

  