﻿BECHLER.] 
  SOUTH 
  PAKK 
  DRAINAGE. 
  421 
  

  

  Eiver. 
  Among 
  the 
  minor 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  Sooth 
  Park, 
  it 
  miist 
  be 
  counted 
  

   among 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  ones, 
  for 
  although 
  it 
  flows 
  for 
  15 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  

   dry 
  and 
  desert-like 
  country, 
  it 
  still 
  issues 
  into 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  with 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  body 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  High 
  Creek 
  is 
  joined 
  by 
  another 
  stream, 
  Four 
  Mile 
  Creek, 
  when 
  still 
  

   about 
  8 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  Little 
  Platte. 
  The 
  total 
  length 
  of 
  

   High 
  Creek 
  is 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  ; 
  its 
  total 
  fall 
  is 
  1,600 
  feet, 
  or 
  80 
  feet 
  per 
  

   mile. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  High 
  Creek 
  with 
  Little 
  Platte 
  Eiver, 
  several 
  ter- 
  

   races 
  and 
  remnants 
  of 
  buttes 
  crowd 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  river-bank, 
  and 
  3 
  miles 
  

   below 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  Little 
  Platte 
  forms 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  previously- 
  

   described 
  middle 
  or 
  main 
  South 
  Platte. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  length 
  of 
  main 
  Little 
  Platte 
  is 
  32 
  miles 
  ; 
  its 
  mean 
  fall 
  per 
  

   mile 
  is 
  81 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  fall 
  2,600 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  united 
  branches 
  have 
  made 
  now 
  a 
  formidable 
  stream, 
  which 
  

   for 
  17 
  miles 
  meanders 
  in 
  a 
  southeast 
  direction 
  through 
  the 
  southern 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Park, 
  where 
  the 
  South 
  Platte, 
  entering 
  its 
  first 
  

   canon, 
  takes 
  suddenly 
  a 
  northeast 
  course, 
  and 
  continues 
  so 
  for 
  9 
  miles, 
  

   inclosed 
  with 
  600 
  feet 
  high 
  granite 
  ,walls, 
  until 
  it 
  frees 
  itself 
  from 
  its 
  

   rocky 
  inclosure 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  valley 
  form 
  again. 
  Here 
  it 
  receives 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  a 
  lateral 
  stream, 
  -Twin 
  Creek. 
  

  

  Twin 
  Creek 
  originates 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  numerous 
  branches 
  on 
  that 
  plat- 
  

   eau 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Pike's 
  Peak 
  group 
  called 
  Hayden 
  Park. 
  At 
  a 
  point 
  

   named 
  Florissant 
  or 
  Castello's 
  rancbe, 
  the 
  main 
  waters^ 
  of 
  Twin 
  Creek 
  

   unite 
  with 
  two 
  other 
  streams, 
  one, 
  a 
  nameless 
  one, 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  

   south, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  Topaz 
  Creek, 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Topaz 
  

   Butte, 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  north. 
  Down 
  to 
  Florissant 
  the 
  three 
  creeks 
  flow- 
  

   through 
  an 
  undulating 
  plateau 
  country. 
  The 
  depression 
  through 
  which 
  

   they 
  pass 
  may 
  be 
  more 
  compared 
  with 
  soft 
  descending 
  dales, 
  sometimes 
  

   ravines, 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  places 
  narrows 
  — 
  not 
  caiions. 
  

  

  From 
  Florissant 
  or 
  Castello's 
  downward, 
  in 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  

   Eiver, 
  the 
  valley 
  form 
  i^revails, 
  and 
  retains 
  the 
  same 
  character 
  down 
  

   to 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  South 
  Pork 
  of 
  Platte 
  Eiver, 
  which 
  lies 
  about 
  4 
  

   miles 
  west 
  of 
  Castello's 
  ranch. 
  About 
  2^] 
  mi^es 
  before 
  its 
  issue 
  into 
  

   the 
  Platte 
  Eiver 
  another 
  tributary, 
  Fish 
  Creek, 
  which 
  originates 
  between 
  

   the 
  volcanic 
  buttes 
  several 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  comes 
  to 
  join 
  Twin 
  

   Creek. 
  

  

  Fish 
  Creek 
  flows, 
  for 
  the 
  greatest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  during 
  its 
  course 
  of 
  

   11 
  miles, 
  in 
  a 
  softly-descending 
  hilly 
  country, 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  grassy 
  

   ravines 
  and 
  dales. 
  Its 
  descent 
  within 
  its 
  coarse 
  is 
  about 
  1,000 
  feet 
  iu 
  

   total, 
  or 
  about 
  90 
  feet 
  per 
  mile. 
  

  

  For 
  several 
  miles 
  down 
  from 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  Twin 
  Creek, 
  the 
  South 
  

   Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  River 
  bears 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  a 
  narrow 
  valley, 
  but 
  

   before 
  it 
  effects 
  its 
  intersection 
  with 
  the 
  Tarryall 
  Creek, 
  which 
  is 
  8 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  above 
  place, 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  iiressed 
  closer 
  by 
  the 
  hills 
  from 
  both 
  

   sides. 
  During 
  its 
  course 
  down 
  to 
  that 
  point, 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  any 
  stream 
  of 
  

   note 
  entering 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  creek 
  which 
  

   brings 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  Puma 
  Hills 
  (a 
  ridge 
  of 
  mountains 
  6 
  miles 
  to 
  

   the 
  west) 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  Ute 
  Pass, 
  a 
  low 
  pass, 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  Colorado 
  

   Springs 
  and 
  Fair 
  Play 
  road 
  crosses, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  special 
  mention. 
  This 
  last 
  creek 
  comes 
  into 
  the 
  Platte 
  where 
  

   the 
  road 
  crosses 
  the 
  Platte 
  Eiver, 
  near 
  a 
  well-known 
  place 
  named 
  Link's 
  

   rancli. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  springs 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Puma 
  Hills, 
  

   which 
  form 
  the 
  eastern 
  barriers 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Park, 
  but 
  the 
  arid 
  nature 
  of 
  

  

  