township descriptions. 83 



Township 7 South, Range 12 East. 



Topography. — High, steep, precipitous mountains reaching elevations of 11,200 

 feet, a part of the main range of the Absarokas, are found in the southern and in most 

 of the central areas of the township. The remainder consists of portions of the 

 narrow and rocky upper canyon of Boulder River, of steep spurs abutting on this 

 canyon, and, in the northeast quarter, of terraces or small plateau-like areas lying 

 at the head of the West Boulder at altitudes of 9,000 to 9,500 feet. 



Mining. — Boulder Valley in this township contains two mining camps — Inde- 

 pendence and Cowles. Independence is abandoned, but Cowles is in active operation. 

 The gravels in the central areas of the township are auriferous, and hundreds of 

 placer claims have been located on them, a few of which are being worked. 



Minerals. — Gold. 



Soil. — Gravelly loam, mostly stony and mixed with bowlder drift. In places 

 the soil is clayey or gumbo-like. 



Agricultural adaptability. — No portion of the township is cultivable. The 

 stony soil and the high altitude of the region are prohibitive of agriculture. 



Grazing capacity. — Numerous alpine and subalpine glades occur throughout 

 the township. They bear close swards of sedge and grass. Accessible in most 

 places, they are pastured only by the animals of prospectors and by small bands 

 of stock. 



Drainage conditions. — The principal water head of Boulder River is in this 

 township, and as such its watershedding capacity is of great importance. The 

 run-off is large. Tarns, rivulets, and creeks are numerous. Most of the feeders 

 to the different creeks head in glacial cirques, which commonly hold one or more 

 tarns, forming extensive series of natural reservoirs. 



Snow androch slides. — Avalanches of rock and snow are frequent throughout, 

 more particularly on the eastern slopes of Boulder Canyon. 



Towns and settlements. — Cowles mining camp in Boulder Valley, near Haystack 

 Peak, a stamp mill working the auriferous ores of the region, with the necessary 

 buildings for employees clustered around it, and one small sawmill near the north line 

 of the township in Boulder Canyon, comprise the settlements. Numerous miners' 

 cabins are scattered over the mineral-liearing areas. 



Forest conditions. — At the higher elevations the forest consists of thin subalpine 

 stands very much scattered among the grassy glades. The timber is low and 

 scrubby, fit chiefly for fuel and mine props. The canyon of the Boulder, and 

 especially the tributary canyons coming in from the west, contains close-set stands 

 of lodgepole pine and spruce varying in age from 100 to 200 years. 



Cutting. — A great quantity of timber has been cut in Boulder Valley, particu- 

 larly around the deserted mining camp of Independence and at Cowles camp. At the 

 latter place the subalpine slopes are being completely stripped of every vestige of 



