COLORADO RIVER BASIN 
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loops, incised nearly a thousand feet into a platform of gorgeous¬ 
ly colored formations. The river repeatedly wanders off for 
miles, but each time comes back partically to the point of begin¬ 
ning. The river, the gorge, the formations, the history, all com¬ 
bine to make the country a most fascinating one. 
Monument Valley, situated on the east side of the river and 
near the Utah-Arizona line, is characterized by the presence of 
thousands upon thousands of isolated monoliths reaching hun¬ 
dreds of feet into the air. The combined effect of these spires 
and towers is one of marked desolation. In reality the impres¬ 
sion is not out of harmony with the history of the country’s 
development. Ages ago a massive, red, sandstone formation cov¬ 
ered the entire area, but largely through the action of wind, aided 
by other destructive agencies, the formation has been largely car¬ 
ried away. Here and there residual masses, suggestive of its 
former existence, are all that remain. The country resembles a 
vast, desolated city. One may easily imagine that the stone pillars, 
in their various shapes and sizes, represent the walls and chim¬ 
neys of a ruined city. The road to Monument Valley is a long 
and hard one. The valley itself is wierd and seems to be wholly 
reminiscent of the distant past. The traveler comes away with 
the feeling that he has visited a city of the dead. 
Mention has already been made of the important part played 
by wind in disintegrating the rock formations and in carrying 
away the debris. An interesting example is shown in connection 
with what is termed the “Goblet of Venus.” This unusual erc- 
sional form is twelve feet high and eight feet across at the widest 
point of the bowl. The shaft of the goblet is scarcely ten inches 
in diameter. The whole structure is composed of one continuous 
rock-mass and is rigidly connected with the underlying forma¬ 
tions. It was formed literally by the “lathe” action of the wind. 
Long ago the immediate topography of the locality was of such 
a nature that the wind passing over it acquired a rotary motion. 
With the aid of sand particles, acting as tools, a circular groove 
was gradually cut around a central shaft. As the groove wore 
deeper the velocity of the wind was checked, and, in consequence, 
the diameter of the depression decreased. Thus, the central core 
was slowly fashioned into a form resembling, almost in detail, a 
