﻿BECHLEE.] 
  SOUTH 
  PAKK 
  DRAINAGE. 
  427 
  

  

  receives 
  a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  a 
  creek 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  

   station 
  39, 
  or 
  Bison 
  Peak. 
  The 
  borders 
  of 
  this 
  stream 
  have, 
  for 
  about 
  

   2^ 
  to 
  3 
  miles, 
  the 
  resemblance 
  of 
  a 
  park 
  by 
  itself. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  

   nearly 
  one- 
  third 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width, 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  at 
  least, 
  and 
  is 
  

   intersected 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  (main) 
  Lost 
  Park 
  by 
  several 
  mountain 
  

   streams, 
  bringing 
  abundance 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  wide-spread 
  willow-flats 
  from 
  

   among 
  the^northern 
  portions 
  of 
  Tarryall 
  Eange. 
  On 
  this 
  stream 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  above-mentioned 
  willow-flats 
  bison 
  still 
  roam, 
  and 
  

   Indians 
  come 
  here 
  every 
  year 
  to 
  hunt 
  them. 
  From 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  this 
  

   stream 
  with 
  Lost 
  Park 
  Creek, 
  and 
  3 
  miles 
  down 
  the 
  stream, 
  the 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  of 
  a 
  well-developed 
  valley 
  (or 
  park) 
  is 
  hardly 
  questionable. 
  With 
  

   scarcely 
  200 
  feet 
  fall 
  within 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  3 
  miles, 
  its 
  general 
  surface 
  

   appears 
  flat. 
  Along 
  the 
  creek, 
  the 
  mountain-spurs 
  are 
  much 
  flattened, 
  

   and, 
  in 
  consequence, 
  a 
  very 
  soft 
  rise 
  exists 
  immediately 
  in 
  rear 
  of 
  both 
  

   river-banks. 
  Here 
  and 
  there 
  gravel 
  benches 
  make 
  their 
  appearance. 
  

   The 
  valley 
  is 
  from 
  one-third 
  to 
  one-half 
  mile 
  broad, 
  with 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   high, 
  wild 
  grass 
  near 
  the 
  creek, 
  and 
  excellent 
  bunch-grass 
  on 
  the 
  sides. 
  

   The 
  creek 
  has 
  cut 
  a 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  feet 
  deep 
  channel. 
  Numerous 
  little 
  mount- 
  

   ain 
  rivulets, 
  with 
  no 
  wellde-fined 
  beds, 
  have 
  produced 
  many 
  wet 
  and 
  

   miry 
  places 
  near 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  creek. 
  

  

  To 
  estimate 
  from 
  the 
  huge 
  mountain 
  masses 
  that 
  surround 
  this 
  park, 
  

   and, 
  the 
  considerable 
  deposits 
  of 
  snow 
  therein 
  during 
  winter, 
  we 
  reason- 
  

   ably 
  conclude 
  that 
  great 
  and 
  powerful 
  masses 
  of 
  water 
  flow 
  through 
  

   this 
  valley 
  in 
  spring-time. 
  

  

  From 
  general 
  appearance, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  some 
  very 
  regu- 
  

   lar 
  gravel 
  benches, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  river-banks 
  were 
  

   disproportionately 
  higher 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  park 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   center 
  or 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  the 
  stream, 
  I 
  was 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  this 
  

   park, 
  in 
  remote 
  times, 
  was 
  a 
  large 
  mountain 
  lake, 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  ap- 
  

   proximative 
  calculation, 
  contained 
  about 
  9 
  miles 
  of 
  lake 
  surface, 
  includ- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  inlets, 
  which 
  now 
  are 
  side- 
  valleys. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  lower 
  extremities 
  of 
  the 
  park, 
  and 
  1 
  mile 
  below 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  

   a 
  small 
  stream 
  comes 
  down 
  alongside 
  of 
  Wigwam 
  trail, 
  the 
  features 
  

   about 
  Lost 
  Park 
  Creek 
  change 
  from 
  a 
  quiet, 
  almost 
  idyllic 
  mountain 
  

   valley 
  ijto 
  a 
  chaotic-looking 
  caiion. 
  The 
  stream 
  becomes 
  at 
  once 
  

   pressed 
  by 
  steep 
  mountain' 
  spurs 
  into 
  a 
  narrow 
  channel, 
  and 
  for 
  8 
  or 
  

   10 
  miles 
  its 
  borders 
  are 
  dark 
  and 
  desolate-looking 
  walls 
  which 
  recede 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  about 
  2^ 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  creek, 
  and 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  

   3,000 
  feet. 
  On 
  the 
  east, 
  the 
  crests 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  are 
  still 
  nearer, 
  

   and 
  tower 
  about 
  2,200 
  feet 
  relative 
  height 
  above 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  creek. 
  

  

  Inside 
  the 
  canon, 
  the 
  Lost 
  Park 
  Creek 
  represents 
  only 
  a 
  turbulent, 
  

   ever-foaming 
  and 
  ever-plunging 
  stream, 
  in 
  constant 
  battle 
  with 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  fallen 
  into 
  its 
  channel 
  from 
  the 
  precipitous 
  mountain-sides; 
  this 
  

   continues 
  until 
  it 
  emerges 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  chaotic 
  region, 
  a 
  vast 
  wilderness 
  of 
  

   rocks, 
  again 
  into 
  a 
  more 
  moderate, 
  open, 
  and 
  free 
  country, 
  which 
  com- 
  

   mences 
  about 
  4 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  its 
  confluence 
  with 
  Platte 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  length 
  of 
  Lost 
  Park 
  Creek 
  is 
  25 
  miles; 
  its 
  total 
  fall 
  from 
  

   Eock 
  Creek 
  Pass 
  to 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  South 
  Platte 
  Eiver 
  is 
  3,400 
  feet 
  

   and 
  its 
  average 
  fall 
  per 
  mile 
  136 
  feet. 
  

  

  WIGWAM 
  CREEK. 
  

  

  Wigwam 
  Creek 
  rises 
  between 
  the 
  rugged 
  granite 
  ridge 
  east 
  of 
  Lost 
  

   Park 
  Caiion 
  and 
  the 
  exceedingly 
  rugged 
  portion 
  of 
  Kanosha 
  Eange, 
  

   or 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  slopes 
  of 
  Freeman's 
  Peak. 
  This 
  stream 
  carries 
  almost 
  

   from 
  its 
  very 
  source 
  a 
  powerful 
  volume 
  of 
  water. 
  There 
  is 
  one 
  small 
  

  

  