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Hayden Geological Survey. 
_ An ,, , JBL... r ~ A ' \»*a*r 
Headwatera of the Rio Grande-Mnc- 
•easfal Operations. 
The following private letter from Mr. W. 
H. Holmes, assistant geologist connected 
"with the division of ttie above survey, now 
engaged in exploring the southwestern por¬ 
tion of Cdroriadbi to' Dtv Hayden, the geolo¬ 
gist in charge, will be read with interest: 
Head of Rio Gkande, September 7,1876. 
“We are camped on the Rio Grande so near 
the source that it is only a small stream,—so 
small that a man might step over it. Since 
parting with you at the base of the Sierra, 
Blanca we have made two great summits 
without missing a day, and making altogether 
the neatest connection throughout that can 
be imagined. You desired me to give full 
details, but I may say truly to begin with 
that what we have seen and done belongs 
rather to the generals than to the particulars. 
We have seen a country which is built on a 
large scale, and in a large or gene? al way 
we have seen it. Each day’s work 
has been full. The Becond day after parting 
with you, we reached Del Norte, leaving be¬ 
hind us the little'praised yet interesting and 
beautiful San Luis park. On the following 
morning we organized a small party for a 
side trip to the Summit district. We found 
a good wsgon roa * leading up to the mines 
—some twenty-five milee-r-and passed on be¬ 
yond to the base of a mountain (called by 
Clarke, of the Wheeler party, Mount Blaine), 
making a march of nearly forty miles. On 
this peak Mr. Wilson wished to make one of 
1 the primary triangulation, stations, 
Next morning, September 1, we were on 
the summit Dj to o’clock. Mr. Wilson suc¬ 
ceeded in making a fair set of observations, 
and I spent a couple o€ hours making a de¬ 
tailed sketch ot the Traci>;tic mountain re¬ 
gion to the south. This region. j 8 the south¬ 
ern extension r f the Summit plateau, (on 
which is situated the ifiining district,) and 
lies between the Rio Grande basin on the 
east and the upper San Juein valley on the 
west. The entire plateau is high, most of It 
being above or near timber line, and is rather 
higher on the borchns, especially so on the 
San Juan side. We thus have a large area 
which is but poorly drained and 
hence retains muck water, and abounds in 
immense tract* of bog or swamp lands. The 
Wetter portions in the broad upland valleys 
are covered with a dense growth of swamp 
grasses and willow bashes, while the drier 
parts have oonsideraole fine forest. Oar 
station, which reaches an elevation of 13.000 
feet, is situated on the con inental divide!, 
but lies on the west side of the plateau over¬ 
looking the oafions of the upper San Juan. 
South of it is Banded mountain, occupying 
the center of the great group shown in my 
sketch. To the west and northwest is spread 
forth one of the grandest mountain land¬ 
scapes that I have ever had the good fortune 
to behold. Under us are the deep rock- 
walled and timbered oafions. Rising beyond 
! these, with picturesque forms and fine colors, 
! is the first group of the San Juan mountains, 
of which the Rio Grande pyramid seems tq 
be the culmina ing point. Beyond this, and 
towering above is the second group—the fa! 
mous quartzites—presenting an astounding 
array of lofty needle-like points, and 
combed ridges. This group I have since 
s en from a hearer point, and shall 
subsequently describe more fully. The 
view to the north and east present nothing 
out of the ordinary run of mountain scenery. 
The Sahgre de Cristo range could be Seen be¬ 
yond the San Luis Valley and Saguache and 
l (50.4? 
Uncompahgre ranges were in plain Bight to 
the north. The formations here are totally 
trachytic and together with the very valu¬ 
able mines of the district will doubtless be 
fully described by-Dr. Endlich in his report 
for 1875. 
Having successfully finished our work in 
this district, we set out for the Rio Grande, 
passing down a small branoh to the south 
fork and thence reaching the main camp six¬ 
teen miles above Del Norte. In three days 
we had traveled upwards of eighty miles, be¬ 
sides making a successful high mountain 
station. Our next station was to be the Rio 
Grande pyramid. On September 3, we 
marched about twenty-five miles up the Rio 
Grande, and on the following day reached 
the base of the peak, thirty miles farther. 
Our camp was near the source of the Pinos 
river, a tributary of the San Juan. An In¬ 
dian trail runs over the pass. By this route 
we e r) tered the San Juan basin last year. 
On the morning of the 5th we ascended the 
pyramid. At timber-line we encountered a 
severe rain and snow storm. The sky Cleared 
again toon, and by 11 o’clock we were oh 
the summit, but just in time to encounter 
another and much more stvere snow storm. 
For i early an Lour we lay on the leeward 
side of a small monument, tryiug to keep 
warm and congratulating ourselves that we 
would know the way up lo morrow Soon 
after 12 the clouds began to break, and 
glimpses of the mountain could be had. By 
1 o’clock we were at work, and as the differ- 
e>ent groups came out partially i r entirely, 
we snatched, as it were, from the jealous and 
unwilling storm our observations and draw 
ings. Tee one treat feature of the day, to 
me, was the view of the quartzite group, 
wuioh lay imm-diatBly to the west. The 
vi w is one in a thousand, and > ou would 
have been lost in admiration and amazement. 
You have seen a thousand panoramas, but 
none like this. I prediot that when you see 
my sketch you will be highly pleased. Bat 
what are these mountains like? If youshould, 
in your imagination,put tog; her in one small 
group, perhaps twelve miles square, ail the ' 
heights and depths, the ragged precipices 
and polished faces of rock and all the sharp 
pinnacles and deeply indented crests and 
: twenty times the inaccessible summits that 
both of us have ever seen you would not 
have a picture equal to this. Words can 
hardly express sufficient to enable me speak 
* n hyperbole of this unparalell d group of 
'peaks. My poor sketch made through the 
rents m the clouds will tell you best what 
they are like and a sketch of such a subject 
must be but a feeble, a very feeble, expres- 
si<ra of the truth as you must fully know. 
Beyond this group to the south appear the 
La Fiata mountains: and to the north the 
San Miguel and Uncompahgre. The great 
summit of the latter range impresses one 
greatly with its height and if appearances 
oount for anything the great Blanca has a 
dangerous rival. The mountains to the 
north have a covering of snow, but other- 
th. 86 a T> trao<; I'fHe notice from this point. 
I he Rio Grande pyramid is a fiae 
peak, named so on oocount of its 
•symmetric pyramidal Bhape. It is com¬ 
posed entirely of trachyte and is easy 
of access. The surrounding valleys or oafions 
are cut sharp and deep in the massive bedded 
trachyte. The character of the conntry is 
very like the East Yellowstone and Clark’s 
Dork region. 
We are now one day’s march from the 
base of the pyramid and to-morrow shall 
£5? Silyertqn on our way to La 
iiata. I hope to get another look into the 
quartzites to morrow morning. I have told 
you but little and that in a very unscientific 
way, but I hope you will excuse me. The 
jparty are all well and in good 
psaks are done and five by six ; 
> do. 
W. H. H. 
