TOWNSHIP DESCRIPTIONS. 45 



talus-covered slopes rising 2,500 to 3,000 feet before merging with the summit levels 

 of the inclosing ridges. 



Mining. — Placer claims and prospects on quartz leads of uncertain value are 

 located along Boulder Valley. None are ore producing, and the placers are not now 

 worked for their mineral contents, but have mostly been turned into hay meadows 

 and pastures. 



Minerals. — Gold. 



Soil. — Thin and gravelly, consisting almost wholly of detritus derived from 

 hard, siliceous granite rocks, with a slight top-dressing of loamy matter. Much of 

 the levels and terraced slopes in the Boulder Valley are thickly strewn with 

 bowlders. 



Agricultural adaptability. — Small tracts of land' on the lowest terraces in the 

 Boulder Valley are utilized for agriculture. In the aggregate 1,200 acres are 

 cultivable,. The slopes and summits of the ridges and spurs are too steep and rocky, 

 and situated at too high altitudes to be available for farming. 



Grazing capacity. — The tracts at present utilized for pasture comprise 4,500 

 acres, and consist of temporarily deforested fire glades in the Boulder Valley and of 

 alpine and subalpine meadows on the high summits bordering the valley. 



Drainage conditions. — A large volume of run-off originates in the township. 

 The district contains no lakes nor tarns, but the high areas in the western and central 

 portions give rise to numerous creeks. The drainage is carried by Boulder Eiver, 

 which here is from 25 to 35 feet wide, with a depth varying from 14 to 25 inches at 

 medium stage of water. The stream along its lower courses in the townships north 

 of the reserve is of great importance in irrigation work. 



Snow and rocTc slides. — Of frequent occurrence along the steep breaks of 

 Boulder Valley. 



Town^ and settlements. — The district contains no towns. Farmsteads are scat- 

 tered along Boulder Valley on the agricultural lands. Near the north line of the 

 township, in the valley, is a small collection of houses, or a sort of hamlet, named 

 Contact. Miners' cabins are scattered throughout the mineral-bearing areas. 



Forest conditions. — The forest is thinly stocked. At low altitudes it consists of 

 small stands of lodgepole pine and red fir, surrounded by extensive burns, while at 

 higher elevations thin lines of trees and copses of small extent are scattered among 

 the rocky breaks and grassy glades. Most of the timber grows in inaccessible 

 places and has only a fuel value. i 



Gutting. — The timber in the accessible portions of the Boulder Valley was 

 culled by tie makers in 1882-83. Since then most of the cutting has been to supply 

 the local demand of the farmers in the region. Small quantities have been cut here 

 and there by prospectors and miners. In all, 2,500 acres have been cut over, and 

 60 per cent of the timber on these tracts removed. 



