﻿420 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  tbe 
  pass 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  the 
  priucipal 
  feeder 
  of 
  that 
  stream 
  in 
  its 
  

   infancy 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  highest 
  altitude. 
  For 
  4 
  miles 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  runs 
  

   in 
  a 
  southeastern 
  direction 
  between 
  two 
  huge 
  mountain 
  spurs. 
  Within 
  

   that 
  distance 
  it 
  has 
  its 
  steepest 
  descent; 
  after 
  that 
  it 
  turns 
  abruptly 
  

   east 
  and 
  flows 
  for 
  four 
  miles 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  several 
  moramal 
  ridges, 
  

   descending 
  from 
  tbe 
  Park 
  Range, 
  terminate. 
  Here 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  re- 
  

   ceives 
  a 
  tributary 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  namely, 
  from 
  tbe 
  northern 
  slopes 
  ot 
  

   Buffalo 
  Mouutain,and 
  still 
  another 
  one, 
  arriving 
  from 
  a 
  northern 
  direc- 
  

   tion, 
  which 
  drains 
  the 
  slopes 
  and 
  spurs 
  of 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  Range 
  

   lyino- 
  between 
  Sheep 
  Mountain 
  and 
  Weston 
  Pass. 
  Down 
  to 
  this 
  point 
  

   its 
  Ml 
  has 
  been 
  2,000 
  feet 
  within 
  10 
  miles, 
  or 
  200 
  feet 
  per 
  mile. 
  Either 
  

   of 
  tbese 
  tributaries 
  carries 
  nearly 
  as 
  much 
  water 
  as 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  of 
  

   the 
  Little 
  Platte. 
  From 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  junction 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  streams 
  with 
  

   the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  it 
  still 
  continues 
  in 
  an 
  eastern 
  direction 
  for 
  3^ 
  miles, 
  

   with 
  a 
  slight 
  bending 
  to 
  the 
  southward, 
  from 
  where 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  open 
  

   country 
  or 
  basin 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Park. 
  After 
  having 
  entered 
  the 
  level 
  

   l)ortioii 
  of 
  the 
  Park 
  district, 
  it 
  tinally 
  makes 
  an 
  abrupt 
  bend 
  to 
  the 
  

   soutb, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  sluggish 
  flow 
  continues 
  for 
  U 
  mil^s, 
  and 
  when 
  approach- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  within 
  3i 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  salt-works 
  it 
  turns 
  gradually 
  to 
  tbe 
  east, 
  

   receiving 
  on 
  its'' 
  way, 
  during 
  3| 
  miles, 
  one 
  more 
  creek 
  carrying 
  a 
  mod- 
  

   erate 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  eastern 
  spur 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  MouutaiQ. 
  

   This 
  latter 
  creek 
  closes 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  flowing 
  streams 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  

   AH 
  other 
  creek 
  -beds 
  are 
  perfectly 
  dry, 
  and 
  scarcity 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  a 
  predom- 
  , 
  

   inant 
  feature 
  in 
  tb 
  eimmediate 
  neighborhood. 
  \ 
  

  

  Three 
  miles 
  northeast 
  of 
  the 
  salt-works 
  another 
  tributary 
  comes 
  from 
  

   among 
  the 
  wide 
  spreading 
  spurs 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  Peak 
  and 
  joins 
  the 
  Little 
  

   Platte 
  after 
  it 
  has 
  flowed 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  through 
  salty 
  |)lains. 
  This 
  

   latter 
  creek 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  12 
  miles, 
  and 
  owing 
  to 
  tbe 
  many 
  lateral 
  

   branches 
  which 
  combine 
  with 
  the 
  stream 
  near 
  its 
  sources, 
  its 
  volume 
  ot 
  

   water 
  is 
  quite 
  respectable. 
  Tbe 
  total 
  fall 
  of 
  this 
  creek 
  from 
  its 
  source 
  

   to 
  the 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  is 
  about 
  1,800 
  feet. 
  

  

  Two 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  intersection 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  creek, 
  the 
  dry 
  and 
  

   parcbed 
  bed 
  of 
  Agate 
  Creek 
  comes 
  in, 
  and 
  3^ 
  miles 
  still 
  further 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  High 
  Creek 
  joins 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte. 
  

  

  Agate 
  Creek 
  comes 
  from 
  a 
  southern 
  direction 
  and 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  

   northern 
  spurs 
  of 
  Black 
  Mountain, 
  which 
  lies 
  on 
  tbe 
  southern 
  limit 
  of 
  

   the 
  district 
  described 
  in 
  these 
  notes 
  ; 
  its 
  fall 
  is 
  about 
  800 
  feet 
  within 
  a 
  

   length 
  of 
  22 
  miles. 
  For 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  it 
  contains 
  no 
  

   running 
  water, 
  for 
  it 
  sinks 
  shortly 
  after 
  leaving 
  its 
  sources. 
  

  

  The 
  district 
  which 
  Agate 
  Creek 
  drains 
  is 
  one 
  ot 
  the 
  most 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   whole 
  South 
  Park. 
  I^umerous 
  alkaline 
  deposits 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  its 
  

   drained 
  area 
  render 
  the 
  water 
  useless— 
  whenever 
  we 
  find 
  such 
  in 
  small 
  

  

  pools. 
  . 
  . 
  1 
  ^ 
  

  

  Grass 
  is 
  also 
  sparse 
  in 
  this 
  location, 
  and 
  forest 
  vegetation 
  is 
  absent. 
  

   From 
  Aga 
  e 
  Creek 
  the 
  country 
  rises 
  westward 
  tor 
  6 
  miles 
  in 
  very 
  grad- 
  

   ual 
  slopes 
  to 
  a 
  low 
  subridge 
  running 
  directly 
  soutb 
  from 
  Trout 
  Creek 
  

   Pass. 
  Close 
  to 
  that 
  subridge 
  numerous 
  little 
  groups 
  of 
  bills 
  and 
  rem- 
  

   nants 
  of 
  terraces 
  invest 
  the 
  country 
  like 
  barren 
  islands 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  ocean 
  

   basin. 
  Along 
  tbe 
  slope 
  of 
  tbe 
  subridge 
  we 
  find 
  here 
  and 
  tbere 
  good 
  

   pasturage 
  and 
  some 
  springs, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  scarcely 
  make 
  their 
  exit 
  

   from 
  the 
  wooded 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  when 
  their 
  existence 
  also 
  ceases. 
  

  

  Three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  miles 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  Agate 
  Creek 
  tbe 
  

   Little 
  Platte 
  River 
  receives 
  another 
  tributary, 
  named 
  High 
  Creek, 
  

   which 
  has 
  its 
  source 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  tbe 
  highest 
  i)arts 
  of 
  tbe 
  Park 
  Range 
  

   and 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Sheep 
  Mountain. 
  Its 
  course 
  is 
  for 
  IG 
  miles 
  nearly 
  par- 
  

   allel 
  to 
  and 
  only 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  2} 
  miles 
  apart 
  Irom 
  middle 
  or 
  mam 
  Platte 
  

  

  