﻿BECHLER] 
  CHARACTEEISTICS 
  OF 
  MIDDLE 
  PARK. 
  397 
  

  

  southward 
  for 
  5 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  close 
  valley, 
  bearing 
  pretty 
  much 
  

   all 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  a 
  canon,* 
  showing 
  only 
  hero 
  and 
  there, 
  and 
  in. 
  

   places 
  where 
  side 
  gulches 
  come 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  mountains, 
  little 
  patches 
  

   of 
  a 
  few 
  acres 
  of 
  comparatively 
  level 
  bottom. 
  When 
  just 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  

   a 
  point 
  where 
  a 
  direct 
  line 
  3 
  miles 
  west 
  from 
  Corral 
  Peak 
  would 
  strike 
  

   the 
  Troublesome 
  Creek 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  sudden 
  turn 
  westward, 
  breaking 
  

   through 
  the 
  Troublesome 
  Eidge, 
  forming 
  thereby 
  a 
  caiaon 
  for 
  2 
  miles 
  

   with 
  steep 
  sloping 
  sides 
  from 
  800 
  to 
  1,000 
  feet, 
  where 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  

   ridge 
  would 
  cross 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  canon 
  the 
  East 
  Fork 
  is 
  joined 
  by 
  the 
  West 
  

   Fork, 
  which 
  heads 
  about 
  15 
  miles 
  north 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  

   Continental 
  Divide. 
  This 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Troublesome 
  is 
  at 
  first 
  inclosed 
  

   by 
  rugged 
  and 
  high 
  mountain 
  country, 
  but 
  soon 
  frees 
  itself 
  from 
  it 
  and 
  

   enters 
  an 
  almost 
  open 
  district. 
  A 
  gentle 
  sloping 
  country 
  characterizes 
  

   the 
  western 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Troublesome 
  Fork, 
  while 
  immediately 
  

   from 
  its 
  right 
  bank 
  the 
  steep 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  dividing 
  the 
  two 
  streams 
  

   rise 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  1,600 
  to 
  1,800 
  feet 
  within 
  IJ 
  miles. 
  After 
  the 
  two 
  

   forks 
  of 
  the 
  Troublesome 
  have 
  united, 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  remains 
  

   unchanged 
  for 
  4 
  miles 
  ; 
  that 
  is, 
  it 
  keeps 
  an 
  almost 
  southerly 
  direction, 
  

   which 
  the 
  West 
  Fork 
  has 
  maintained 
  for 
  7 
  miles 
  previously. 
  When 
  within 
  

   3 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  Grand, 
  the 
  Troublesome 
  turns 
  abruptly 
  southwest, 
  and 
  

   joins 
  the 
  Grand 
  River 
  4 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  bend. 
  The 
  country 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  

   united 
  Troublesome 
  continues 
  to 
  exhibit 
  these 
  flat, 
  gradually 
  rising 
  

   terrace 
  features, 
  which 
  culminate 
  3 
  miles 
  west 
  or 
  half 
  the 
  distance 
  

   across 
  to 
  the 
  Muddy 
  River. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Troublesome 
  with 
  the 
  Grand 
  the 
  valley-bottom 
  

   assumes 
  its 
  maximum 
  width, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  full 
  mile. 
  It 
  is, 
  indeed, 
  a 
  splendid 
  

   stretch 
  of 
  valley, 
  that 
  lies 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  this 
  junction. 
  

   It 
  may 
  with 
  all 
  propriety 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  garden-spot 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  

   Some 
  quite 
  extensive 
  cottonwood 
  groves 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  along 
  this 
  rich 
  

   river- 
  bottom. 
  A 
  belt 
  of 
  occasionally 
  broken 
  terraces, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  

   altitude 
  of 
  600 
  feet 
  above 
  mean 
  river-level, 
  borders 
  the 
  river 
  -bottom 
  

   on 
  the 
  south 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  buttes 
  of 
  several 
  

   hundred 
  feet 
  elevation 
  tower 
  above 
  the 
  terraces, 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  near 
  

   the 
  junction 
  of 
  Williams 
  River 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  southeast 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Grand, 
  

   Blue, 
  and 
  Muddy 
  junction. 
  The 
  latter 
  butte 
  rises 
  1,400 
  feet 
  above 
  Grand 
  

   River, 
  and 
  appears 
  as 
  it 
  stands 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  once 
  connected 
  but 
  now 
  

   detached 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Williams 
  Range. 
  From 
  the 
  Troublesome 
  and 
  

   Grand 
  River 
  junction 
  the 
  Grand 
  sweeps 
  in 
  big 
  curves 
  through 
  its 
  bottom 
  

   toward 
  the 
  united 
  junction 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  waters, 
  where 
  two 
  or 
  

   more 
  powerful 
  streams, 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  

   come 
  to 
  join. 
  

  

  THE 
  MUDDY 
  RIVER 
  AND 
  ITS 
  VALLEY. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  other 
  rivers 
  (not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  district, 
  but 
  in 
  

   South 
  Park 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains) 
  where 
  

   the 
  valley 
  features 
  are 
  more 
  decidedly 
  expressed 
  than 
  along 
  the 
  Muddy 
  

   and 
  the 
  Blue, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  latter 
  more 
  so 
  than 
  with 
  the 
  former. 
  

  

  The 
  Muddy 
  River, 
  which, 
  by 
  the 
  way, 
  has 
  rather 
  a 
  milky 
  but 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  a 
  muddy 
  color, 
  starts 
  its 
  first 
  waters 
  in 
  one 
  branch 
  near 
  Rabbit-Ear 
  

   Butte, 
  in 
  the 
  remote 
  northwestern 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park 
  ; 
  another 
  

   branch 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  facing 
  each 
  other 
  these 
  

   two 
  then 
  unite. 
  Both 
  branches 
  pick 
  up 
  little 
  gulch-streams 
  as 
  they 
  

   flow 
  along 
  the 
  eastern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Range. 
  They 
  unite 
  at 
  a 
  point, 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  Troubleseme 
  Creek 
  dates 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  hunters 
  aud 
  

   prospectorSj 
  who 
  found 
  great 
  difficulty 
  in 
  proceeding 
  along 
  the 
  creek. 
  

  

  