246 Prof. Hayden's Explorations. [April, 
the divide is reached into rugged and often impassable cliffs, 
known on the maps as the Roan or Book Mountains. The 
gentle plateau slope of the White River side is cut by 
almost numberless and often deep canons, and in many cases 
the surface of the country has been eroded away, leaving 
broken and most picturesque forms, the lower benches gene- 
rally covered with cedars and pinons, and the upper rich in 
grass. 
There are four main streams draining into the White 
River within the limits of our work— a distance of some- 
thing over 100 miles. The easternmost is a large running 
stream ; the second, though tolerably good water may be 
found in pools in its bed, carries in the summer no running 
water for the greater part of its course ; the third has for most 
of its length a trickling stream of the bitterest of alkali water, 
while the fourth and westernmost one is perfectly dry for 
some 25 miles from its mouth, and then forks, one branch 
containing pure sweet water in pools, the other a running 
stream of bitter alkali. All of these streams have more or 
less good water at their heads. They travelled nearly the 
whole length of all these water-courses, but found good trails 
only in the two middle ones. Trails, which traverse the 
whole district in every possible direction, keep mostly on the 
summits of the ridges and plateaus, and by taking care not 
to cross the canons, the country is very easily travelled 
through. 
The country is almost entirely destitute of timber, and has 
but little good water. It is, however, abundantly, richly 
supplied with grass, and, especially in the winter season, 
must be well stocked with game. It seems well adapted to 
its present use as an Indian reservation, and is likely to re- 
main for years to come more valuable for them than it could 
be for settlement. 
In the far western portion, and outside the limits of the 
reservation, one large vein of asphaltum and several small 
veins were found, and also running springs of the same 
material, all of which, if once reached by railroads, will prove 
of great commercial value. These deposits have been spoken 
of before, but their location has not been accurately deter- 
mined. The principal vein seen by this party is at present 
about 100 miles from railroad communication, but less than 
half that distance from white settlement, and is likely in the 
present rapid growth of that country to be within a few 
years made available. 
According to the report of F. M. Endlich, the geology of 
this district is very simple, though interesting. Inasmuch 
