﻿400 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  SNAKE 
  EIVER, 
  

  

  a 
  powerful 
  stream 
  of 
  15 
  miles 
  in 
  length. 
  Its 
  main 
  importance 
  thus 
  

   far 
  consists 
  in 
  facilitating 
  the 
  communication 
  between 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  Val- 
  

   ley 
  and 
  the 
  Blue 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  which 
  leads 
  from 
  Georgetown 
  

   over 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Pass 
  into 
  the 
  Snake 
  Eiver 
  Valley. 
  

  

  The 
  sources 
  of 
  this 
  stream 
  are 
  found 
  below 
  the 
  steep 
  slopes 
  descend- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  Gray's 
  Peak 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  in 
  an 
  amphitheater. 
  In 
  standing 
  

   on 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  Argentine 
  Pass, 
  with 
  face 
  southwest, 
  we 
  look 
  down 
  into 
  

   the 
  very 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  Snake 
  River, 
  consisting 
  of 
  snow 
  flats 
  — 
  an 
  amphi- 
  

   theater 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  lake 
  in 
  its 
  center. 
  Prom 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  road 
  

   touches 
  the 
  valley, 
  after 
  descending 
  down 
  along 
  the 
  steep 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  from 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Pass, 
  the 
  Snake, 
  with 
  a 
  gentle 
  swing 
  to 
  

   the 
  south, 
  assumes 
  at 
  once 
  a 
  straight 
  course 
  westward 
  for 
  12 
  miles, 
  and 
  

   only 
  2 
  miles 
  before 
  its 
  intersection 
  with 
  the 
  Blue 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  deviation 
  

   to 
  the 
  northwest. 
  

  

  Where 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Pass 
  road 
  touches 
  the 
  valley-bottom 
  the 
  valley 
  

   proper 
  has 
  its 
  beginning. 
  Down 
  from 
  here 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  narrow, 
  and 
  

   the 
  road 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  an 
  easy 
  one. 
  Three 
  miles 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  the 
  Snake 
  receives 
  a 
  tributary 
  through 
  a 
  powerful 
  

   mountain-stream, 
  coming 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  western 
  slopes 
  of 
  Gray 
  and 
  

   Torrey 
  Peaks, 
  and 
  2 
  miles 
  still 
  farther 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  another, 
  Monte- 
  

   zuma 
  Creekj 
  enters. 
  

  

  MONTEZUMA 
  CREEK 
  

  

  is 
  of 
  about 
  6 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  and, 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  collects 
  its 
  

   waters 
  in 
  three 
  branches 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  range. 
  

   These 
  branches 
  unite 
  near 
  the 
  small 
  mining- 
  village 
  Montezuma, 
  which 
  

   lies 
  only 
  1^ 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  creek's 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  Snake 
  River. 
  The 
  

   most 
  eastern 
  of 
  these 
  branches 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  along 
  which 
  the 
  trail 
  going 
  

   over 
  the 
  Hand-Cart 
  Pass 
  leads. 
  The 
  middle 
  branch, 
  flowing 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  

   of 
  Glacier 
  Peak, 
  has, 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge, 
  no 
  name, 
  but 
  the 
  western 
  

   branch 
  I 
  suppose 
  is 
  named 
  Bear 
  Creek. 
  It 
  comes 
  down 
  in 
  that 
  amphi- 
  

   theater 
  west 
  of 
  Glacier 
  Peak, 
  wherein 
  considerable 
  mining 
  industry 
  has 
  

   caused 
  the 
  erection 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  John's 
  reduction- 
  works. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  3 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  Montezuma 
  Creek 
  the 
  Snake 
  

   is 
  still 
  so 
  wedged 
  in 
  between 
  high 
  and 
  rugged 
  mountains 
  that 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  valley 
  seems 
  inappropriately 
  flattering. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  its 
  3 
  miles 
  of 
  

   close 
  confinement 
  the 
  Snake 
  enters 
  a 
  somewhat 
  broader 
  scope 
  of 
  coun- 
  

   try, 
  and 
  the 
  valley 
  widens 
  as 
  it 
  advances. 
  A 
  large 
  tributary 
  enters 
  

   here 
  from 
  the 
  northeast, 
  and 
  2^ 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  valley 
  another"^ 
  one 
  ar- 
  

   rives 
  from 
  the 
  southeast, 
  and 
  2 
  miles 
  still 
  farther 
  below 
  Keystone 
  Creek 
  

   enters, 
  along 
  which 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  placer-mining 
  has 
  created 
  

   quite 
  a 
  settlement 
  of 
  miners. 
  From 
  the 
  latter 
  creek 
  it 
  is 
  but 
  2 
  miles 
  

   more 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  streams. 
  The 
  Snake 
  Valley 
  is 
  

   once 
  more 
  limited 
  respecting 
  scope 
  of 
  valley 
  bottom 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  

   of 
  that 
  distance, 
  yet 
  the 
  road 
  has 
  plenty 
  of 
  room 
  to 
  avoid 
  embarrass- 
  

   ment. 
  

  

  TEN 
  MILE 
  CREEK 
  

  

  is, 
  next 
  to 
  Snake 
  Creek, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  tributary 
  to 
  Blue 
  River. 
  

   Its 
  sources 
  are 
  located 
  near 
  the 
  same 
  saddle 
  where 
  the 
  East 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eagle 
  River 
  takes 
  its 
  rise. 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek 
  follows 
  in 
  two 
  large 
  curves 
  

   the 
  western 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Range 
  until 
  it 
  effects 
  its 
  exit 
  through 
  a 
  

   canon 
  immediately 
  below 
  the 
  most 
  northern 
  of 
  the 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Peaks, 
  

   from 
  which 
  point 
  it 
  meanders 
  without 
  impediment, 
  in 
  a 
  comparatively 
  

  

  