﻿430 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  4 
  miles 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  we 
  approach 
  Bailey's 
  Eanch, 
  from 
  which 
  

   place 
  the 
  Fair 
  Play 
  road 
  leaves 
  the 
  valloy 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  northeastern 
  

   course 
  toward 
  Turkey 
  Creek, 
  Morrison, 
  and 
  Denver. 
  

  

  From 
  Bailey's 
  Eanch 
  the 
  North 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  Eiver 
  bears 
  in 
  

   the 
  direction 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  Creek 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  12 
  or 
  13 
  miles. 
  The 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  here 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  narrow 
  valley 
  ; 
  of 
  course 
  not 
  absolutely 
  so, 
  for 
  

   there 
  are 
  still 
  several 
  places 
  within 
  that 
  space 
  where 
  some 
  mountain 
  

   spurs 
  or 
  low 
  ridges, 
  "which 
  occur 
  particularly 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  between 
  

   Creig 
  and 
  Buffalo 
  Creek," 
  press 
  the 
  river 
  into 
  a 
  narrow 
  channel; 
  but 
  

   for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  there 
  is 
  more 
  area 
  ot 
  open 
  river 
  bottom 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  

   remainder 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  Fork. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  settlers 
  have 
  occupied, 
  in 
  particular 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  Buffalo 
  Creek 
  junctiou, 
  the 
  whole 
  valley 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  upward. 
  

  

  The 
  grass 
  among 
  the 
  willows 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  abundant, 
  and 
  the 
  mod- 
  

   erately 
  sloping 
  hillsides 
  show 
  plenty 
  of 
  fine 
  and 
  rich 
  bunch 
  grass. 
  

  

  Below 
  this 
  junction 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  Cieek 
  with 
  the 
  North 
  Fork 
  of 
  South 
  

   Platte 
  Eiver 
  the 
  stream 
  enters 
  a 
  rugged 
  caSon 
  district 
  and 
  remains 
  id 
  

   it 
  even 
  after 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  or 
  South 
  Platte 
  Fork. 
  

  

  BUFFALO 
  CREEK. 
  

  

  Buffalo 
  Creek 
  heads 
  at 
  the 
  most 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  Kanosha 
  Eange, 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  spurs 
  of 
  Lost 
  Park 
  Peak, 
  Freeman's 
  Peak, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  Virginia 
  

   Mountain. 
  The 
  largest 
  portion 
  of 
  water 
  comes 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  slopes 
  

   of 
  Kanosha 
  Eange, 
  while 
  the 
  principal 
  stream-bed 
  comes 
  directly 
  from 
  

   a 
  pass, 
  " 
  Webster's 
  Pass," 
  which 
  has 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  about 
  8,200 
  feet. 
  

   For 
  2 
  miles 
  below 
  tbe 
  summit 
  the 
  Pass 
  Fork 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  Creek 
  mean- 
  

   ders 
  through 
  a 
  grassy 
  basin 
  about 
  one 
  mile 
  in 
  length, 
  which 
  bears 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  a 
  lake. 
  Twobuttes, 
  peculiar 
  monuments 
  of 
  erosion, 
  

   stand 
  within 
  1^ 
  miles 
  of 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left 
  of 
  that 
  

   basin. 
  The 
  western 
  one 
  is 
  remarkable 
  for 
  its 
  extreme 
  sharpness 
  and 
  

   abrupt 
  rise; 
  the 
  highest 
  points 
  seem 
  but 
  needles. 
  The 
  relative 
  height 
  

   of 
  that 
  granite 
  butte 
  is 
  about 
  2,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  little 
  lake 
  basin. 
  

   Two 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  this 
  butte, 
  the 
  two 
  principal 
  streams 
  unite 
  to 
  consti- 
  

   tute 
  main 
  Buffalo 
  Creek, 
  which 
  flows 
  hereafter 
  directly 
  in 
  a 
  course 
  

   northeast, 
  toward 
  the 
  North 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Platte 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  country 
  through 
  which 
  Buffalo 
  Creek 
  flows 
  consists 
  

   mainly 
  of 
  rolliugand 
  flattened 
  spurs 
  from 
  Virginia 
  Mountain 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  side, 
  and 
  a 
  low 
  granite 
  ridge 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  the 
  creek 
  has 
  neverthe- 
  

   less 
  a 
  rough 
  and 
  tumbling 
  passage 
  over 
  rocky 
  ground 
  before 
  it 
  unites 
  

   with 
  the 
  North 
  Platte 
  Fork. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  Buffalo 
  Creek 
  is 
  11^ 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  uppermost 
  source. 
  

   The 
  total 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  about 
  3,000 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  fall 
  from 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  Platte 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Fork 
  is 
  

   about 
  1,000 
  feet, 
  or 
  110 
  feet 
  per 
  mile. 
  

  

  