﻿424 
  • 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Platte 
  Peak, 
  and 
  vulgarly 
  called 
  "Devil's 
  Head" 
  by 
  the 
  mountaiaeers 
  

   and 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  plain. 
  

  

  Platte 
  Peak 
  has 
  a 
  center 
  position 
  on 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Pront 
  Range 
  

   which 
  runs 
  longitudinally 
  from 
  north 
  of 
  Pike's 
  Peak, 
  commencing 
  

   north 
  of 
  Fountain 
  qui 
  Bouille 
  Creek 
  and 
  rutining 
  to 
  the 
  Platte 
  Canon 
  

   near 
  the 
  exit 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  Platte 
  Peak 
  or 
  Devil's 
  Head 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  pulpit-shaped 
  granite 
  structure 
  lying 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  

   The 
  granite 
  turrets 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  shaped 
  stand 
  erect, 
  and 
  but 
  few 
  can 
  

   be 
  climbed. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  single 
  blocks 
  are 
  so 
  odd 
  in 
  their 
  forms 
  that 
  

   one 
  of 
  them, 
  fronting 
  the 
  plains, 
  resembles 
  indeed 
  a 
  huge 
  head, 
  so 
  dis- 
  

   torted, 
  however, 
  that 
  mountaineers 
  saw 
  fitness 
  in 
  comparing 
  it 
  with 
  an 
  

   imaginary 
  being 
  which 
  has 
  generally 
  been 
  supposed 
  to 
  exist 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  

   hottest 
  of 
  places. 
  That 
  huge 
  granite 
  pulpit 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  Mountain 
  

   falls 
  off 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  suddenly, 
  and 
  the 
  masses 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  

   soon 
  assume 
  that 
  flat, 
  bulky 
  shape 
  descending 
  only 
  by 
  degrees 
  to 
  where 
  

   the 
  deepest 
  drainage-channel 
  lies. 
  Flat 
  as 
  that 
  mountain 
  mass 
  may 
  

   appear, 
  and 
  so 
  gradual 
  as 
  its 
  slopes 
  may 
  present 
  themselves, 
  the 
  drain- 
  

   age 
  has 
  nevertheless 
  cut 
  deep 
  fissures 
  and 
  gashes 
  into 
  the 
  granite 
  in 
  

   some 
  places 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  top, 
  which 
  widen 
  as 
  they 
  approach 
  the 
  valley 
  

   into 
  gorges 
  and 
  canon. 
  

  

  SOUTH 
  FORK 
  OF 
  SOUTH 
  PLATTE 
  EiVEE 
  — 
  Continued. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  creek 
  of 
  note 
  Coming 
  into 
  the 
  South 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  

   Platte 
  River 
  about 
  10 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  confluence 
  of 
  Wigwam 
  and 
  Platte 
  

   Rivers. 
  This 
  nameless 
  creek 
  comes 
  directly 
  first 
  in 
  two 
  branches 
  Irom 
  

   the 
  Platte 
  Mountain 
  pulpit, 
  which 
  gives 
  it 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  8 
  miles. 
  It 
  

   strikes 
  the 
  Platte 
  obliquely, 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  a 
  northeast 
  direction. 
  

  

  Just 
  before 
  that 
  creek 
  joins 
  the 
  Platte 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  passed 
  on 
  its 
  

   left 
  or 
  west 
  side 
  another 
  butte, 
  a 
  fantastic 
  scraggy-shaped 
  granite 
  

   structure, 
  with 
  exceedingly 
  steep 
  faces 
  toward 
  the 
  river. 
  This 
  butte, 
  

   nearly 
  2 
  miles 
  long, 
  has 
  by 
  mountaineers 
  and 
  settlers 
  been 
  named 
  

   Scraggy 
  Butte, 
  from 
  its 
  sharp 
  serrated 
  crest, 
  whereon 
  the 
  straight 
  rocks 
  

   stand 
  like 
  upturned 
  icicles. 
  From 
  this 
  butte 
  the 
  river 
  becomes 
  wedged 
  

   in 
  considerably 
  between 
  steep 
  sloping 
  mountains, 
  and 
  two 
  miles 
  below 
  

   it 
  the 
  South 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Platte 
  is 
  joined 
  by 
  the 
  North 
  Fork* 
  of 
  

   the 
  South 
  Platte 
  River, 
  which 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  has 
  its 
  sources 
  in 
  

   those 
  high 
  mountain 
  portions 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  Colorado 
  Range 
  near 
  

   Whale 
  Peak, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  mountain-slopes, 
  from 
  Kanosha 
  

   Pass 
  around 
  to 
  Evans 
  Peak, 
  and 
  still 
  many 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  l^orth 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Platte 
  is 
  the 
  last 
  conspicuous 
  tributary 
  

   which 
  the 
  main 
  South 
  Platte 
  receives 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  mountains. 
  It 
  is 
  

   from 
  this 
  confluence 
  to 
  the 
  Foot 
  Hills 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  

   line. 
  The 
  river 
  within 
  that 
  space 
  makes 
  two 
  more 
  large 
  bends, 
  larger 
  

   and 
  more 
  definite 
  bends, 
  than 
  it 
  made 
  elsewhere 
  within 
  so 
  short 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tance. 
  But 
  its 
  winding 
  course 
  is 
  justified, 
  for 
  huge 
  granite 
  spurs 
  hem 
  

   its 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  threshold 
  of 
  the 
  plains, 
  but 
  its 
  success 
  is, 
  in 
  spite 
  

   of 
  obstacles, 
  finally 
  complete; 
  men 
  cannot 
  follow 
  its 
  margins, 
  but 
  the 
  

   South 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  itself 
  enters 
  triumphantly 
  the 
  plains 
  to 
  greet 
  

   a 
  splendid 
  valley. 
  

  

  TAERYALL 
  CREEK. 
  

  

  Tarryall 
  Creek 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  tributary 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Platte 
  River 
  as 
  

   long 
  as 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Park 
  region. 
  The 
  main 
  stream 
  has 
  

  

  *TIiis 
  North 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  PJiitte 
  River 
  rimst 
  not 
  be 
  coufonuded 
  with 
  the 
  F>i<i: 
  North 
  

   Folk 
  of 
  the 
  Phitto 
  River, 
  coming 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Park 
  and 
  joiuiug 
  the 
  South 
  Fork 
  of 
  

   the 
  Phitte 
  at 
  North 
  Platte 
  in 
  the 
  phiius. 
  

  

  

  