TOWNSHIP DESCRIPTIONS. 101 



Township S South, Range li East. 



Topography. — The eastern areas of the township comprise a high, rocky, 

 glaciated tract abounding in shallow depressions, small flats, short escarpments, 

 steep serrated peaks, and narrow crevice-like canyons. The central areas are cut by 

 the trough-like canyon of Stillwater River, with sheer, rock walls in, most places. 

 The westei'n tracts consist of broad spurs and ridges stretching eastward from the 

 main divides in the township on the west. 



2fining. — None. 



Soil. — Thin and gravellj'; most of the nontimbered areas of the township have 

 no soil cover. 



Agricultural adaptability. — The township contains no tillable land. 



Grazing capacity. — None. 



Drainage conditions. — The run-off is large. The eastern half is very abundantl}' 

 supplied with springs, tarns, alpine rivulets, and creeks, while several large creeks 

 have their rise in the western areas. The township is one of the principal water 

 heads of Stillwater River. 



Snow and rock slides. — Slides are of frequent occurrence, especially in the eastern 

 areas along the breaks to the Stillwater Canyon. 



Towns and settlements. — The township is uninhabited. 



Forest conditions. — The bottoms of the Stillwater canyons are forested with 

 moderately close-set stands of lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce, mostly old 

 growth. The ridges west of the canyon carry stands of subalpine type, thin and 

 scattered at the higher elevations, close set in the canyons. The eastern areas of the 

 township are mostly bare of forest, or have thin lines of trees and small copses set 

 here and there in the sheltered hollows of the spurs. The timber is inaccessible 

 except for local use. 



Gutting. — None. 



Burns. — None. 



Beproduction. — In the stands in Stillwater Valley the young growth, consisting 

 chiefly of lodgepole pine, is sufficient to maintain the present volume. There is little 

 young growth in the subalpine stands. 



Undergrowth. — Light. 



Litter. — A small quantity of dead and down timber is scattered through the 

 forest in Stillwater Valley, a large proportion of this being due to the crushing 

 effects of snow and rock slides descending the steep slopes. Elsewhere the litter 

 is small in quantity. 



Humus. — A light cover of moss occurs in the valley and on the lower slopes. 

 At the higher elevations the forest floor is bare. 



