﻿CHAPTER 
  lY. 
  

  

  SOUTH 
  PAEK 
  DRAINAGE.— 
  MAIN 
  OR 
  MIDDLE 
  FORK 
  OF 
  

   THE 
  SOUTH 
  PLATTE 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  The 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  or 
  Main 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Platte 
  River 
  has 
  

   its 
  origin 
  in 
  a 
  lai"ge 
  amphitheater, 
  directly 
  below 
  the 
  northern 
  slope 
  of 
  

   Mount 
  Lincoln. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  latter 
  mountain 
  and 
  a 
  huge 
  spur 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  lies 
  a 
  

   formidable 
  mountain 
  amphitheater, 
  where, 
  from 
  snow-banks 
  and 
  little 
  

   lakes, 
  the 
  first 
  waters 
  are 
  gathered, 
  which 
  flow 
  for 
  3 
  miles 
  eastward 
  to 
  a 
  

   point 
  where 
  the 
  Breckenridge 
  and 
  Fair 
  Play 
  road 
  descends 
  from 
  Hoosier 
  

   Pass 
  into 
  the 
  Upper 
  Platte 
  River 
  Valley. 
  

  

  The 
  surroundings 
  here 
  give 
  to 
  the 
  Main 
  or 
  Middle 
  Fork 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  an 
  open 
  valley, 
  which 
  prevails 
  for 
  5 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  southern 
  course. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  valley 
  are 
  the 
  mining 
  towns 
  Dudley 
  and 
  Alma. 
  Immediately 
  

   below 
  Alma, 
  Buckskin 
  Creek, 
  which 
  heads 
  between 
  the 
  spurs 
  and 
  slopes 
  

   of 
  Mount 
  Buckskin 
  and 
  Mount 
  Bross, 
  joins 
  the 
  Platte. 
  Only 
  one 
  mile 
  

   south 
  of 
  this 
  point 
  Musquito 
  Creek 
  comes 
  in, 
  and 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  miles 
  

   still 
  southward 
  Sacramento 
  Creek 
  joins 
  as 
  a 
  tributary. 
  Both 
  of 
  the 
  

   latter 
  streams 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  Park 
  Range 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  7 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  westward. 
  

  

  From 
  Alma 
  the 
  stream 
  turns 
  in 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  40° 
  to 
  the 
  southeast, 
  and 
  

   flows 
  in 
  a 
  broad 
  and 
  grassy 
  valley. 
  Six 
  miles 
  southeast 
  of 
  Alma 
  the 
  

   Main 
  or 
  Middle 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  River 
  passes 
  the 
  well-known 
  mining 
  

   town 
  of 
  Fair 
  Play, 
  which 
  is 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Platte 
  

   River 
  Valley. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  below 
  Fair 
  Play, 
  two 
  small 
  creeks, 
  

   Beaver 
  and 
  Crooked 
  Creeks, 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  slope 
  of 
  Silverheels 
  

   Mountain. 
  Beaver 
  Creek 
  heads 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  mountain 
  

   and 
  flows 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  Upper 
  Platte 
  River, 
  sepa- 
  

   rated 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  mountain 
  spur 
  from 
  Silverheels 
  Mountain, 
  until 
  it 
  

   reaches 
  the 
  Platte 
  River. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  below 
  Fair 
  Play 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  a 
  valley 
  cease, 
  the 
  

   country 
  opens 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  into 
  an 
  undulating 
  country, 
  while 
  in 
  an 
  

   eastern 
  direction 
  the 
  South 
  Park 
  Basin 
  is 
  invested 
  with 
  trachy 
  tic 
  ridges, 
  

   which 
  originate, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  assume 
  their 
  hilly 
  character, 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   Silverheels 
  Mountain, 
  and 
  continue 
  in 
  several 
  parallel 
  ridges 
  through 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Park. 
  

  

  The 
  Platte 
  River 
  presses 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  ridges, 
  and 
  continues 
  so 
  until 
  12 
  miles 
  below 
  Fair 
  Play, 
  

   where 
  Trout 
  Creek 
  comes 
  between 
  two 
  volcanic 
  ridges 
  from 
  Silverheels 
  

   Mountain, 
  and 
  enters 
  the 
  Platte 
  River. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  confluence 
  of 
  Trout 
  Creek 
  thei 
  river 
  still 
  continues 
  south- 
  

   east 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  known 
  as 
  Hartsell's 
  ranch, 
  where 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  

   River 
  enters. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  bears 
  hereafter 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  South 
  Platte 
  River. 
  Before 
  continuing 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  main 
  stream, 
  

   we 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  sketch 
  the 
  main 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  

   River 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries. 
  

  

  The 
  main 
  stream 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  comes 
  from 
  near 
  Weston's 
  Pass, 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Range, 
  A 
  small 
  lake 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

  

  419 
  

  

  