﻿398 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  longitude 
  106° 
  35' 
  and 
  latitude 
  40° 
  18', 
  which 
  lies 
  5^ 
  miles 
  west 
  and 
  a 
  

   few 
  degrees 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Muddy 
  Butte, 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  

   landmark 
  in 
  that 
  region. 
  From 
  this 
  junction 
  the 
  Muddy, 
  already 
  a 
  

   stream 
  of 
  respectable 
  size, 
  bears 
  almost 
  directly 
  east 
  for 
  4 
  miles, 
  inclin- 
  

   ing 
  but 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  norths 
  pressing 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places 
  through 
  small 
  

   caiions, 
  where 
  spurs 
  and 
  terraces 
  crowd 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  when 
  

   arriving 
  1^ 
  miles 
  west 
  from 
  the 
  Upper 
  Muddy 
  Butte 
  it 
  gradually 
  swings 
  

   around 
  and 
  assumes 
  for 
  about 
  5 
  miles 
  a 
  general 
  southeastern 
  direction, 
  

   after 
  which 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  nearly 
  due 
  south, 
  with 
  but 
  little 
  

   eastern 
  deviation. 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Muddy 
  Butte, 
  the 
  river 
  mean- 
  

   ders 
  in 
  a 
  broad 
  bottom, 
  closing 
  and 
  widening 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  alternately. 
  

   The 
  valley-bottom 
  proper 
  is 
  framed 
  all 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  string 
  of 
  terraces 
  

   shelving 
  up 
  as 
  the 
  country 
  recedes 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left, 
  the 
  lower 
  one 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  especially 
  well-defined 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side, 
  

   being 
  about 
  from 
  60 
  to 
  75 
  feet 
  high. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  these 
  

   terraces 
  have 
  been 
  greatly 
  destroyed 
  in 
  their 
  totality 
  by 
  erosion, 
  for 
  the 
  

   grass 
  covering 
  is 
  on 
  that 
  side 
  either 
  very 
  thin 
  or 
  frequently 
  absent, 
  and 
  

   as 
  the 
  soil 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  soft 
  substance, 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  dissolved 
  and 
  

   broken 
  by 
  rain, 
  snow, 
  and 
  heat. 
  Some 
  of 
  them, 
  however, 
  have 
  resisted 
  

   longer, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  witness 
  among 
  them 
  grouping 
  of 
  terraces 
  of 
  

   most 
  peculiar 
  arrangement 
  and 
  order. 
  The 
  gulches 
  coming 
  from 
  that 
  

   side 
  are 
  mostly 
  dry 
  but 
  very 
  numerous, 
  and 
  are 
  just 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  

   greater 
  destruction 
  to 
  the 
  slopes. 
  The 
  crest 
  of 
  this 
  upheaval 
  is 
  about 
  

   3 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  side 
  fronting 
  the 
  Muddy 
  is 
  

   greatly 
  eroded, 
  the 
  eastern 
  side, 
  leaning 
  toward 
  the 
  Troublesome, 
  pre- 
  

   sents 
  a 
  softly 
  descending 
  elevated 
  plain. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Muddy 
  presents 
  a 
  different 
  aspect, 
  rising 
  

   gradually 
  into 
  well-grassed 
  slopes, 
  which 
  are 
  at 
  intervals 
  interrupted 
  by 
  

   terraces 
  ascending 
  from 
  the 
  valley 
  to 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  broad-molded 
  

   Park 
  Eange, 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  which 
  lies 
  about 
  7 
  to 
  8 
  miles 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  

   valley. 
  The 
  streams 
  that 
  come 
  down 
  this 
  slope 
  flow 
  in 
  more 
  well-defined 
  

   beds, 
  the 
  bluffy 
  sides 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  frequently 
  broken 
  down 
  and 
  

   absolutely 
  eroded. 
  About 
  midway 
  up 
  the 
  slope 
  we 
  find 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  a 
  

   dense 
  growth 
  of 
  quaking 
  aspens, 
  with 
  scattered 
  patches 
  of 
  pines, 
  while 
  

   on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Eange, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  slopes, 
  the 
  pines 
  

   predominate 
  altogether. 
  

  

  About 
  5 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line 
  from 
  Grand 
  and 
  Muddy 
  junction, 
  the 
  

   river 
  passes 
  a 
  large 
  butte 
  on 
  the 
  left, 
  called 
  the 
  Lower 
  Muddy 
  Butte. 
  

   This 
  butte, 
  the 
  highest 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  buttes 
  in 
  that 
  vicinity, 
  is 
  of 
  

   a 
  commanding 
  appearance, 
  as 
  it 
  stands 
  over 
  1,800 
  feet 
  above 
  river-level. 
  

   It 
  is 
  partially 
  covered 
  with 
  pines, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  cap 
  of 
  lava 
  like 
  the 
  Upper 
  

   Muddy 
  Butte, 
  to 
  which 
  fact 
  its 
  present 
  well-preserved 
  shape 
  is 
  owing. 
  

   On 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Eange 
  assume 
  also 
  

   a 
  more 
  rugged 
  character 
  than 
  shown 
  before, 
  though 
  in 
  its 
  general 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  they 
  still 
  represent 
  a 
  gradual 
  sloping; 
  but 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  here 
  cut 
  

   deeper 
  from 
  their 
  being 
  larger, 
  and 
  therefore 
  more 
  destructive; 
  the 
  

   terraces 
  are 
  more 
  abrupt, 
  and 
  the 
  belt 
  of 
  pines 
  descending 
  lower 
  in 
  the 
  

   gulches 
  than 
  farther, 
  up 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Lower 
  Muddy 
  Butte 
  the 
  river 
  winds 
  in 
  huge 
  curves 
  toward 
  

   the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Grand, 
  being 
  accompanied 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  by 
  high, 
  

   almost 
  upright, 
  standing 
  terraces 
  to 
  within 
  2 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  entrance 
  

   into 
  the 
  Grand. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  Muddy 
  Eiver, 
  its 
  large 
  bends 
  included, 
  

   is 
  38 
  miles 
  ; 
  its 
  fall 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  24 
  miles 
  is 
  hardly 
  perceptible 
  ; 
  at 
  least 
  

   it 
  will 
  not 
  exceed 
  much 
  10 
  feet 
  to 
  a 
  mile. 
  

  

  