Rocky Mountain Trip 
driven "by the herd boys to the river crossing on their way to 
the corrals for the night. The lambs or kids were considerably 
frightened at the roaring though shallow water and their antics 
afforded us much fun. 
Aug. 21st : Marched 25 miles farther up and camped on 
the banks of the stream ( which is here a fine mountain creek) 
and by the border beautiful meadows surrounded by pine covered 
hills. The rocks are nearly all of the lignitic formation. Coal 
seams could be seen cropping out nearly everywhere. This beau¬ 
tiful little valley has been washed out of the cretaceous shales, 
which were here exposed by a lateral fraction or outpush from 
the range. The lignitic forms the upper parts of the surround¬ 
ing walls. 
Aug. 22nd : A cool, windy morning. Followed the Purga¬ 
tory up to the base of the hog backs of the lower cretaceous 
and found the road turning to the south up the depression eroded 
from the middle cretaceous shales. There is here a good deal 
of pine timber and the grass and vegetation are very fresh and 
green. Large herds of sheep are kept on this range by Mexican 
paisanos. From Purgatory Creek we crossed a low divide into 
the head of the Vernajo. a tributary of the Canadian. From the 
head of this valley we turned to the westward and crossed into 
the Costilla valley, leaving Costilla peak on the south and the 
Celabra group on the north. In the meadows are a few Mexican 
ranches. The people are the lowest I have seen. They are hardly 
better than Indians. Some .of the young women smear their faces 
wioh a heavy coat ol dull red paint. They are most uncouth and 
