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coincident with the one hundred and fifth meridian. Three-sevenths 

 of the entire area lies east of that line, within the plains region, and is 

 a high, rolling, semi-arid country, almost wholly devoid of timber, and 

 insufficiently watered by the South Platte and Arkansas Elvers and 

 their tributaries. At the base of the mountains it has an elevation of 

 5,000 to 6,000 feet thence sloping gradually to the eastern border, 

 where the altitude is 1,000 to 1,500 feet less. The western and larger 

 division of the State includes in its eastern part the Main Eange, or 

 Continental Divide, and almost numberless minor ranges, spurs, and 

 groups. Between these and the Utah line is a more open country, 

 broken by extensive plateaus and mesas, detached mountain groups, 

 isolated peaks, hills, and buttes. Large rivers traverse the region, bor. 

 dered in places by broad and fertile valleys, and at other points con- 

 fined within deep and narrow canyons. 



" The parks of Colorado are a distinctive and remarkable feature of 

 the mountain region, apparently the basins of former lakes upheaved 

 and deprived of their waters by volcanic agency, with their original 

 shape and situation at the foot of high mountains undisturbed, while 

 their lowest depths are from 6,000 to 9,000 feet above the level of the 

 sea. Many of these parks are small, being little valleys at the sources 

 of single streams, or the beds of small lakes into which several streams 

 from the surrounding mountains are emptied j yet there are four of 

 these elevated valleys, the smallest of which extends 20 by 50 miles, 

 and the largest 100 by 200, equal in size to some of the most important 

 of the Kew England States. These are called the ^^orth Park, Middle 

 Park, South Park, and San Luis Park." 



In all these parks are rich grazing lands, and in many of them are 

 large and productive agricultural areas. 



The principal rivers of the State are the Arkansas and South Platte 

 on the eastern side, which find outlet through the Missouri and Missis- 

 sippi to the Gulf of Mexico ; the Yampah, White, Grand, Gunnison, 

 and Eio Dolores upon the Pacific slope, tributary to the Colorado 

 Eiver of the West j and the Eio Grande, flowing southward to the Gulf 

 of Mexico. All of these rivers have their sources in, and are deiDend- 

 ent upon, the central snowy ranges. It is instructive to note the pre- 

 ponderance of streams upon the western slope, where the forests are 

 most dense, and where occurs the greatest precipitation of moisture. 



The forests of Colorado are situated mostly in the western mountain- 

 ous divisions at the higher elevations. A tongue of timbered land in- 

 vades the mid-eastern portion for a distance of about 30 miles along 

 the crest of the Arkansas-Platte divide j and another tract of wooded 

 country extends for a short distance into Las Animas County at the 

 southeast. The heaviest forest growth is in the north central, central, 

 and southwestern parts of the State. Some of the finest timber is 

 found at the southwest, in La Plata and Archuleta Counties. Much of 

 it grows on high, rolling plateaus^ the trees are tail and straight j but 



