CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MOUNTAIN AREA. 
285 
south, along the courses of the Sandys the soil is of the nature implied 
by these names, and, farther yet toward the southeast, near the South 
Pass, and extending thence far to the eastward along the south base of 
the Sweetwater Mountains is a long range of sand dunes, built up from 
the accumulations of the prevailing westerly winds. 
The broad stretch of country included between the Big Sandy and 
Green Eiver is mainly sandy, grading, in its southern part into an ad- 
hesive, alkaline clay. The soil of the southern part of the basin, i. e. 
that lying south of the latitude of the mouth of the Big Sandy is of the 
latter character, produced mainly by the disintegration of the Bridger 
beds. Along Bitter Creek, almost the sole vegetation is greasewood. 
West of the Green, in this part of the basin, alkali does not form so 
large a component of the soils, and while sage is the predominant 
growth, still grass is found in some localities in sufficient abundance to 
afford fair pasturage. Passing northward on this side of the river we 
find the same gradation from a clay to a sandy soil. 
The river bottoms of many of the streams contain fine meadow land,, 
which can easily be burned over. Green Eiver, from its head down to 
Green Eiver City, has a belt of bottom land from one to two miles iu 
width, all well grassed, and containing occasional groups of cottonwoods 
and willows. Bitter Creek has no bottom land, but flows mainly in an 
arroyo, cut in the clay soil. The Big Sandy has but little bottom land. 
From its mouth to that of the Little Sandy it flows in a low canon, 
whose walls closely confine the stream. Above this point the bottom 
lands are narrow, being on an average probably not more than one- 
fourth of a mile in width. 
The various branches of the New Fork of the Green have but nar- 
row strips of bottom laud, but they flow through a comparatively well- 
grassed country. 
Nearly all the branches of the Green from the west have broad 
meadow lands along their courses, in many cases rivalling in width those 
of the main stream itself. Of these Horse, Marsh, Bitterroot, Piney, 
and Labarge Creeks have particularly fine bottom lands. The Fonte- 
nelle bottoms are narrower, probably averaging not more than a half 
mile in width, and limited by high bluffs. Slate Creek is an insignifi- 
cant stream with no flood plain. 
The bottom lands of Black's Fork are particularly broad and fine, be- 
ing fully three miles in average breadth. On its main branch, Ham's 
Fork, they are nearly as broad, and the same may be said of Henry's 
Fork, which enters the -Green just above its canon in the Uinta Mount- 
ains. 
These bottom lands are everywhere well grassed, and in the spring 
when the grass is dry can easily be burned over. 
The rolling plateaus which separate the southern part of the Green 
Eiver Basin from Bear Eiver are, in this neighborhood, desert-like in 
character, Artemisia being the principal production. As we recede 
