COLORADO AND UTAH. 165 



Notes on Geological Observations in Colorado and Utah. 



FURNISHED FOR THIS WORK, BY W. M. DAVIS, JR., or PHILADELPHIA. 



COLORADO. 



Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. 1. Colorado Springs. View includes a stretch of the Front 

 or Colorado Range of the Rocky Mountains. From north to west, unnamed. West, are Pike's 

 Peak and Cameron's Cove. Southwest, are Mount Rosa and Cheyenne Mountains; the latter Is the 



finest point of the view. All these are granite, or granitic porphyry, &c. Northeast, (3 miles), is 

 ~*, Tertiary. Southeast, (2 miles), is Mt. Washington, named after the highest of the 

 ains, whose height it closely equals, without rising conspicuously above the plain. 

 West and northwest, are the hogbacks of Mesozoic rocks, standing about vertical the result of the 



Austin's Bluff, Tertiary. Southeast, 

 White Mountains, whose height it closelj 

 West and northwest, are the hogbacks of 3 



granitic upheaval. The Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie and Blair Athol are among these hogbacks 

 to northwest. The Garden Gate is very conspicuous from the mesa (of drift?) west of the town. 

 In Glen Eyrie (private residence of Gen'l Palmer) contact of Triassic sandstone and granite well 

 seen. West, Ute Pass, to north of Pike's Peak, over to South Park. (Stage to Fairplay, two days.) 

 The Fontaine qui Bouille comes down from this pass, past the town of Manitou at its foot is 

 joined by Monument Creek, outside of the hogbacks, and flows south to the Arkansas River. 



Excursions (ponies $3.00 a day) on the Plains, to Austin's Bluffs, Mt. Washington (half day), 

 toward the mountains to Manitou and the fossiliferous Palaeozoic rocks beyond, (their only ex- 

 posure on Front Range !) to Garden of Gods, Glen Eyrie, Blair Athol, Cheyenne Canon, (this latter 

 in granite). Each half a day better a day. To the mountains, " Cheyenne Mountain;" a good 

 (toll) carriage-road leads up valley back of this mountain. The ascent of a characteristic granite 

 peak can be made from end of road (carriage or saddle) in a day. 



To Pike's Peak, (pony $6.00), two days, starting at 10 A. M. easily make Lake House by 4 or 5 

 o'clock. Good little shanty hotel. Moraine Lake shows good example of old glacial work. 

 Leaving lake at 2 A. M., trail can easily be followed in dark to summit, in three hours, for sunrise. 

 Signal Service station on top. View of Plains, Front Range, South Park (to west), and Arkansas 

 Valley beyond ; Sangre de Cristo, Sahwatch ranges in southwest and south, with Blanca Peak 

 (14,480 feet highest of Rocky Mountains in United States) at left end of Sangre de Cristo. Moun- 

 tains Harvard (next highest), Yale and Princeton, to west : Mount Lincoln, and Gray's and 

 Torrey's Peaks, northwest, and many others. Descent to Colorado Springs, 6 or 8 hours. With 

 plenty of time three days I should make this trip on foot. 



2. Edgerton (Borstville?) station for Monument Park. Some few good specimens of monu- 

 ments can be seen from railroad Tertiary, horizontal. 



3. Monument. Mesozoic rocks seen standing up at foot of mountains, four miles west. 



4. Divide. Tertiary rocks reach over Mesozoics, and lie on granite in hill west of station. 



5. Larkspur, Glade, Castle Rock. Fine Tertiary mesa of flat-topped hills. 



Colorado Central Railroad. 6. Golden Junction to Golden City. Road runs between two 

 volcanic mesas, (formerly one, now cut in two by Clear Creek). 



7. Longmont(?) (Valmont?) a dike near railroad station. These are the only igneous rocks 

 occuring in the Sedimentaries along the base of Colorado range. (See Hayden's Report, 1873 

 figures .) 



8. Georgetown. Silver mines and reduction works. Excursion to Gray's Peak easily made in 

 two days (train arrives at noon and leaves at 1 o'clock.) 



Denver Pacific Railroad. 9. Hughes. View of Pike's Peak in extreme south; Mt. Evans 

 group, west-south-west; Gray's and Torrey's Peaks, up a valley (Clear Creek), with the volcanic 

 mesas at its mouth, 12 miles west; James and Arapahoe feaks, west; Long's Peak (double summit) 

 west. Several snowy peaks to northwest, unnamed on maps. (Drainage Map of Colorado, Hay- 

 den, 1877, .) 



UTAH. 



1. Ogden. View of Wahsatch Mountains to east, a very fine range, as seen in afternoon light, 

 when eastern train arrives; southeast, Archaean, with Weber Canon cut in it, through which the 

 railroad has come out into valley; east, "Fault Canon," faulted Cambrian lying on Archaean, 

 recognized by color; Ogden Canon; northeast, Eden Pass, another fault; north and north-north- 

 east, Palaeozoic rocks on Archaean. Lake terraces show all along base of mountains, by gray 

 horizontal line, very distinct. 



Utah Central Railroad. 2. Leaving Ogden and rounding long Quaternary slope south of 

 Weber River, a long stretch of Wahsatch range comes into view. From Fault Canon, north; 

 Archaean, at base; Palaeozoic, above; between Fault Canon and Centreville station, including 

 Weber Canon, all Archaean. Then begins the great synclinal, as seen from along here. The north 

 end, a little south of east from Centreville (Cambrian to Carboniferous), shows on top of moun- 

 tains; and the south end. Twin Peaks (Cambrian), and Lone Peak (granite intruded through 

 Archaean), in farthest distance, showing over lower Tertiary hills south of Centreville. The axis 

 of the synclinal (of soft, Mesozoic rocks) being low and hidden. The old lake terrace IS very 

 clearly seen. 



3. Centreville to Salt Lake City. Around west base of hills, formed of Palaeozoic rock, dipping 

 south, (part of synclinal, overlaid by unconformable Tertiary rocks. 



4. Salt Lake City. Walk north, one hour, to Ensign Peak, (or better, an hour farther north- 

 east, to point whence northeast can be seen also giving fine view in all directions.) The Wah- 

 satch range fills the east, from north to south. Other mountains are: Northwest, Antelope Island, 

 in lake, Archaean. North-northwest, beyond Antelope Promontory Mountains and Island; west, 

 Lakeside, Stansbury and Cedar Mountains; southwest, Qquirrh Mountain; west-southwest, Aqui 

 Mountain; south, Pelican Mountain, (beyond Traverse) Carboniferous, all running north and. 

 south; south, Traverse Mountains, east and west Trachyte cut through in middle of River 

 Jordan, coming from Utah Lake, (fresh of course), north to Great Salt Lake. Prom Ensign Peak 

 can be seen the city; the fertile valley of the Jordan, (fertile from irrigation); the lake; Camp 

 Douglas (U. S. troops) on terrace east of and commanding city; Emigration Canon, through which 

 the Mormons first came to the valley. Salt Lake is better than Colorado Springs for excursions. 



