﻿CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PLATEAU 
  AREA. 
  293 
  

  

  latter, 
  on 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  tin* 
  Canadian, 
  there 
  arc 
  several 
  small 
  areas 
  

   of 
  timber 
  on 
  the 
  plateaus, 
  and 
  farther 
  south, 
  between 
  the 
  Pecos 
  and 
  

   Rio 
  Grande, 
  the 
  minor 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  Guadelupe, 
  Sacramento 
  and 
  Jim- 
  

   enez. 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  latter 
  ranges 
  and 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande 
  is 
  a 
  sage 
  

   barren, 
  depreciating 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  to 
  a 
  desert, 
  excepting 
  that 
  close 
  to 
  

   the 
  river, 
  which 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  good 
  gra- 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Grande, 
  the 
  mountains 
  are 
  timbered, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  ranges 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Burro 
  and 
  

   Miembres 
  Ranges. 
  The 
  country 
  is 
  mainly 
  an 
  undulating 
  plateau, 
  and 
  

   is 
  in 
  most 
  localities 
  covered 
  with 
  short 
  but 
  abundant 
  grass. 
  In 
  the 
  

   northwestern 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  Territory, 
  however, 
  conditions 
  of 
  greater 
  

   aridity 
  prevail, 
  and 
  the 
  prevalent 
  growth 
  is 
  sage. 
  

  

  The 
  Plateau 
  Area. 
  

  

  This 
  region 
  may 
  be 
  roughly 
  defined 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  drained 
  by 
  the 
  Colo- 
  

   rado 
  River 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries. 
  The 
  principal 
  of 
  these 
  head 
  in 
  the 
  

   mountains, 
  yet 
  their 
  courses 
  are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  in 
  this 
  peculiar 
  region. 
  

   Exception 
  should 
  be 
  made, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  Gila 
  and 
  Williams 
  Rivers, 
  

   of 
  Arizona, 
  which 
  drain 
  a 
  region 
  resembling 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Basin 
  in 
  

   Nevada, 
  of 
  low, 
  isolated, 
  parallel 
  ranges, 
  separated 
  by 
  desert 
  valleys. 
  

  

  The 
  plateau 
  region 
  includes 
  the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  and 
  southern 
  parts 
  of 
  Utah, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  Arizona. 
  Most 
  of 
  it 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  plateaus, 
  horizontal 
  or 
  inclined, 
  differing 
  widely 
  in 
  elevation 
  

   and 
  in 
  degree 
  of 
  natural 
  fertility. 
  The 
  streams, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  flow 
  in 
  cations 
  

   far 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  though 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  broad 
  valleys. 
  

  

  The 
  Green 
  River 
  Basin, 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  broad 
  valleys, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  

   treated 
  of 
  in 
  detail. 
  South 
  of 
  this, 
  and 
  separating 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  charac- 
  

   teristic 
  plateau 
  region 
  to 
  the 
  southward, 
  is 
  the 
  Uinta 
  Range, 
  a 
  broad, 
  

   heavily 
  timbered 
  mountain 
  mass, 
  trending 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  This 
  range 
  

   is 
  well 
  timbered, 
  the 
  forests 
  extending 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  everywhere. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  region 
  the 
  table 
  lands 
  

   are 
  high, 
  reaching 
  along 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  proper 
  nearly 
  or 
  

   quite 
  to 
  timber 
  line. 
  These 
  plateaus 
  are 
  heavily 
  timbered. 
  Among 
  

   them 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  the 
  following: 
  On 
  the 
  east, 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  the 
  

   White 
  River 
  Plateau, 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  of 
  that 
  name 
  ; 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   and 
  North 
  Mam 
  Plateaus, 
  between 
  the 
  Grand 
  and 
  Gunnison 
  Rivers; 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  in 
  Utah, 
  the 
  Aquarius 
  and 
  other 
  high 
  table 
  lands, 
  

   which 
  continue 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Wahsatch 
  Range 
  and 
  the 
  Kaibab 
  

   Plateau, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  Colorado 
  cuts 
  its 
  Grand 
  Canon. 
  

  

  The 
  Roan 
  or 
  Book 
  Plateau, 
  and 
  the 
  inclined 
  steppes 
  north 
  of 
  it, 
  which 
  

   extend 
  across 
  the 
  whole 
  region 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west, 
  having 
  heights 
  rang- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  6,000 
  to 
  8,000 
  feet, 
  have 
  considerable 
  range 
  in 
  natural 
  produc- 
  

   tions 
  near; 
  their 
  crests 
  producing 
  mainly 
  grasses, 
  with 
  occasional 
  groves 
  

   of 
  timber, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  portions 
  sage 
  only. 
  

  

  The 
  Uinta 
  Valley, 
  at 
  the 
  south 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Uinta 
  Range, 
  is 
  described 
  

  

  