﻿CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  PLATEAU 
  AREA. 
  295 
  

  

  which 
  extends 
  westward 
  to 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Abajo, 
  and 
  south 
  to 
  the 
  Bio 
  

   San 
  Juan, 
  a 
  broad 
  expanse 
  fully 
  justifying 
  the 
  name, 
  which 
  was 
  given 
  

   to 
  it 
  by 
  Professor 
  Newberry. 
  Here 
  and 
  thereon 
  this 
  plateau 
  are 
  patches 
  

   of 
  pinon 
  pine 
  and 
  cedar, 
  the 
  only 
  tree- 
  vegetation 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  arid 
  

   regions. 
  Beyond 
  the 
  Abajo 
  Mountains 
  the 
  country 
  presents 
  the 
  aspect 
  

   of 
  a 
  plateau, 
  arid 
  and 
  waterless, 
  and 
  almost 
  without 
  vegetation. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  plateau 
  basin, 
  the 
  plateaus 
  sloping 
  

   eastward 
  from 
  the 
  Wahsatch 
  present 
  features, 
  in 
  general, 
  almost 
  iden- 
  

   tical 
  with 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  succession 
  of 
  steps 
  from 
  

   the 
  higher 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  plateaus, 
  the 
  same 
  gradation 
  in 
  the 
  vegetation. 
  

   There 
  are, 
  rising 
  out 
  of 
  these 
  plateaus, 
  a 
  few 
  groups 
  of 
  volcanic 
  mount- 
  

   ains, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Sierras 
  la 
  Sal 
  and 
  Abajo, 
  the 
  Henry 
  Mountains, 
  and 
  

   El 
  Lat6, 
  which 
  are 
  partly 
  clothed 
  with 
  timber, 
  and 
  around 
  whose 
  bases 
  

   are 
  belts 
  of 
  fine 
  luxuriant 
  grass, 
  resembling 
  oases 
  in 
  a 
  desert. 
  

  

  The 
  San 
  Juan 
  Kiver 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  Mountains, 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   branches, 
  which, 
  flowing 
  southward 
  from 
  the 
  mountains, 
  unite 
  in 
  the 
  

   plain 
  at 
  their 
  base, 
  and 
  th 
  ence 
  pursue 
  a 
  general 
  westward 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  

   Colorado. 
  Among 
  the 
  lower 
  spurs 
  of 
  these 
  mountains, 
  the 
  streams 
  

   have 
  narrow 
  grassy 
  valleys, 
  interspersed 
  with 
  timber. 
  Away 
  from 
  the 
  

   mountains, 
  however, 
  the 
  omnipresent 
  sage 
  asserts 
  proprietorship 
  again. 
  

   The 
  river 
  has 
  a 
  narrow 
  flood 
  plain, 
  with 
  groves 
  of 
  willows 
  and 
  cotton- 
  

   wood, 
  but 
  here, 
  as 
  everywhere 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  grass 
  is 
  scarce. 
  South 
  of 
  

   the 
  river, 
  however, 
  near 
  the 
  boundary 
  between 
  New 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Arizona, 
  

   is 
  an 
  extensive 
  group 
  of 
  mountains, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Carrisos 
  and 
  Tuni- 
  

   chas, 
  the 
  latter 
  name 
  being 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  range. 
  

  

  These 
  mountains 
  contain 
  some 
  timber 
  near 
  their 
  summits, 
  and 
  are 
  

   everywhere 
  well 
  grassed, 
  while 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Chelly 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  

   which 
  forms 
  the 
  principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Navajo 
  Eeservation, 
  is 
  covered 
  

   with 
  exceptionally 
  fine 
  grass. 
  Beyond 
  this 
  region^ 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  the 
  

   country 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  goes 
  from 
  bad 
  to 
  worse, 
  a 
  country 
  

   fit 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  habitation 
  of 
  the 
  rattlesnake, 
  tarantula, 
  and 
  coyote. 
  

  

  The 
  Colorado 
  Chiquito 
  heads 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  and, 
  

   flowing 
  at 
  first 
  westerly 
  and 
  then 
  northwesterly 
  over 
  the 
  Colorado 
  Plateau, 
  

   empties 
  into 
  the 
  Colorado 
  Biver. 
  The 
  plateau 
  over 
  which 
  it 
  flows 
  has 
  

   an 
  elevation 
  of 
  5,000 
  to 
  6,000 
  feet, 
  terminating 
  in 
  a 
  well-defined 
  edge 
  

   on 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southwest, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  country 
  

   beyond. 
  In 
  Western 
  New 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Eastern 
  Arizona 
  the 
  southern 
  

   border 
  is 
  crowned 
  by 
  the 
  Datili 
  Bange. 
  Northward 
  the 
  plateau 
  stretches, 
  

   a 
  desert-like 
  expanse, 
  into 
  the 
  country 
  above 
  described. 
  The 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  this 
  plateau, 
  and 
  especially 
  the 
  northern 
  portion, 
  is 
  barren 
  and 
  

   uninviting. 
  About 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  it 
  is 
  less 
  arid, 
  while 
  the 
  im- 
  

   mediate 
  valley 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  grassy 
  and 
  fertile, 
  but 
  with 
  very 
  little 
  

   timber. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  the 
  volcanic 
  group 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  San 
  Francisco 
  

   Mountains, 
  rising 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  12,500 
  feet. 
  These 
  mountains 
  are 
  

   densely 
  timbered, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  plateau 
  about 
  their 
  bases, 
  while 
  the 
  tim- 
  

  

  