138 



east, where at the lowest i^oiot it is ouly about 3,000 feet above sea- 

 level. 



" The fall of the Eio Grande, from the northern border of the Terri- 

 tory to the point where it cuts the ]S"ew Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua 

 boundaries, is about 3,500 feet. The ranges geuerallj^ rise from 2,000 

 to 5,000 feet above the mesas and high table-lands. Mount Baldy, 18 

 miles from Santa Fe, is 12,202 feet high; Mount Taylor, in the Sierra 

 Mateo, is 11,200 feet high. 



The Eio Grande, Eio Pecos, Canadian, and San Juan are the princi- 

 pal rivers of the Territory. The first rises in the mountains of southern 

 Colorado, crosses the northern border of isew Mexico at a central point, 

 and follows a nearly direct course through the Territory to its southern 

 boundary. This stream is not navigable at any point within the Ter- 

 ritory. The valley of the Eio Grande, having an average width of 

 8 or 9 miles and a length of about 400, includes large areas of most ex- 

 cellent farming and fruit lands. The Eio Pecos, a large affluent of the 

 Eio GraudCj drains the mideastern and southeastern portions of the 

 Territory, and the Canadian Elver and its tributaries the northeastern 

 portion. The western part is drained by the San Juan, Zufii, Gila, 

 and other affluents of the Colorado Eiver of the West. Ko lakes of 

 considerable size have as yet been discovered in the Territory. 



The watercourses of New Mexico, compared with those other north- 

 ern neighbor, Colorado, are few and of small volume. In the last- 

 named State at least ten large and powerful rivers rise in the central 

 mountain region, and, re enforced by numerous tributaries, pass to and 

 beyond the borders of the State. In New Mexico but two rivers, the 

 Eio Grande and Eio Pecos, flow for a considerable distance within the 

 limits of the Territory. The two other important streams, the Eio San 

 Juan and Canadian, flow, respectively, through the northwestern and 

 northeastern corners of the Territory. The San Jean Eiver, as well as 

 the Eio Grande, rises in southern Colorado. 



"It is not uncommon for a river to be considerably larger toward its 

 source than at its mouth. Many of the important streams that flow 

 from the Black Hills into the Missouri are lost on their way through 

 the plains; this is especially the case with rivers in the arid regions of 

 New Mexico and Arizona." 



The high mountains of the Main Eange extend southward into New 

 Mexico for a distance of about 100 miles, reaching the neighborhood of 

 Santa Fe. South of this there is a semi-tropical region. "There is of 

 necessity a wide difference in the extremes of temperature, but with the 

 exceptions of the cold seasons of the higher lands at the north, the 

 climate is temperate and equable. The summer days in the lower 

 valley are sometimes quite warm, but as thi*. dry atmos})here rapidly 

 absorbs the perspiration of the body, it prevents the debilitating ef- 

 fect experienced where the air is heavier and more saturated with 

 moisture. The nights are cool and refreshing. The winters, except in 

 the mountains at the north, ^re moderate, but the difference between 



