﻿402 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SUEVEY. 
  

  

  miles 
  upward 
  a 
  well-grassed 
  valley, 
  but 
  which 
  comes 
  abruptly 
  to 
  a 
  

   close 
  and 
  bears 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  up 
  to 
  its 
  headwaters 
  after 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  

   features 
  of 
  a 
  caiioii. 
  This 
  caGon-stream, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  9 
  to 
  10 
  miles 
  

   long, 
  together 
  with 
  its 
  lateral 
  branches, 
  constitutes 
  the 
  only 
  break 
  in 
  

   that 
  mountain 
  district 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Upper 
  Williams 
  River 
  Mount- 
  

   ains. 
  Indeed, 
  in 
  compactness 
  of 
  mass 
  Williams 
  Range 
  has 
  no 
  equal 
  

   in 
  the 
  district 
  described 
  in 
  these 
  notes, 
  for 
  during 
  its 
  whole 
  length 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  neither 
  the 
  western 
  nor 
  eastern 
  mountain- 
  

   sides 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  deep 
  cuts 
  from 
  drainage; 
  it 
  compares, 
  except 
  that 
  

   portion 
  about 
  the 
  Ute 
  Pass, 
  where 
  a 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  axis 
  exists, 
  with 
  a 
  

   solid, 
  unbroken 
  mountain 
  chain. 
  An 
  explanation 
  of 
  this 
  fact 
  is 
  simple 
  

   enough, 
  for 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  that 
  range 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  either 
  the 
  Blue 
  or 
  

   Williams 
  River, 
  and 
  the 
  drainage 
  in 
  its 
  sudden 
  descent 
  has 
  no 
  time 
  for 
  

   slow, 
  laboriously 
  deep 
  washing, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  rapid 
  descent 
  leaves 
  in 
  most 
  

   cases 
  only 
  gulches 
  to 
  mark 
  its 
  course. 
  

  

  Opposite 
  the 
  Upper 
  Williams 
  River 
  Mountain 
  portion, 
  and 
  across 
  the 
  

   valley 
  westward, 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  rugged 
  Gores 
  Range. 
  The 
  

   axis 
  of 
  that 
  range 
  lies 
  farther 
  oft" 
  — 
  18 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  the 
  

   streams 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  deeply-eroded 
  amphitheaters 
  and 
  through 
  'sharp- 
  

   crested 
  rugged 
  spurs. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  chapter, 
  when 
  speaking 
  about 
  the 
  Gores 
  

   Range, 
  alluded 
  to 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  spurs 
  in 
  their 
  descent 
  from 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  debris 
  slope 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  valley. 
  This 
  flat, 
  depressed 
  area 
  

   between 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  steep 
  slopes 
  of 
  rugged 
  

   spurs 
  are 
  morainal 
  deposits, 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  pine 
  tim- 
  

   ber, 
  forming 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  a 
  foreland 
  between 
  river 
  and 
  mountains. 
  Gen- 
  

   erlly 
  the 
  first 
  mile 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  consists 
  of 
  slow-rising 
  grassy 
  terrace 
  

   country, 
  after 
  which 
  we 
  encounter 
  the 
  morainal 
  benches, 
  occupying 
  a 
  

   space 
  often 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  upward. 
  

  

  The 
  broad 
  patch 
  of 
  sage-bottom 
  referred 
  to 
  below 
  the 
  Three 
  Rivers 
  

   Junction 
  extends 
  several 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  Blue 
  River, 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  upper 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  carved 
  a 
  very 
  deep 
  channel. 
  The 
  river 
  

   itself 
  bears 
  for 
  17 
  miles 
  a 
  direction 
  of 
  north 
  30^ 
  west, 
  and 
  though 
  it 
  keeps 
  

   a 
  general 
  uniform 
  course 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  it 
  approaches 
  some- 
  

   times 
  nearer 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  Williams 
  Range 
  and 
  crowds 
  the 
  road 
  which 
  lies 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river-bank 
  several 
  times 
  against 
  inconvenient 
  steep 
  

   places. 
  However, 
  in 
  such 
  cases 
  it 
  soon 
  turns 
  westward 
  again, 
  and 
  leaves 
  

   repeatedly 
  long 
  stretches 
  of 
  good 
  bottom. 
  

  

  When 
  within 
  about 
  7 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  Pass 
  Creek, 
  the 
  

   Bine 
  makes 
  a 
  bend 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  through 
  a 
  caiion, 
  caused 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  by 
  

   a 
  big 
  rounded 
  spur 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  Williams 
  Range, 
  and 
  lying 
  right 
  

   across 
  the 
  valley. 
  This 
  bend 
  is 
  about 
  4 
  miles 
  long, 
  and 
  after 
  that 
  the 
  

   river 
  proceeds 
  due 
  north 
  for 
  five 
  miles 
  until 
  on 
  a 
  line 
  with 
  Ute 
  Pass, 
  

   where 
  the 
  Ute 
  Pass 
  Creek 
  enters. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  river 
  turns 
  

   sharply 
  into 
  a 
  due-northwest 
  course, 
  and 
  remains 
  at 
  least 
  for 
  7 
  miles 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  Williams 
  Range, 
  the 
  abrupt 
  terraces 
  of 
  which 
  rise 
  

   pretty 
  close 
  from 
  the 
  river's 
  edge, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  bulky 
  broad 
  

   terraces, 
  caused 
  by 
  lake-deposits, 
  press 
  close 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  road, 
  which 
  from 
  the 
  Three 
  Rivers 
  Junction 
  has 
  remained 
  all 
  the 
  

   way 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  is 
  obliged 
  to 
  cross 
  near 
  Ute 
  Pass 
  Creek, 
  

   and 
  remains 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  bank 
  for 
  about 
  7 
  miles, 
  meandering 
  through 
  

   sometimes 
  very 
  inconvenient 
  terraces 
  and 
  benches 
  until 
  some 
  3 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  Blue 
  Valley 
  Butte, 
  when 
  it 
  again 
  crosses 
  the 
  river, 
  to 
  remain 
  

   hereafter 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  until 
  it 
  crosses 
  over 
  into 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  7 
  miles 
  of 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  Pass 
  Creek 
  down 
  to 
  this 
  point, 
  

   where 
  the 
  road 
  recrosses 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  Will- 
  

  

  