﻿Ouachita 
  Mountain 
  System 
  in 
  Indian 
  Territory. 
  128 
  

  

  These 
  mountains 
  rise 
  abruptly 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  

   bed 
  prairies, 
  which 
  surround 
  them 
  on 
  every 
  side, 
  and 
  their 
  

   sharp 
  jagged 
  outlines 
  present 
  striking 
  and 
  exquisite 
  scenery. 
  

   The 
  ragged 
  peaks 
  of 
  igneous 
  rock 
  present 
  a 
  strong 
  contrast 
  to 
  

   the 
  stratified 
  ridges 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  central 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  

   system. 
  Although 
  in 
  Arkansas 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  a 
  similar 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  above 
  the 
  surrounding 
  plain, 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  the 
  rugged 
  

   peaks 
  and 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  "Wichitas, 
  and 
  are 
  covered 
  by 
  forests. 
  

   Their 
  aspect 
  is 
  Appalachian 
  — 
  the 
  arid 
  Wichitas 
  remind 
  us 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rockies. 
  The 
  eastern 
  Ouachitas 
  are 
  the 
  eroded 
  remnants 
  

   of 
  stratified 
  rocks 
  with 
  their 
  characteristic 
  topography, 
  the 
  

   Wichitas 
  consist 
  of 
  igneous 
  rocks 
  — 
  hard, 
  firm, 
  ragged 
  and 
  

   barren. 
  

  

  These 
  mountains 
  extend 
  westward 
  from 
  Fort 
  Sill 
  120 
  miles 
  

   to 
  the 
  100th 
  meridian 
  and 
  were 
  partially 
  mapped 
  out 
  by 
  Marcy 
  

   and 
  McCleland 
  years 
  ago,* 
  and 
  T. 
  B. 
  Comstock 
  has 
  recently 
  

   made 
  an 
  interesting 
  reconnoisance 
  of 
  them.f 
  The 
  most 
  

   prominent 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  peaks 
  are 
  Mt. 
  Scott 
  and 
  Mt. 
  Sheridan 
  ; 
  

   the 
  former 
  is 
  2100 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level, 
  1200 
  feet 
  above 
  Fort 
  

   Sill 
  on 
  the 
  plain 
  below, 
  and 
  1700 
  feet 
  above 
  Red 
  River 
  

   fifty 
  miles 
  distant. 
  Though 
  neither 
  high 
  nor 
  extensive, 
  the 
  

   Wichitas 
  are 
  models 
  of 
  topography 
  and 
  mountain 
  structure. 
  

   Mt. 
  Scott 
  is 
  a 
  solid 
  mass 
  of 
  red 
  feldspathic 
  granite 
  with 
  little 
  

   quartz, 
  while 
  neighboring 
  mountains 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  green- 
  

   stones, 
  basalts, 
  etc., 
  indicating 
  two 
  widely 
  different 
  types 
  of 
  

   igneous 
  rocks. 
  

  

  The 
  westward 
  continuation 
  of 
  these 
  mountains 
  is 
  buried 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  sediments 
  of 
  the 
  Staked 
  Plains 
  and 
  with 
  

   it 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  relation 
  of 
  the 
  Ouachita 
  system 
  to 
  the 
  

   Rocky 
  Mountains. 
  At 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places 
  in 
  ]S 
  r 
  o 
  Man's 
  Land 
  

   and 
  north 
  of 
  Clarendon, 
  Texas, 
  I 
  am 
  told 
  that 
  erosion 
  has 
  cut 
  

   down 
  to 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  this 
  mountain 
  system 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  localities. 
  

  

  The 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  Wichitas 
  is 
  unlike 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  

   mountain 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  southwest, 
  and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  see, 
  

   presents 
  no 
  structural 
  resemblance 
  either 
  to 
  the 
  basin-sur- 
  

   rounded 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  Trans-Pecos, 
  or 
  the 
  early 
  Paleozoic 
  

   buttes 
  and 
  denuded 
  folds 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  Texas 
  region.' 
  Their 
  

   age 
  is 
  not 
  determined. 
  They 
  are 
  certainly 
  Post-Silurian 
  and 
  

   the 
  Red 
  beds 
  have 
  in 
  part 
  participated 
  in 
  the 
  movements 
  but 
  

   the 
  eruptives 
  may 
  be 
  Post 
  Cretaceous 
  or 
  even 
  later. 
  The 
  

   apparent 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  and 
  Upper 
  Cretaceous 
  in 
  the 
  

   composition 
  of 
  the 
  Wichitas 
  is 
  especially 
  noticeable. 
  Their 
  

   trend 
  and 
  composition 
  plainly 
  places 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  Ouachita 
  

   system. 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  Exploration 
  of 
  Red 
  River 
  of 
  Louisiana, 
  Marcy. 
  

  

  f 
  See 
  First 
  (Second) 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Texas 
  State 
  Geological 
  Survey. 
  

   Austin, 
  1889. 
  

  

  