﻿BECHLEK.1 
  • 
  BLUE 
  EIVER 
  AND 
  ITS 
  VALLEY. 
  401 
  

  

  open 
  country, 
  for 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  northeastern 
  direction, 
  to 
  the 
  Three 
  River 
  

   Junction. 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek 
  is 
  doubtless 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  

   supposed 
  distance 
  which 
  this 
  creek 
  at 
  its 
  intersection 
  with 
  the 
  Blue 
  was 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  the 
  mining-town 
  of 
  Breckenridge. 
  Its 
  total 
  length 
  

   is 
  22 
  miles, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  fall 
  of 
  127 
  feet 
  to 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  a 
  total 
  fall 
  of 
  

   2,800 
  feet. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  four 
  tributaries 
  to 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek, 
  which 
  all 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  Eagle 
  River 
  Range. 
  Good 
  Harbor 
  Creek, 
  with 
  a 
  length 
  

   of 
  7 
  miles, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  one. 
  This 
  creek 
  takes 
  in 
  four 
  small 
  

   tributaries. 
  Higher 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  mountains, 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  

   Creek, 
  McNulty 
  Gulch, 
  a 
  mining-gulch, 
  comes 
  in 
  as 
  a 
  tributary, 
  and 
  near 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  caiion 
  a 
  creek 
  named 
  Caiion 
  Creek 
  intersects, 
  which 
  

   comes 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  slopes 
  and 
  spurs 
  of 
  Red 
  Peak 
  and 
  its 
  neigh- 
  

   bors. 
  This 
  latter 
  creek 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  6 
  miles. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Ten 
  Mile 
  Creek 
  and 
  Snake 
  and 
  Blue 
  Rivers 
  we 
  may 
  

   venture 
  to 
  say 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  prettiest 
  localities 
  on 
  the 
  Blue 
  River 
  Valley. 
  

   From 
  here 
  we 
  have 
  mountain 
  ^scenery 
  of 
  every 
  desirable 
  form 
  and 
  shape. 
  

   As 
  we 
  look 
  up 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Blue, 
  our 
  eyes 
  meet 
  on 
  the 
  horizon 
  the 
  

   sharp 
  peaks 
  about 
  Hamilton 
  Pass, 
  and 
  several 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  them 
  we 
  

   see 
  Mount 
  Guyot 
  dominating 
  over 
  lesser 
  peaks 
  and 
  rugged 
  mountains, 
  

   while, 
  when 
  we 
  look 
  down 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Blue, 
  our 
  eyes 
  are 
  arrested 
  

   by 
  the 
  huge 
  mountain-masses 
  of 
  the 
  Gores 
  Range, 
  with 
  its 
  countless 
  

   lofty 
  j)eaks 
  and 
  its 
  sharp 
  spurs. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  Middle 
  Blue 
  River 
  Valley. 
  

  

  In 
  Northeastern 
  Colorado 
  we 
  will 
  hardly 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  another 
  river 
  

   apparently 
  with 
  more 
  distinctly 
  expressed 
  valley 
  features 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  Blue 
  River, 
  commencing 
  from 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Three 
  Rivers 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Grand, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  35 
  miles. 
  This 
  excludes 
  a 
  stretch 
  

   of 
  perhaps 
  3 
  miles 
  before 
  we 
  arrive 
  on 
  a 
  line 
  with 
  Ute 
  Pass, 
  and 
  one 
  

   of 
  5 
  miles 
  below 
  Ute 
  Pass, 
  where 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  crowded 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  case 
  

   from 
  a 
  big 
  spur 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  right 
  or 
  Williams 
  Range, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   second 
  case 
  from 
  high 
  terraces 
  and 
  low 
  depressed 
  spurs 
  descending 
  from 
  

   the 
  Gores 
  Range. 
  But 
  deducting 
  this 
  8 
  miles 
  of 
  valley 
  obstruction, 
  

   there 
  still 
  remain 
  some 
  27 
  miles 
  of 
  valley 
  features 
  that 
  have 
  no 
  com- 
  

   parison 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  northeast 
  of 
  Colorado. 
  But 
  looking 
  at 
  it 
  in 
  

   the 
  spirit 
  of 
  an 
  agriculturist, 
  we 
  find, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  its 
  valley 
  appearance, 
  

   in 
  it 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  one 
  very 
  important 
  condition 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  a 
  

   level 
  bottom, 
  a 
  fault 
  which 
  many 
  if 
  not 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  

   valleys 
  share. 
  The 
  river-channel 
  is 
  carved 
  in 
  an 
  average 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  60 
  

   feet 
  below 
  what 
  would 
  constitute 
  the 
  main 
  space 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  ; 
  the 
  

   actual 
  bottom 
  is 
  very 
  narrow, 
  hardly 
  representing 
  the 
  space 
  of 
  one 
  

   more 
  river's 
  width. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  ilattish-appearing 
  valley 
  space 
  to 
  

   the 
  right 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  is 
  composed 
  mainly 
  of 
  terraces 
  and 
  gentle 
  

   descending 
  flattened 
  spurs, 
  with 
  deep 
  narrow 
  gulches 
  between 
  them, 
  

   a 
  circumstance 
  which 
  would 
  make 
  irrigation 
  very 
  costly, 
  difficult, 
  and 
  

   perhaps 
  ineffectual. 
  

  

  The 
  middle 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Blue 
  River 
  Valley 
  commences 
  at 
  the 
  Three 
  

   Rivers 
  Junction, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  extending 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  Blue 
  

   River 
  Valley 
  Butte, 
  24 
  miles 
  distant 
  to 
  the 
  southwest. 
  Only 
  IJ 
  miles 
  

   below 
  the 
  above-named 
  junction 
  we 
  enter 
  a 
  broad 
  sage-patch 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  which 
  is 
  over 
  1 
  mile 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  here 
  quite 
  a 
  

   large 
  tributary 
  (Rough 
  Creek) 
  enters, 
  coming 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  

   slopes 
  of 
  Williams 
  Range 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  it 
  branches 
  

   from 
  the 
  main 
  or 
  Colorado 
  Range. 
  This 
  creek 
  possesses 
  for 
  several 
  

   26 
  G 
  s 
  ^ 
  

  

  