PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. xxxiii 



sent ^e next liundred miles ; nor is tliis surprising^ considering tliat 

 )rtliei this section one of tlie main divides of the western country 

 Summ-viz., that between the waters of the Gulf of California and 

 ^ass, lose of the Northern Pacific — ^joins the mountains on the 

 inentSummit Plateau.'' A little north of Fremont's Peak, the 



at aDst lofty summit of the Wind Eiver range (eWation 13,570 

 ow tbt), the Bear Mountains jut out toAvards the Great Wahsatch 

 r^stj E&ge, as a spur from the Eocky Mountain system. Along 

 r Bo(i^ range the divide passes — the waters destined for the Gulf 

 Q onl^ Californiaj which flow south, being represented by the 

 's Pas^ds of Green Eiyer, the northern branch of the Eio 

 le bac^^^i^ado ; and those of the Northern Pacific by the terminal 

 ^1-0 -Ranches of Lewis Fork or Snake Eiver, which latter flows 

 ,Q^i(r|];to the Columbia. , 



J eg/ To the north-east of the Wind Eiver Mountains, and rising 



? 



j^Q^fom the plains, are the Big Horn, the Snow, the Girdle, and 

 ^j^rther ^4ost mountains,'' our j)resent ignorance of which, both 

 opographical and geological, will not allow us to group into 



It I^^y g^^i^^i'^1 system. 



^^5tf South-east of the Wind Eiver Mountains, and forming its 



I jjiijiouthern continuation, runs a range of hills upon the western 



jjjjg^sdge of the lofty ^^ Summit Plateau," representing the western 



JtJjDiain chain. Along this range passes the continental divide, 



.:*havinir South Pass. Bridirer's, and "others in its course. The 



eastern main chain is here called the Black Hills ; that part 

 of the " Summit Plateau" wliich intervenes is the level park 

 M district, known as the Laramie Plains. 



The great elevation of these plains, which exceeds 7,000 



ft 



y 



•0 



feet, coupled with their high latitude, renders them useless for 

 agiiculture, although for the most part they are good grazing 

 ands. The mountains, however, present so small an obstacle 

 engineering works (having in reality sunk into hills), that 



c 



