﻿BECHLER] 
  CHAEACTEEISTICS 
  OF 
  MIDDLE 
  PARK. 
  395 
  

  

  patches 
  is 
  broken 
  by 
  some 
  terraces 
  or 
  benches 
  crowding 
  and 
  pressing 
  

   closer 
  to 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  north 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  G-rand 
  River 
  the 
  country- 
  

   recedes 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  terraces, 
  constructed 
  with 
  astonishing 
  regularity, 
  

   yet 
  of 
  most 
  peculiar 
  configuration. 
  The 
  terraces 
  are 
  cut 
  longitudi- 
  

   nally 
  by 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  gulches 
  or 
  fissures 
  produced 
  by 
  erosion, 
  and 
  are 
  

   formed 
  by 
  them 
  into 
  a 
  tier 
  of 
  spurs 
  parallel 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  

   spurs 
  having 
  features 
  in 
  every 
  way 
  analogous. 
  That 
  group 
  or 
  cluster, 
  

   with 
  its 
  terraces, 
  terminates 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  culminates 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  3 
  miles 
  

   south 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  with 
  an 
  altitude' 
  of 
  9,600 
  feet 
  and 
  2,000 
  feet 
  above 
  

   mean 
  river-level. 
  Northward 
  the 
  hills 
  recede 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  

   of 
  Whiteface 
  Mountain, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  that 
  big 
  mountain 
  spur 
  

   which 
  Whiteface 
  Peak 
  sends 
  eastward 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  junction 
  

   of 
  Willow 
  and 
  Grand 
  Rivers.* 
  Passing 
  the 
  western 
  gap 
  of 
  this 
  hill- 
  

   cluster. 
  Grand 
  River 
  enters 
  that 
  small 
  park-area 
  which 
  lies 
  immediately 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  Hot 
  Sulphur 
  Springs, 
  almost 
  in 
  an 
  exact 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  Mid- 
  

   dle 
  Park 
  district. 
  Passing 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  springs, 
  the 
  river 
  plunges 
  one- 
  

   fourth 
  mile 
  west 
  again 
  into 
  a 
  canon 
  of 
  1^ 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  

   it 
  emerges 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  Beaver 
  Creek. 
  This 
  canon 
  

   near 
  the 
  Hot 
  Springs 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  spur 
  of 
  granite 
  rock, 
  which 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  in 
  remote 
  times 
  uninterruptedly 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  Yasquez 
  Ridge 
  at 
  its 
  

   terminus 
  with 
  that 
  upheaval 
  of 
  which 
  Mount 
  Bross, 
  1^ 
  miles 
  northwest 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hot 
  Springs, 
  is 
  the 
  culminating 
  point. 
  This 
  spur, 
  now 
  broken 
  or 
  

   washed 
  through 
  by 
  the 
  Grand 
  River, 
  divided 
  once 
  perhaps 
  more 
  effect- 
  

   ually 
  than 
  now 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  area 
  into 
  two 
  separate 
  divisions, 
  in 
  an 
  

   eastern 
  and 
  a 
  western 
  one, 
  for 
  below 
  the 
  canon 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  i&rand 
  

   spreads 
  out 
  unimpeded 
  and 
  meanders 
  at 
  leisure 
  in 
  a 
  wide 
  bottom 
  until 
  

   it 
  reaches 
  the 
  western 
  boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  park, 
  where 
  again 
  the 
  united 
  

   efforts 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  waters 
  were 
  necessary 
  to 
  force 
  a 
  passage 
  

   through 
  the 
  Park 
  Range. 
  

  

  BEAVER 
  CREEK. 
  

  

  Only 
  little 
  can 
  be 
  said 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  that 
  stream, 
  that 
  intersects 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  near 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  canon, 
  except 
  that 
  

   its 
  sources 
  are 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  Vasquez 
  Ridge, 
  and 
  that 
  its 
  length 
  is 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  and 
  its 
  ap- 
  

   proximate 
  total 
  fall 
  about 
  1,400 
  feet. 
  One 
  mile 
  below 
  Beaver 
  Creek 
  

   enters 
  still 
  another 
  one, 
  but 
  without 
  name. 
  This 
  creek, 
  which 
  is 
  running 
  

   parallel 
  to 
  Beaver 
  Creek, 
  originates 
  and 
  flows 
  between 
  two 
  low 
  subridges, 
  

   which 
  the 
  Yasquez 
  Ridge 
  has 
  detached 
  from 
  its 
  own 
  mountain 
  mass,! 
  

   about 
  14 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  from 
  Hot 
  Sulphur 
  Springs. 
  The 
  next 
  and 
  

   more 
  important 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  Grand, 
  entering 
  the 
  latter 
  2 
  miles 
  be- 
  

   low 
  Beaver 
  Creek 
  and 
  only 
  one 
  mile 
  below 
  the 
  canon, 
  is 
  

  

  WILLIAMS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  This 
  river 
  gathers 
  its 
  waters 
  about 
  7 
  miles 
  northwest 
  of 
  Gray's 
  and 
  Tor- 
  

   rey's 
  Peaks, 
  among 
  the 
  high 
  mountains 
  near 
  the 
  connection 
  of 
  Williams 
  

   Range 
  with 
  the 
  Colorado 
  or 
  Front 
  Range, 
  and 
  also 
  among 
  the 
  western 
  

   slopes 
  and 
  outrunners 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  or 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  Yasquez 
  

   Ridge. 
  It 
  receives 
  its 
  principal 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  through 
  four 
  rnain 
  

   branches 
  coming 
  out 
  of 
  cliffy 
  caiions| 
  in 
  the 
  high 
  mountain 
  portion 
  re- 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  orographic 
  notes. 
  

  

  t 
  See 
  orognipbic 
  notes, 
  Vasquez 
  Ridge. 
  

  

  ; 
  See 
  orographic 
  notes 
  on 
  main 
  crest. 
  

  

  