﻿BECHLEu] 
  BLUE 
  RIVER 
  AND 
  ITS 
  VALLEY. 
  399 
  

  

  THE 
  BLUE 
  RIVEE 
  AND 
  ITS 
  VALLEY. 
  

  

  1, 
  Drainage 
  and 
  characteristics 
  of 
  UpjJer 
  Blue 
  River 
  and 
  tributaries.* 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  locate 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Blue 
  Valley 
  at 
  longi- 
  

   tude 
  106° 
  3' 
  and 
  latitude 
  39° 
  23', 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  road 
  descending 
  north 
  

   from 
  Hoosier 
  Pass 
  strikes 
  the 
  Blue 
  Eiver. 
  As 
  its 
  main 
  source 
  we 
  may 
  

   designate 
  that 
  amphitheater 
  directly 
  south 
  arid 
  beneath 
  Quandary 
  Peak, 
  

   where 
  from 
  the 
  snow-banks 
  and 
  alpine 
  lakes 
  the 
  first 
  stream 
  originates, 
  

   which, 
  flowing 
  for 
  3 
  miles 
  between 
  rugged 
  mountain-spurs, 
  descends 
  to 
  

   a 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  valley 
  above 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  The 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Blue 
  Valley 
  is 
  due 
  north 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  junc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Blue, 
  Snake, 
  and 
  Ten 
  Mile, 
  a 
  confluence 
  which, 
  to 
  call 
  it 
  Three 
  

   Elvers 
  Junction 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  inappropriate. 
  For 
  the 
  first 
  5 
  miles 
  the 
  

   valley 
  features 
  are 
  yet 
  in 
  their 
  infancy 
  — 
  -just 
  wide 
  enough 
  to 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  

   dismiss 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  canon. 
  To 
  the 
  right 
  the 
  Blue 
  Eiver 
  admits 
  mount- 
  

   ain-streams 
  from 
  the 
  Silverheel 
  Group, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  those 
  coming 
  

   from 
  the 
  Park 
  Eange. 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  point 
  5 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  valley 
  a 
  branch 
  stream 
  comes 
  down 
  

   from 
  Hamilton 
  Pass, 
  and 
  alongside 
  of 
  it 
  the 
  road 
  which 
  leads 
  over 
  the 
  

   pass 
  to 
  connect 
  Hamilton 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Park 
  with 
  Breckenridge, 
  in 
  the 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Blue. 
  Only 
  2^ 
  miles 
  below 
  this 
  intersection 
  lies 
  the 
  min- 
  

   ing-town 
  of 
  Breckenridge, 
  a 
  small 
  village 
  serving 
  as 
  a 
  supply-depot 
  for 
  

   miners 
  that 
  are 
  scattered 
  around 
  in 
  the 
  mountains. 
  Below 
  Brecken- 
  

   ridge 
  the 
  valley 
  assumes 
  already 
  greater 
  range, 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  Three 
  Eiver 
  Junction 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Blue 
  is 
  nowhere 
  

   seriously 
  embarrassed 
  by 
  obstacles. 
  The 
  distance 
  from 
  Breckenridge 
  

   to 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Blue, 
  Ten 
  Mile, 
  and 
  Snake 
  is 
  9J 
  miles, 
  and 
  on 
  its 
  

   way 
  down 
  are 
  admitted 
  two 
  streams 
  of 
  importance, 
  namely, 
  French 
  

   Creek 
  and 
  Swan 
  Eiver. 
  French 
  Creek 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  rectangular 
  

   to 
  the 
  Blue, 
  and 
  enters 
  the 
  same 
  only 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  below 
  Breckenridge. 
  

   Its 
  headwaters 
  rise 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  slopes 
  of 
  Mount 
  Guyot, 
  and 
  between 
  

   the 
  latter 
  and 
  Mount 
  Hamilton 
  it 
  is 
  6 
  miles 
  long 
  and 
  flows 
  between 
  

   high 
  spurs, 
  passing 
  the 
  small 
  mining-village 
  Lincoln, 
  about 
  midway 
  from 
  

   its 
  sources 
  to 
  its 
  intersection. 
  

  

  Four 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  from 
  Breckenridge 
  Swan 
  Eiver 
  joins. 
  This 
  

   stream 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  9 
  miles, 
  and 
  obtains 
  its 
  main 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  

   from 
  three 
  branches 
  that 
  join 
  about 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  6 
  miles 
  up 
  the 
  valley. 
  

   The 
  southern 
  branch 
  from 
  Georgia 
  Pass, 
  which 
  lies 
  east 
  of 
  Mount 
  Guyot 
  ; 
  

   the 
  Middle 
  Branch 
  heads 
  west 
  of 
  Whale 
  Peak 
  and 
  joins 
  the 
  Georgia 
  

   Pass 
  Creek 
  near 
  a 
  dilapidated 
  mining 
  camp 
  or 
  village 
  named 
  Georgia, 
  

   from 
  which 
  place 
  a 
  road 
  leads 
  over 
  a 
  heavy 
  spur 
  into 
  the 
  French 
  Gulch. 
  

   Only 
  1 
  mile 
  below 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Middle 
  and 
  Georgia 
  Pass 
  Branches, 
  

   the 
  third 
  tributary, 
  coming 
  from 
  2 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Glacier 
  Peak, 
  enters, 
  

   and 
  completes 
  Swan 
  Eiver 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  main 
  volume 
  of 
  water. 
  There 
  are 
  

   a 
  very 
  few 
  small 
  streams 
  coming 
  down 
  the 
  mountains, 
  but 
  of 
  not 
  enough 
  

   importance 
  for 
  giving 
  them 
  a 
  complete 
  description. 
  We 
  can 
  hardly 
  

   speak 
  of 
  the 
  Swan 
  Eiver 
  as 
  in 
  a 
  valley, 
  and 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  a 
  canon 
  ; 
  it 
  

   is 
  a 
  mean 
  between 
  the 
  two. 
  There 
  was 
  considerable 
  mining 
  industry 
  

   once 
  along 
  Swan 
  Eiver, 
  but 
  it 
  stagnated 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  our 
  being 
  there, 
  

   though 
  efforts 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  great 
  hope 
  entertained 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  individ- 
  

   ual 
  miners. 
  Swan 
  Eiver, 
  like 
  French 
  Creek, 
  enters 
  the 
  Blue 
  at 
  right 
  

   angles. 
  Next 
  in 
  importance 
  to 
  Blue 
  Eiver 
  itself 
  is 
  

  

  * 
  We 
  include 
  in 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Blue 
  Valley 
  aud 
  tributaries 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  

   The 
  main 
  stream 
  of 
  the 
  Blue, 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek, 
  Swan 
  River, 
  French 
  Gulch, 
  and 
  Snake 
  

   River, 
  with 
  its 
  tributaries. 
  

  

  