138 



east, where at the lowest point it is only about 3,000 feet above sea- 

 level. 



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

 tory to the point where it cuts the New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua 

 boundaries, is about 3,500 feet. The ranges generally 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 Rio Grande, Rio 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 Rio 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 Rio Pecos, a large affluent of the 

 Rio Grande, drains the mideastern and southeastern portions of the 

 Territory, and the Canadian River and its tributaries the northeastern 

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

 and other affluents of the Colorado River of the West. No lakes of 

 considerable size have as yet been discovered in the Territory. 



The water-courses of New Mexico, compared with those of her 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 

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

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

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

 northeastern corners of the Territory. The San Juan River, as well as 

 the Rio 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 J this is especially the case with rivers in the arid regions of 

 New Mexico and Arizona." 



The high mountains of the Main Range 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 the dry atmosphere rapidly 

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

 fect exi)erienced 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, are moderate, but the difference between 



