﻿BECHLEE.J 
  EASTERN 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAIN 
  SLOP!:. 
  433 
  

  

  Nowhere 
  else 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  Front 
  Range 
  are 
  great 
  

   mountain 
  masses 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  i)ertaining 
  to 
  the 
  Clear 
  

   Creek 
  drainage 
  system. 
  The 
  spurs 
  naturally 
  follow 
  along 
  the 
  creeks, 
  

   and, 
  in 
  consequence, 
  have 
  also 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  concentrate 
  near 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  junctions 
  of 
  the 
  tributaries 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  channel. 
  

  

  Where 
  huge 
  mountains 
  crowd 
  so 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  drainage 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  the 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  district, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  room 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  

   a 
  valley. 
  This 
  fact 
  is 
  manifested 
  here, 
  for 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  canon 
  

   from 
  beginning 
  to 
  end, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  only 
  two 
  small 
  spots 
  which 
  might 
  

   be 
  excepted, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  insignificant 
  enough. 
  In 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  situ- 
  

   ated 
  Idaho 
  Village, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  strip 
  2^ 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  

   upward 
  from 
  Mill 
  City. 
  The 
  same 
  features 
  appear 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  tributaries. 
  

   Every 
  stream 
  that 
  comes 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  is 
  inclosed 
  by 
  a 
  caiion. 
  

   Notwithstanding 
  the 
  excessively 
  mountainous 
  character 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  

   which 
  defies 
  all 
  attempts 
  at 
  agricultural 
  pursuits, 
  the 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  dis- 
  

   trict 
  supports 
  quite 
  a 
  large 
  population 
  which 
  is 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  indus- 
  

   tries 
  of 
  mining. 
  There 
  we 
  find 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  most 
  thriving 
  

   towns 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  namely: 
  Central 
  City, 
  Georgetown, 
  Blackhawk, 
  

   Idaho, 
  besides 
  several 
  smaller 
  villages 
  and 
  scattered 
  settlements, 
  like 
  

   Empire 
  and 
  Mill 
  Cities, 
  Downieville, 
  Silverplume, 
  and 
  settlements 
  all 
  

   along 
  South 
  Fork 
  of 
  Clear 
  Creek. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  attempts 
  at 
  farming 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  

   Fall 
  River, 
  where 
  a 
  few 
  enterprising, 
  and, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  hard-working 
  men 
  

   bave 
  availed 
  themselves 
  of 
  isolated 
  patches 
  of 
  moderately 
  sloping 
  

   ground 
  to 
  raise 
  some 
  potatoes 
  and 
  oats, 
  the 
  only 
  products 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  

   raised 
  in 
  these 
  mountains. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  roads 
  leading 
  into 
  this 
  mountain 
  district, 
  uniting 
  at 
  

   Idaho, 
  one 
  coming 
  over 
  and 
  between 
  heavy 
  mountains 
  from 
  the 
  Bear 
  

   Creek 
  country 
  by 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  Bergen's, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  over 
  Floyd 
  Hill 
  

   from 
  Central 
  City. 
  From 
  Idaho 
  the 
  road 
  continues 
  on 
  to 
  Georgetown, 
  

   while 
  a 
  branch 
  road 
  leads 
  via 
  Empire 
  City 
  into 
  the 
  Middle 
  Park, 
  cross- 
  

   ing 
  Berthoud 
  Pass 
  at 
  an 
  approximate 
  elevation 
  of 
  11,313 
  feet. 
  Roads 
  

   branch 
  off 
  from 
  Georgetown 
  in 
  two 
  directions; 
  one 
  leads 
  up 
  to 
  South 
  

   Fork 
  of 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  mines 
  extend, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  presents 
  a 
  

   tolerably 
  clear 
  track 
  along 
  that 
  branch 
  of 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  which 
  takes 
  its 
  

   rise 
  in 
  that 
  huge 
  amphitheater 
  beneath 
  Gray's 
  Peak. 
  At 
  the 
  very 
  head- 
  

   waters 
  of 
  this 
  branch 
  we 
  are 
  surrounded 
  by 
  many 
  objects 
  of 
  x)rofound 
  

   interest. 
  Besides 
  that 
  interest 
  which 
  we 
  take, 
  perhaps, 
  in 
  the 
  lofty 
  peak 
  

   standing 
  immediately 
  before 
  us, 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  objects 
  that 
  claim 
  our 
  

   attention. 
  

  

  High 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  precipitous 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  McClellan 
  Range, 
  '' 
  which, 
  

   crescent-shaped, 
  encircles 
  that 
  amphitheater 
  on 
  the 
  east," 
  are 
  mines, 
  

   appearing 
  like 
  swallow-nests 
  on 
  a 
  cliffy 
  mountain-side. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  

   Stevens 
  mine, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  11,943 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level, 
  which, 
  the 
  

   signal-station 
  of 
  Pike's 
  Peak 
  excepted, 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  highest 
  place 
  of 
  

   human 
  habitation 
  in 
  Colorado. 
  The 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  this 
  rocky 
  home- 
  

   stead 
  ascend 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  ropes. 
  Mount 
  Kelso 
  is 
  opposite, 
  but 
  

   the 
  mine 
  thereon 
  does 
  not 
  quite 
  reach 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  Stevens 
  mine. 
  

  

  Another 
  road 
  leads 
  up 
  a 
  tributary 
  of 
  South 
  Fork 
  of 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  to 
  

   and 
  over 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Pass 
  into 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  Snake 
  and 
  Blue 
  Rivers. 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  the 
  Clear 
  Creek 
  district, 
  the 
  country 
  lying 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  

   Mountain 
  crest 
  assumes 
  totally 
  different 
  orographic 
  features. 
  We 
  only 
  

   find 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  mountains 
  of 
  first 
  order 
  expressed 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  

   spurs 
  detached 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  which 
  are 
  occasionally 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  6 
  miles 
  

   long, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  possessing 
  the 
  bold 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  spurs 
  

   we 
  see 
  along 
  the 
  Gores 
  Range, 
  or 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  extending 
  

   28 
  G 
  s 
  

  

  