Rocky 'Mountain" Trip 
above has the appearance of a coat of mail. The pine forests 
are quite dense, leached camp at six, two and one-half hours 
descent. The summit is always dart: and is pyramidal in shape 
from all points of view. 
Sept. 6th : Descended to the Rio Grande and marched up it 
almost to' the source. The stream lessened quite rapidly and is 
always in narrow valleys or canons. The wagon road is very bad; 
the trail is much used by pack trains of burros employed by 
Mexicans carrying out bullion from Silverton. Some trains of 
4 - 
w 
hese poor abused beasts are barbarously used, their backs being 
fairly raw. They are picturesque, however, when seen picking 
their way over the steep and dangerous trails. The quartzites 
begin to appear in the bottom of the valley near the source and 
on the divide, which is 12,200 feet high. The trail separates 
the quartzites from the trachytes, the latter being on the right. 
The view from camp was quite mountainous and picturesque but the 
effect was bad. 
Sept. 7 th: Silverton. Crossed the continental divide said 
entered Cunningham Gulch. A fearful descent by the well worn 
trail brought us to the stream which is formed by a hundred cas¬ 
cades that leap down the smooth rock faces. Mines have been dis¬ 
covered all over the faces of the walls and zigzag trails lead up 
to cabins and leads that look impassable to man or beast. The 
stream has some fine cascades and pitches down toward the Animas 
at a fearful rate. A large saw mill is in course of construction. 
Passed a party of southern Indians, who had a train of burros 
packed with apples. These they were taking north to trade, he 
bought a quarter 1 ^ worthy about ten little wilted tasteless things 
