200 



Is very roiigli along tlie trail to a mile ox' so south of the crossing of 

 Cascade Creek, when it becomes more even, and the traveling from 

 there on is very good. Wagons could be brought up this far, from the 

 south, without the least trouble. A long line of sandstone bluffs ex- 

 tend parallel to the trail for several miles, and rise from 1,500 to 1,800 

 feet above it. The trail passes along a sort of table, with these bluffs 

 rising above it on the west side, and the Animas Caiion bounding it on 

 the east. Arriving at Animas City, we stabled our riding-mules iu a 

 deserted dwelling-house, and, hanging up our instruments in another, 

 across the street from the first, made a thorough exploration of the 

 city. We found it located on a beautiful level patch of ground, with 

 scattering yellow pines growing all over it. It was composed of one 

 street, with a row of log cabins on either side stretching a distance of 

 several hundred yards. Some of the houses were nearly finished, some 

 half done, and the sites of others were marked by two or three tiers of 

 logs laid one above the other. All were deserted. We took possession 

 of the best-looking one, which had a kitchen attached, and made our- 

 selves very comfortable ; eating inside and sleeping out of doors. The 

 night was so bright and clear that we could not endure sleeping under a 

 roof. We found several persons living in the vicinity, and from them 

 we learned that the settlers had been time and again ordered away by 

 the Indians, and finally considered it best to leave. The height of this 

 place is 6,850 feet. From Baker's Park to this point, a distance of about 

 twenty-six miles, the Animas has a fall of 2,550 feet, or an average of 

 100 feet to the mile. Trout are found in the river here, but how abun- 

 dant I cannot say. They have never been caught as far up as Baker's 

 Park — caused, jDrobably, by falls between the two points. 



Traveling down stream, the stream-bed soon widens out into a very 

 pretty valley, bearing the name of Animas Park. It extends from a 

 point near Animas City, so called, down the river about fourteen miles, 

 with a maximum width of two miles. The total area may be estimated 

 at twenty square miles, but the part capable of cultivation does not 

 amount to more than three or four thousand acres. The greater por- 

 tion of this can be irrigated at little expense. In passing through it we 

 saw corn, wheat, potatoes, turnips, and water-melons growing finely, 

 but all abandoned on account of Indian troubles. This valley is very 

 interesting in many respects. First it contains almost the only tillable 

 land within a hundred miles of the mines. Its distance from Baker's 

 Park is only thirty-five miles by the trail. It is probably the richest 

 little valley in the territory, and has an elevation of only 6,700 to 6,800 

 feet. It faces the south, and consequently is very warm, while at the 

 same time it is near enough the mountains to get the benefit of their 

 great rain-fall. Near its lower end good coal is found in the greatest 

 abundance, while a plentiful supply of good pine timber is near at hand. 

 Farther down the river the country becomes a plain, almost perfectly 

 barren of vegetation. After passing through the park, we made sev- 

 eral stations, west of the river, on low hills. On station 45, which is 

 not represented on the accompanying map, but situated just a little 

 below the border, we found some old ruins, consisting of a couple of 

 watch-towers ; one all disintegrated, leaving only a hole iu the ground 

 to indicate its presence, while the other still remained about four feet 

 high, but was completely overgrown by oak-bushes. Some white and 

 painted pottery lay about. This i^oint is a wooded hill, east of the Eio 

 La Plata. The day after, we found some pottery still farther north, on 

 station 40, which is on the map. After this we followed a road which 

 had been used by the former settlers, over to the Florida, and made 



