NEWLY EXPLORED VALLEYS. 
Tfee Chances for StoeK Eanffcs in 
(SontSi-Western Colorado — Places 
Where the Grass Grows Knee* 
High—And Regions That are 
Struck with Sterility— 
What the Hayden Ex- 
pedjtlon Pound. 
[Special Correspondence of the News.j 
Parrott City, Col., September 4,1875.— 
Our work has carried us all along the south¬ 
ern border of Colorado, from the mouth of 
the Animas river west, and have reached over 
fifteen miles into New Mexico, thirty miles 
into Utah, and also a corner of Arizona, fif¬ 
teen miles by thirty in extent, while, of 
course, the main body of onr work has been 
within the limits of Colorado. 
As we marched from Denver south and 
west, and especially from the Huerfano to 
Del Norte, we were constantly reaching 
ranches and stock-men, curious and inter¬ 
ested in the character of southwestern Colo¬ 
rado, and looking toward it as a probable 
rich winter range, as the eastern parts of the 
territory get over crowded. The glowing re¬ 
ports of the rich Animas Yalley had justly 
encouraged them in this, and made them ex¬ 
pect equal richness further west, in the more 
unexplored parts. 
As we left the Rio Grande, and marched 
by the Indian trail over onto the headwaters 
of the Pinos, and thence southwest onto the 
Piedra, we found a broad, rich valley, at an 
altitude of, perhaps, 7,500 feet. This valley 
is nearly or quite ten miles long, and gener¬ 
ally two miles wide, and is all, I think,with¬ 
in the limits of the purchased portions of the 
Ute reservation. This particular valley of 
which I speak—the first open park from the 
headwaters of the Piedra—may, from its 
nearness to the mountains, be overlaid with 
snow during the winter; but further down 
the stream there are, likely, equally fertile 
parks not liable to this danger. Mr. Wilson,, 
working through this district, can make bet¬ 
ter estimates. 
West of the Piedra, the next open valley 
is on the Rio Pinos, near the junction of the 
two main forks; a valley of about the same 
size as that of the Piedra, perhaps a little 
less rich in grass, but eminently well fitted 
either for farming or stock raising. It is also 
within the limits of the San Juan purchase; 
has an altitude of only 7,200 to 7,600 feet, 
and, being further from the mountains than 
the Piedra Park, is much less liable to snow. 
Further west,and still above the southern lim¬ 
it of the purchase, we struck the Florida Yal¬ 
ley. It is much narrower and more broken 
than either of the others, and, though con¬ 
taining considerable grass, it contains it in 
patches only, and would not support so many 
cattle as those valleys further east. There 
are two or three cabins already on the Flori¬ 
da, but at present unoccupied. 
The next valley west is the great park of 
the Animas. So much has been already 
told and written of it, that I need say noth¬ 
ing more, but that its altitude runs from 6,- 
500 to 6,800 feet, that it is of fertile soil and 
quite mild climate, and that already most of 
the best sites are settled upon. 
The next river to the west is the La Plata. 
At its head, Captain Moss is settled with his 
Californians, working the mines. There are, 
at present, forty or fifty men engaged. The 
grass around their camp is rich and abundant 
for a considerable distance, but the altitude 
—about 9,000 feet—is too great for any pos¬ 
sibility of a winter range. From the mines 
the river falls very rapidly, and twenty-five 
miles down there is very little winter snow, 
but here or below them is very little likeli¬ 
hood of settlement being allowed, for the In¬ 
dians are carrying on farming operations in 
the river bottom land, and range their own 
stock on the terraces above. 
Further west still comes the last 
i one of the San Juan tributaries—the 
Mancos. This river cuts directly through 
I the Mesa Yerde in a canon from 1,000 to 
1,800 feet in depth. All its length, from the 
head till its entrance to the cafion, is within 
the purchase, and abounds in grass, but all 
too near the reservations and at too great an 
altitude for a winter range. There are 
already several excellent ranches taken up 
upon it, and one is being farmed very suc¬ 
cessfully, vegetables of most excellent quality 
being raised. Aside from one band of sheep, 
there is at present no stock north of th«e 
upper Animas valley, and within the Sad 
Juan purchase no winter range, though a 
considerable area of good summer range. 
South of the limits of the purchase, clear 
J ast the Colorado line and clear to the San 
uan river, there is evidently very little 
snow, and, outside of the rivers themselves, I 
there is absolutely no water in the summer ' 
season. In the triangle enclosed between 
the San Juan, the La Plata, and the Mancos, 
there lies an area of at least eight hundred 
square miles in which we have been unable 
to find a single drop, while west of the 
Maneos there is an area of at least 2,000 
square miles, with only four or five pools or 
springs. Within this area are stream-beds 
thirty, forty, and even sixty miles long, that 
are perfectly dry, and great stretches of 
broken sage plain without a tree and with 
hardly a handful of grass. In such a coun¬ 
try there are, of course, few Indians, and 
they are, of course, bunched about the 
springs and water holes. Within this latter 
area there are considerable broadenings in 
the valleys and open spaces in the mesas 
where grass may be found, and where, in the 
winter time, water would be less scarce 
than now, while the right of herding 
stock there in the winter might be probably 
purchased from the Indians at a quite reason¬ 
able rate. The grass area is altogether quite 
! small, and even if it were not, the Indians 
j would be suspicious of many white men com¬ 
ing in, and refuse them admission. 
Besides the country I have already men¬ 
tioned, there remains the San Juan river and 
i the area within reach ofit on either side Below 
i the river the country is thoroughly taken up 
; by the Navajoes. This side seems very little 
ranged by Indians of any tribe, and, while 
| it has broad acres capable of irrigation and 
cultivation, there is very little grass. The 
low country being generally covered with 
weeds and a kind of low grease-wood—there 
is no sage brush. As in the other dry coun¬ 
try I have mentioned, this San Juan border 
has spots of good grass, but, on the whole, it 
is decidedly no stock country. Sheep would 
do better than cattle. That I am not alone 
in this opinion is proved by several stock- 
men, who have this summer been down 
through here in search of winter range. To 
a man they agree that there is no good pros- 
peet. 
Farther north the same rule holds. Mr. 
Gannett tells me that low enough down to be 
clear of snow, there is very little grass, while 
along the base of the mountains, and on the 
plateau slopes, there is most magnificent sum¬ 
mer range. This is certainly the case on the 
Dolores, where we have been for the past two 
weeks. We found there, on the high mesas, 
great areas of knee-deep grass, and the river 
bottom full of pretty, open, grassy parks ; it 
is all through buried in snow during the 
winter. 
I have made this letter up entirely of the 
stock prospects of this district, for I found 
so many Colorado men interested in 
the region, that it seemed worth 
while to impart the impressions the 
'country had made upon me. The best parts 
of Colorado are, I think, already known. 
C. B. C. 
