Rocky Mountain Trip 
of the Mesa Verde. The ridge on which Wilsons St. 45 and Chit- 
tendens 1 are located seems to he formed of this same sandstone 
and the Lightuer Creek bluff is of the lower escarpment. They 
are opening some coal seams in this bluff (Moss and Lee). The 
heavy coal vein above which I had formerly inclined to place in 
the tertiary looks to me now rather cretaceous, but only by asso¬ 
ciation - there is no positive proof. I observe that the Lies a 
Verde is denuded of a greater portion of the upper escarpment 
sandstone than I had thought, and the broad valley of the LaPlata 
and its tributary. Cherry Creek, are chiefly on the back of the 
lower escarpment sandstone, vdiich for a long distance assumes 
the horizontal position , the upper escarpment only appearing 
above the Ute village and outcropping along a line to Wilsons 
St 45. A large area on the divide between Lightuer Creek and 
the Laplata is terraced with drift. Rode up the divide toward 
the southeast spur of the Sierra Laplata to a high point formed 
of the lower escarp sandstone, and obtained a splendid view of 
the low country about the Rio Laplata and below. There itere the 
mesa and needle and mountain groups just as they were before, but 
all so clear and delicately distinct that it looked like a new 
land - fresh and sparkling. What most surprised me was a little 
city standing on the former unpropitious looking site of the lone 
house of the Laplata camp - a large village with fresh roofs and 
weather boarding. If put down blindfolded in or near the place 
1 would have recognized nothing. The trail by which the train 
had marched led mostly through the depression caused by the er¬ 
osion of the cret.shales. Ho. 1 laps high upon the mountain spur 
ana is paruially obscured oy a capping.of trachytic. The red beds 
