31 



Tip to from a much lower plain. This is Moore's peak, iri 

 honor of Col. Jno. M. Moore, ol Corpus Christi, who ac- 

 companied me in most of the trip, rendering essential as- 

 sistance. 



The Staked Plain extends southv?ard from the northern 

 part of the State, to near the northern boundaries of Me- 

 dina, Uvalde and Kinney counties, northeast of San 

 Antonio. In its southern portion it had a height of 

 about one thousand feet. At the far north it is often five 

 thousand or more feet high. On the El Paso stage road, 

 west of Fort Concho, its highest portions east of the Pecos 

 are about three thousand feet. West of the Pecos, at 

 Fort Stockton, it is three thousand feet high. On the road 

 from Fort Stockton to Fort Davis, its limestones are seen 

 a few miles west of Leon springs, at ah elevation of a little 

 more than three thousand feet; thence it trends westward 

 and northwestward, being the northern boundary (jf the 

 Toyah valley, and also of the valley of Eagle" springs, 

 being readily distinguished by its flat topped limestone 

 mountains of the cretaceous period. , 



It is not now all a plain, as it once was long, long ago. 

 That it was all plain is proven by its nearly horizontal 

 strata, so like in appearance and thickness throughout the 

 entire region, as to prove that the whole was once continu- 

 ous and unbroken. Now it is intersected by rivers and 

 valleys, the largest river and valley being that of the 

 Pecos. Viewed from the top of many of its mountains, it 

 presents the appearance of a vast plain, with here and 

 there a mesa or table, a few feet higher than the rest. 



For the convenience of reference, the following table of 

 heights along the route are given : 



Austin 500 feet. 



Highest portions of Hays and Blanco coun- 

 ties 100 to 1500 



Bluffton, in the eastern part of Llano county 1260 



Highest mountains in the eastern part of Llano 



and the western part of Burnet counties . . 2000 



Smoothing Iron mountain, in the northwest- 

 ern part of Llano county 2343 



Camp near its base 1800 



Highest mountain near Spiller mine, in the 



eastern part of Mason county 2350 



Spiller mine , 2000 



